Stop Judging Coffee Beans by the Date: 3 Label Details Most People Ignore
Be honest—do you do this too? Every time you buy coffee beans, the first thing you look for is the roast date. As long as it’s fresh, you feel safe. If the “best before” date is still a month away, into the cart it goes. If there’s only two weeks left, doubt immediately kicks in. Stop. Put that bag down. Here’s a little secret: the date on the bag is just the coffee’s birth certificate . What truly determines whether a coffee will surprise you—or disappoint you—are several far more important details that most people overlook. Learn to read them, and your coffee-buying skills will instantly level up. Your wallet and your taste buds will thank you. 1. Origin & Processing Method Let me ask you something: Why does someone from Northeast China sound completely different from someone speaking Cantonese? Coffee works the same way. Its “accent”—in other words, its flavor—has already been shaped by where it comes from. That small line of text on the bag, like “Ethiopia ...