So, you wake up, still sore from last night's 16 hour shift because your relief didn’t show up. You realize you have finally run out of the one thing that helps you to keep it together during early mornings (or afternoons, evenings, even nights! Whatever shift your post has you on) - Coffee.
Maybe you’re feeling adventurous, no more of the same generic brand, tired of the same stale taste. I guess it’s time for a change. In this guide you will learn everything you need to know to make your mornings a tad bit better with a great tasting cup of coffee.
Let’s get to the basics,
There’s two choices you will get to choose from when you’ve changed your preferred brand of coffee; Whole bean coffee & Ground coffee (Don’t even get me started on instant coffee or K-cups)
There’s certain advantages that whole bean coffee has over pre-ground coffee. If you are used to buying pre-ground coffee, you are probably used to how convenient it is. You get to have your first caffeinated beverage of the day which keeps you going, without the hassle...
It’s great, right? NO!
Here’s why I say no to pre-ground coffee:Whole bean coffee is still in its natural form. When you buy whole bean coffee, you grind the beans to start the brewing process and it tastes a whole lot better, and I mean it with an emphasis on the “whole lot better” part.
Don’t believe me? Taste a cup of coffee brewed from freshly ground beans, then taste a cup of generic pre-ground coffee. You will definitely notice the difference.
“Why does this happen?”
Because whole bean coffee keeps its aroma and its freshness of flavor longer, if you store it properly. With ground coffee, however, the coffee beans are ground up, after which the coffee loses flavor and freshness, as the essential oils start to evaporate from the grounded beans. So, you never had the chance for it to taste better than whole bean coffee to begin with.
So, in these first couple of lines, whole bean coffee has absolutely wrecked ground coffee in terms of... well, everything! Now that we have the competition out of the way, let’s focus on what to do and what to avoid when you decide to purchase your first bag of whole bean coffee.
This is something which most folks don’t notice while buying their first (or even regular) bag(s) of ground bean coffee. You ALWAYS want to go for freshly roasted beans, for the optimal taste, fragrance and freshness. Now, you might be asking...
“How do you tell the difference?”
It’s quite simple actually, you see - look for a carbon dioxide valve on your bag of coffee! Freshly roasted coffee beans emit carbon dioxide (CO2) for up to two weeks after being roasted. This vent allows the CO2 gas to replace the air that was originally in the bag. This keeps the oxidation to the minimum and the taste to the fullest by preventing staleness.
If you don’t see these vents in your bag, chances are you’re probably not drinking coffee made from the goodness of freshly roasted beans.
Now that I have shown you the basics - you are left with the last step of the process, which is to make your decision of buying your first bag of whole bean coffee, keeping in mind the tips you have learned from this guide.