Find Out If Your Coffee Beans Are Fresh

Unsure if your coffee beans are stale or not, America’s Test Kitchen has a fairly easy test that can tell you. Put some beans in a ziplock bag, press out all the air, and seal it overnight. If your beans are fresh (recently roasted – 7 to 10 days), then the bag will pop up because of the carbon dioxide released by the fresh beans. If there’s no pop, then your beans are probably past their peek freshness.

Remember you can keep your coffee beans at their peek freshness by storing them properly. Store beans that you will go through in the next twelve days in an air tight bag or container away from heat and light. For beans you want to keep longer, store in the freezer away from air and moisture.

 

Are Your Coffee Beans Fresh? | America’s Test Kitchen Feed

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How To Get A Better Cup Of Coffee At Starbucks

Starbucks is pretty good about not letting their brewed coffee sit too long. I believe it’s around 30 minutes after brew before it gets tossed, which isn’t bad by my standards. However, some believe that 30 min is even too long. Daniel Miessler points out that you can request a pour-over, a well kept secret that requires a longer wait time but yields a more fresher and custom cup of coffee. Some Starbucks locations also offer french press coffee, it usually cost a little more but it’s worth it!

 

How to Get a Good Cup of Coffee From Starbucks | Daniel Miessler

Blue Spoon Coffee Company

Rating: ★★★★☆ 76 Chambers St (between Broadway & Church St), New York, NY 10007 Website (212) 619-7230 Price: $ Hours: Mon-Fri 7 am – 6 pm Nearest Transit: City Hall (N, R) Chambers St (A, C) Park Pl (2, 3) Twitter // Facebook // Foursquare

Blue Spoon is an independent cafe that is very small, cute, and cozy. They have a total of five proper tables and a window counter that seats two. The service is very prompt and friendly. They offer Intelligentsia Coffee from Chicago, which is hard to find in the NYC. In addition to their caffeinated offerings, they also serve well regarded soups, sandwiches, and pastries.

I stopped into Blue Spoon for a cup of coffee because I had an hour to kill and found their coffee to be exceptionally good. Prices here are competitive and the free wifi is awesome. For you book worms out there, Blue Spoon sports a book swap section at the front of the store.