“Fresh until March 2010″… So read the label on a bag of coffee at a Starbucks in Nashville. My boss and colleagues decided to stop there on our way to Alabama (and seemed a bit puzzled that I, the real coffee lover of the group, didn’t partake), so I killed time by looking over their vast array of merchandise.

Anyway, I just want to let anyone know… Coffee shouldn’t sit on the shelf that long. At what point did it arrive at that Starbucks, I wonder? How long before that was it roasted? I’d wager a pretty penny that the beans in that bag were roasted in Spring of this year, and so by their “freshness” date would be nearly a year old once brewed, if not even older!

For the record, coffee should be ground right before it’s brewed, and used within a couple weeks of the roast date for optimal flavor. The more time passes between roast and brew, the more bitter notes and the less nuance will be in the cup.

Just another example of how even those who think they “know coffee” — and, no offense, but Starbucks customers seem to think they know a whole lot — either don’t know or don’t care about truly remarkable, truly fresh, truly delicious coffee.

(NOTE: This was written and posted
entirely on my iPhone… The wonders of technology!)