"The Science Behind the Fluctuating Flavor Profile of Your Daily Cup of Coffee"

The flavor of your coffee changes. If you allow your attention to stay focused on what you are tasting, you'll notice that--for our freshly roasted coffee--the flavor changes daily. We recommend allowing your freshly roasted Cre(e)dence Coffe to rest and breathe for at least three to five days after the roast date. By allowing it to breathe in our one-way valved bags, you are degassing the roasted coffee.

Degassed is a gas...

Degassing coffee is a vital step in the coffee brewing process that involves releasing gases, primarily carbon dioxide, that are trapped within the coffee beans both when they are processed and especially when roasted.

Freshly roasted coffee beans produce a significant amount of carbon dioxide gas as a byproduct of the roasting process. This gas can create a barrier to optimal extraction--what happens when you mingle hot water with coffee grounds--when brewing coffee, resulting in a flavor that may be overly acidic or carbonic. Allowing the coffee to degas for a period of time after roasting allows these gases to escape, resulting in a smoother and more balanced flavor profile. Degassing also helps with brewing consistency. Gases trapped within the coffee grounds can cause uneven extraction, leading to variations in flavor from one cup to another. By allowing the coffee to degas before brewing, you can achieve more consistent extraction and a more predictable flavor profile.

The Bloom

In our recipe blog, we mentioned the bloom. This is a technique for various methods where hot water is dripped or poured onto the ground bed. Allowing coffee to bloom is an essential step in the brewing process, particularly for methods like pour-over, French press, and Aeropress. When hot water is added to the coffee grounds, especially in pour-over or French press methods, it triggers a rapid release of this gas. Allowing the coffee to bloom ensures that most of this gas escapes, preventing it from creating a barrier to proper extraction during brewing. If not allowed to bloom, the trapped gas can lead to uneven extraction and off-flavors in the final cup.

Blooming also pre-wets the coffee grounds, which primes them for optimal extraction. When dry coffee grounds come into contact with hot water, they tend to repel water initially, making it difficult for the water to penetrate evenly. The bloom phase allows the coffee grounds to absorb water and start releasing flavor compounds, setting the stage for a more even extraction during the rest of the brewing process.

To recap: allowing your beans or ground to degas--while in storage or just before brewing using the bloom technique--gives you a better cup of coffee.

Time and ch-ch-ch-changes

But, even after the initial degassing peiod I mentioned above, your Cre(e)dence Coffee will continue to breathe because it's so fresh! Consequently, you will taste changes in the coffee from day-to-day. Each day the beans degas brings new flavor to your cup. Depening on your bean, you may detect less citrus up front and smoother tones throughout. This is especially true for our African roasts with wide flavor profiles. Most of our customers brew their Cre(e)dence Coffee within the freshness window from 3-5 days to 3-5 weeks after roasting; the flavor will settle down after about two weeks.

It's like waking up to a new friend every day!

But, the changes don't stop there: your Cre(e)dence Coffee flavor may change as it cools in your cup!

Cool, man, cool...

Many of our customers tell us they drink their coffee piping hot. It truly is a soothing way to take your coffee. But, most of us have the experience of drinking our coffee as it cools. Have you noticed that the flavor has changed? For our roasts, the freshness of the beans creates two variables that make the coffee flavor change right in your cup as it cools.

First, hotter coffee tends to emphasize certain flavors, particularly acidity and bitterness, while cooler coffee may allow other flavors to become more prominent. Second, there is the chemistry! As coffee cools, different chemical compounds within the coffee undergo changes in solubility and volatility, altering the overall flavor profile.

For our roasts, we notice that the chocolate, dark sugar, molasses, and even honey flavors get more noticeable as the cup cools.

There is no one right way to drink your Cre(e)dence Coffee. Like wines, you should drink what you like. But, just for kicks, try to notice the flavor changes in the day-to-day and moment-by-moment sips. Let us know what you think!