Drinking your first coffee in the morning is the clearest and calming experience you can have at the beginning of the day when you are still focused on yourself, and you prepare for the next tasks. If you invested in a coffee machine that grounds your fresh beans, giving the best taste even, then you maybe ask yourself if you would be able to tell the difference between good and bad beans in the future. One of the safest things, in this case, is to find a verified seller that always brings the best coffee, without having to be suspicious about the quality.
There are a few ways how to identify if the coffee is fresh or it went bad through the weeks. Also, there are some methods to see if the beans you have are of good quality. Let’s start with some brief explanations that will lead us to the answer:
The basic types
When we talk about types of coffee, probably some of us will initially think about espresso, black, macchiato, cappuccino, decaf, with sugar, or strong brew. That’s true, but when it comes to beans, the major types are Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa. The first two of them are very common on the worldwide market, and the others are rarer and local. Arabica has small beans that are split in the middle, and the taste is really strong, but the oval beans of Robusta provide an even stronger taste and aroma. What we can find at stores for affordable price is mostly Arabica, and other types can be more expensive.
If the beans are bad, they can ruin the whole taste of your favorite beverage. Sometimes it may happen some mistake in the sorting, and one or two beans end in your new pack of coffee, and that won’t affect the taste. But if the whole amount is low quality, then the taste can be even disgusting.
Finding the right retailer
The first thing you can do is to find a retailer you will trust. Make sure they are always honest with you about their products. Sometimes, they can even sell unripe beans and roast them in front of you, and then ground, if you want that. If your coffee machine has a grounding mechanism included, it’s even better for you, because the bean will protect the taste for a longer time.
Are the beans oily?
Every type of seed or bean has some amount of oil, and as the time goes bad, it may happen for them to become very oily, and to change the taste. Good coffee is always dry, with a nice brown color. In order to check this thing out, you have to move the beans in a paper wrap, and see if there are oily marks left. Grounded types can easily show the first signs of becoming oily. Also, remember that this doesn’t mean the coffee went bad, but it’s close to the expiration date and you will need to spend it faster. If you want to avoid this, try buying smaller amounts.
Recognize your preferences
If you are a beginner in the coffee world, then you will probably have to explore it deeper and experiment a few times, until you find the right one for you. You can try different roasts and brewing methods, and sometimes it may have a different taste than you expect. But, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. You simply don’t like the taste and have to check with another. You can always read more information for the different types available, and get some theoretical knowledge before you start investing in your coffee.
The consistency of the beverage
Sometimes you can’t tell if the beans are good or bad until you try to make your coffee. When it’s good, the color is light brown, and the liquid is consistent. But if there are some chunks, the color is transparent or unusual, and the taste is bad, then something is not right. Maybe they aren’t roasted enough, or they are too moisty, and you will have to take them for another roast, that can be too much if you overdo it. Sometimes it’s better to wait a week and try to make coffee with the same beans. If it’s still bad, then the coffee is not good.
The acidity
Sometimes the acidic taste can lead us to believe something is wrong with our pack of roast, and probably we will be right to conclude that. Good coffee is bitter, but still tasty, with some dash of sweetness, depending on the type. But if it’s too sweet or too sour, then indeed something is wrong, and even the beans aren’t spoiled, they are low quality. That may happen if something was wrong with the soil or the water, or they were kept in the wrong conditions until shipped to the stores. Sometimes, the light roast can result in a more acidic taste, so next time you can try medium or dark roast.
Adding an additional flavor
In the menus, you will see fancy brews that may include different flavors like almond, hazelnut, cookies, chocolate, or even blueberry, mint, apple, cinnamon, or vanilla. But, that can ruin the taste, or even cover the bad roasts, and this is a trick the coffee shops use to sell the bad grounds. But, while we are here, we should mention the fact that depending on the origin, some types can have a natural flavor, that is developed with an influence of the soil, water, the other plants around, and the air. That’s why a few cups of Arabica can have a different aroma. And of course, as you take a sip, and the taste is still pleasant, then the coffee beans were really good quality.
There are a lot of things you have to know and be careful about, so you can have the best cup of morning freshly brewed coffee. You can check out this article by The Brew Therapy and find other useful tips besides coffee beans such as the type of coffee roasts and grinds. We hope that now you know how to make a difference, and you will enjoy it completely thanks to the tips in this article.
