What's Actually Different? "Specialty coffee" is on a lot of bags these days. Some of them mean it. Here's how to tell the difference - and whether it matters for what ends up in your cup. The Definition: Specialty Coffee Has an Actual Score Specialty coffee has a technical definition from the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA): coffee that scores 80 points or above on a 100-point cupping scale, evaluated by a licensed Q Grader. Below 80 is commercial grade. Above 84 is gener

What Works, What Doesn't, and Why Fresh coffee is worth protecting. Here's how to do it - and which common storage mistakes actually make things worse. The Four Enemies of Fresh Coffee Coffee goes stale for four reasons: oxygen, moisture, heat, and light. Good storage means eliminating all four. Oxygen Oxidation is the primary cause of stale coffee. Once the CO₂ in freshly roasted beans dissipates, oxygen attacks the oils on the surface. Store coffee in an airtight container

The Actual Answer Short answer: no, light roast has slightly more caffeine per bean. But the full answer depends on how you measure - and it's more interesting than the shorthand suggests. The Science: What Roasting Does to Caffeine Caffeine is remarkably heat-stable compared to other compounds in coffee. It doesn't break down much during roasting. But the roasting process does two things that affect caffeine levels: It reduces the bean's density. Dark-roasted beans lose more

The Number That Actually Tells You How Fresh Your Coffee Is Most coffee bags have a "best by" date on them. It's usually 9–12 months from the roast date. What it tells you: this coffee won't make you sick before this date. What it doesn't tell you: when the coffee was roasted, how long it sat in a warehouse, or whether it tastes like anything. The roast date is the number that actually matters. Here's why. What Happens to Coffee After Roasting When coffee is roasted, it under