Ran into a guy at the local roastery who only drinks stale beans

He told me he buys bags from last season on purpose because he thinks fresh coffee tastes 'too acidic'. Has anyone else run into someone with a totally opposite preference like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

umac711mo ago

Oh, good grief, @matthewgonzalez, you make a fair point about the darker roast, but I see it a bit differently. To me, this fellow is actually chasing a specific flavor that's gotten lost in modern coffee talk. I've had aged teas that develop a soft, round sweetness over time, and maybe stale beans do something similar for him. Roast master friends tell me some traditional Italian espresso blends actually rest for months on purpose to mellow out the bite. So while it sounds odd to us, he might be onto a completely different tradition of taste, not just a mistake.

matthewgonzalez1mo ago

Whoa hold on, I gotta jump in here. I mean, I get everyone has different tastes, but stale beans? That's more than just a preference, that's kinda missing the point. Fresh coffee being acidic isn't a flaw, it's just part of the flavor profile. A good light roast from this season will have some brightness, but it shouldn't be sour or bad. Sounds like the guy tried one bad fresh batch and gave up on the whole idea. Maybe he should try a darker roast fresh, that would fix the acid issue without going to stale beans. Stale beans just taste flat and dusty to me, like wet cardboard.