In This Article:
- What is degassing?
- How long does it take for beans to degas?
- What happens when you brew freshly roasted coffee?
1) What is degassing?
Degassing is the release of gases from roasted coffee. When you roast coffee, gases – which include carbon dioxide – form inside the bean. During roasting, coffee beans undergo many different chemical reactions, and a lot of water vapor and carbon dioxide are created.
2) How long does it take for beans to degas?
We package our beans in a bag with a degasser. Every roast requires different degassing periods, generally somewhere between three days and two to three weeks after roasting is the best time to brew your coffee. Some rules of thumb:
- The first 24 hours is when a bulk (approximately 40%) of CO2 leaves the bean.
- Darker roasts usually degas faster than lighter roasts.
- Longer roasts usually degas faster than faster roasts.
4) What happens when you brew freshly roasted coffee?
When brewing it’s important to bloom your coffee (pre-wet and let sit for around 30 seconds*) in order to release rapidly escaping CO2. However, if your coffee is too fresh, regardless of how you brew your coffee, the extraction will still be uneven due to the overwhelming amount of CO2 escaping during the entire brewing process. The escaping gases can result in small bubbles when you brew your coffee. These air pockets can disrupt the contact between the coffee grounds and the water, leading to an uneven extraction of the flavor and aroma in the dry coffee.
If you're local, stop by one of our shops we'll happily grind for any brew method you enjoy. We have burr grinders available up on our website if you're interested in grinding coffee at home.
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill Hand Grinder
Baratza Encore Conical Burr Grinder
* do not pre-wet espresso when brewing