By Rina Rapuano
Every roaster we spoke with said the most important thing you can do when buying coffee is check the bag for the date it was roasted—not the sell-by date.
“You’d be surprised that most people don’t understand that coffee is a perishable item and that they’re probably ordering coffee that was roasted six months to a year ago,” says Paul Olsen, co-owner of Weird Brothers Coffee.
In fact, if there’s no roasting date on the bag, that’s your first red flag. “Another one is when there’s no description of its origin or where it came from, especially if you’re interested in specific flavor profiles,” he adds. “If it’s a blend, see if there’s some type of description on the bag or the website.”
