Coffee Roasting - Resting Coffee Beans 

One of the common questions a lot of beginner roasters have is the treatment of the coffee beans after roasting. Are coffee beans ready to go the moment it is off the roaster? How is the quality and flavour of the coffee beans affected and/or changed depending on the time of use after the roasting stage? Here we will get straight to the point and answer these questions!

Do coffee beans need to rest after roasting?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is the explanation of why this is the case. The immense heat of roasting breaks down sugars and amino acids into carbon dioxide. In the first few days, the build-up of CO₂ can significantly affect brewing, which makes it much harder to get a tasty cup.

So, we learned that resting is needed, then how long should we rest freshly roasted coffee beans for?

That depends primarily on the origin of the beans, the roast profile (Light / Medium / Dark), and the brewing method the beans will be used for. We recommend that you rest espresso beans at least 5 days after the roasting date. For pour over and drip we recommend at least 4 days. Believe it or not, some coffee beans peak after 2 to 3 weeks. Darker roasts need to rest longer since there is a higher build up of CO₂ . 

Below here is a chart indicating the relationship between resting coffee beans and quality. You will notice that generally coffee flavour will peak in the 2nd week.

Conclusion

1. You need to rest coffee a minimum of 2 days after roast date - Too fresh is not good!
2. Rest espresso beans at least 5 days.
3. Don't be afraid to experiment and try your coffee from day 2 to day 30 and see what day in the cycle is your favourite. Enjoy the process and have fun!