How to identify old or damaged coffee beans, and how to handle them?

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Over time, roasted coffee beans lose their freshness and can become damaged if exposed to a humid, moldy environment. The flavor of these coffee beans will gradually lose its unique flavor and become bland and stale. Although not as delicious as the original, they still have useful effects. Join 43 Factory Coffee Roaster to learn how to identify old or damaged coffee beans, and how to handle them.

How to identify old or damaged coffee beans

The easiest way to recognize damaged coffee is when the beans come into contact with moisture or water, leading to mold. On the surface of the seeds, signs of fungus may appear, discoloration, and an unpleasant odor. Therefore, if coffee has this condition or has been soaked in water for a while, you should not use it to ensure safety.

If not affected by humidity, coffee is very difficult to spoil. But when roasted in the air for too long, roasted coffee can lose its freshness due to oxidation. At that time, organic substances, especially aromatic substances, in the seeds will be exposed to air and light, leading to accelerated decomposition. This does not affect the user’s health much, but the taste of the coffee changes and is no longer as delicious as the original. Stale coffee is difficult to detect because the appearance of the beans may not change much. The simplest way to know if the seeds are cured or not is to grind them and evaluate the flavor. If the coffee powder layer does not have a characteristic smell or pleasant aroma, it may be old.

Roasted coffee is difficult to spoil but can become old and infected with mold if exposed to moisture or water

What can be done with old, damaged coffee beans?

Although it has lost most of its deliciousness when extracted, rancid and damaged coffee is not completely useless. You can take advantage of them for other activities:

For old coffee beans

With coffee beans that are oxidized due to being left for too long, you can make cold brews or make cakes. According to Methodical Coffee magazine, making cakes or cold brews does not require as much about the freshness of coffee as other brewing methods. Use regular hot water. With the cold brew method, coffee beans will be soaked for a long time at room temperature or cold temperature. Therefore, even roasted coffee beans that have been roasted for 6 months can be cold brewed without losing too much of their original flavor.

In addition, old coffee beans can be ground and mixed with a little coconut oil to exfoliate the body. Because they still contain nutrients and antioxidants. However, these things only apply to rancid coffee beans, which have lost their freshness due to being left for too long, and show no signs of damage or mold.

Old coffee beans that have been left for too long can be used for cold brew, baking or exfoliation

For damaged coffee beans

Damaged coffee beans can cause harmful health effects but are very good for making fertilizer. You can grind it, add it directly to the soil around the plants, or mix it with biological products. Unused coffee grounds are excellent for increasing acidity in the soil for plants that thrive in acidic environments. In addition, it can also help repel slugs and snails and attract earthworms to protect and create looseness for the plant.

Damaged coffee beans can be used as fertilizer for plants

Although there are many ways to handle damaged coffee beans, to minimize waste, it’s advisable to purchase only enough for 2-3 weeks’ worth of usage and pay attention to proper coffee preservation methods to maintain freshness. XLIII Coffee offers nitrogen-filled bags with marked roasting dates to ensure optimal preservation. Explore XLIII Coffee’s specialty coffee catalog or subscribe to the Hunter Subscription package to experience the diverse flavors of the coffee world.

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Source: methodical coffee

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