Here at Cafe Cultiva we strive to only sell the freshest coffee. If you are buying from us at the farmers market we typically only sell coffee that was roasted the night before and occasionally sell coffee that was roasted a day or two before the market. If we ship your coffee the coffee is roasted specially for you the morning we drop it in the mail.

Why Fresh is Better?

Fresh roasted coffee maintains the distinct and more subtle flavors of the coffee, and it keeps the coffee from becoming stale and bitter. Another benefit to fresh roasted coffee is that it maintains higher levels of anti-oxidants. 

"Fresh" Means Different things to Different People

The other day I was talking to a fellow vendor at the farmers market, and explaining that I hoped the day picked up because we would not be able to sell our coffee as fresh if it did not sell that day. She was surprised by this, and questioned if we were being too strict in our definition of "fresh." She supported her argument by noting that other roasters leave their products on retailers shelves for quite some time before it sells. She was absolutely right. Even many local roasters have their products on the shelves for weeks. When it comes to larger roasting companies the coffees often sits for months. 

Last week I was at a large retail store and noticed a sale on a big "high-end" coffee. This roasting company guaranteed that their product was fresh by putting the roast date on the bag (this is a big deal! most large roasters don't want to do that). I was surprised to see that the coffee however was considered fresh for up to 3 months after the roast date! That is actually pretty good for a large company that ships to retailers. Other large and well known companies place expiration dates there coffee, and often times those dates are over 6 months beyond the date when the coffee reaches the shelf at the store! 

So, the more I think about it I guess we do have a very strict standard on the meaning of "fresh." But, we are proud of that and do not plan to change it. We want you to enjoy great fresh cups of coffee! Therefore we recommend that you only buy the amount of coffee you will use in a month. If your coffee is less than a month old you don't have to worry too much about storing it - just keep it in the bag  or an air tight container and out of the sun. 

A couple of weeks ago we had quite the incident at our coffee stand. One gentleman came to try our coffee and expressed that he liked a dark roast as another gentleman approached and made it clear that he preferred a light roast. The conversation was about as cordial an exchange as can be while still holding strong opinions. Then the first man complained about a light roast specialty coffee he purchased that was so sour it curdled the cream! At that point things got interesting.... It turns out the gentleman who prefers the light roast is also the owner of the aforementioned specialty roasting company. Needless to say things got a little awkward. When all was said and done both were kind and yet stuck to their guns. 

So who is right which is better? At the end of the day it is a matter of preference, not totally unlike the way you like your hamburger cooked. The difference is that in a dark roast you are going to taste more of the roast flavors. A light roast maintains more of the distinct flavors of the individual coffee and is usually brighter. Many do not realize that a cup of light roast coffee will typically have more caffeine than a darker roast. This is due in part to dark roasts cooking off some caffeine and also because light roasted coffee beans are denser/smaller than dark roasted ones, so when you scoop your coffee beans you are actually grabbing more coffee and thus more caffeine. 

So what is better, the rich caramel flavors of a dark roast or the bright flavors of light roasts? It is really up to you. 

I enjoy roasting light and dark roasts and giving out samples in an effort to broaden the horizons of coffee consumers. We roast to your liking , because at the end of the day, or more likely at the beginning of the day, you are the one drinking your coffee.