HOW LONG DO COFFEE BEANS LAST?
Freshness is one of coffee’s most underappreciated variables—and one of the most critical. While roasted coffee doesn’t “expire” in the conventional sense, it does undergo a gradual loss of vibrancy and complexity the moment it leaves the roaster. During the first 7 to 21 days post-roast, the beans reach their optimal expression: carbon dioxide from the roasting process has off-gassed sufficiently, allowing for even extraction, while the full spectrum of flavor compounds—aromatic volatiles, organic acids, sugars, and oils—remain intact. Outside that window, degradation is inevitable. The cup becomes less dynamic, less aromatic, and more muted in structure.
The cause? Oxidation. Roasted coffee is chemically volatile—it absorbs oxygen, moisture, and ambient odors while shedding the soluble compounds that give it life in the cup. Whole beans fare better than ground coffee because their limited surface area slows this exchange. Once ground, coffee rapidly loses its nuance. That’s why professional cafés grind to order—and why you should, too. Proper storage can slow the process, but it won’t stop it. Store whole beans in an airtight, opaque container, in a cool, dry place to preserve the quality.
At Common Room Roasters, we don’t leave freshness to chance—it’s built into our process. We roast in small batches, mark every bag with the exact roast date, and ship directly from our roastery to ensure your coffee arrives within its ideal flavor window. Why? Because timing isn’t a detail—it’s the difference between a cup that’s good and a cup that’s extraordinary.
