Resting Your Coffee: The Missing Step to a Perfect Brew
When we talk about brewing spectacular coffee, origin, roast, and brew method usually steal the spotlight. Yet one small, often‑skipped step can elevate every variable you obsess over: giving freshly roasted beans time to rest.
Why Resting Matters
Degassing for extraction: Right out of the roaster, coffee is swollen with carbon dioxide. This trapped CO₂ forms tiny bubbles that repel water, preventing even contact with the grinds and leading to sharp, under‑extracted flavours. A short rest lets excess gas escape so water can do its job properly.
How Long Should You Rest?
While the beans vent CO₂, aromatic compounds that make coffee taste sweet and vibrant also drift away, and incoming oxygen begins oxidising oils—turning complex fruit and cocoa notes into a flat, "old" flavour. Resting is the balancing act between too much gas and too little aroma. A note: espresso typically benefits from the upper end of each range, while filter brews can shine a little earlier.
|
Roast Style |
Minimum Rest |
Flavour Peak |
|
Dark to Medium (e.g, Fancy Diner and Rio Nights) |
~7 days |
10–12 days |
|
Medium to Light (e.g., Peru Las Damas to Hawaii Kona) |
≥14 days |
12–20 days |
|
Ultralight (e.g., Los Rodriguez Collection No.3 Auction Lot - Bolivia Caranavi Gesha Washed Mosto) |
≥21 days |
3–5 weeks (or even longer) |
At our cafes, take resting seriously! Take our current pour over lineup, for example: Esmeralda, Costa Rica COE #3, and El Salvador COE #1. We brew these daily—but only once they’ve reached their ideal resting point, ensuring perfect flavor expression in every cup.
Best Practices at Home
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Keep it sealed. We vacuum‑seal bags with one‑way valves; do not open them until you are ready to brew.
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Purge the air after each use. Squeeze out as much air as possible before resealing the bag or container.
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Store cool, dry, and dark. Temperature swings accelerate oxidation.
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Freeze at the peak. When the flavour hits its sweet spot, divide the coffee into single‑brew doses (50ML centrifuge tubes work great), seal them, and freeze. Beans stay stable for months; grind straight from frozen or thaw sealed to avoid condensation.
Taste the Evolution
Brew the same coffee at different intervals—day 3, day 10, day 20—and notice how body, sweetness, and clarity evolve. That little bit of patience turns a good cup into something remarkable.
Check our latest drop: an ultra-light roast from the Los Rodriguez Collection No.3 Auction Lot— Bolivia Caranavi Gesha Washed Mosto.
For peak taste, we recommend resting the beans for at least 3–4 weeks before brewing.
