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3 Things to Always Look for When Buying Coffee from the Grocery Store

Bags of coffee are more than just pretty packaging.

buy better coffee gear patrol lead fullPhoto by Henry Phillips for Gear Patrol
Emily Singer

By Emily Singer

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When staring down a wall of jargon-strewn bags filled with small-batch coffee, it’s difficult to know where to start. There’s no harm in grabbing whatever seems most interesting, but isolating certain details — such as roast date and country of origin — can give you a better sense of what you’re buying, and the kind of coffee you’ll ultimately brew from it.

Thomas Costello, formerly of Counter Culture Coffee, a North Carolina–based roaster that heralded coffee’s third wave in 1995, outlined three pieces of information to look for on a bag of coffee beans that are most often reflective of quality.

1. Roast date

bag of coffee beans
Look for coffee that’s been roasted within the month, if not the week, experts say.
Photo by Henry Phillips for Gear Patrol

“Look for something that’s [been roasted] at least within the month, if not within the week,” Costello said.

Coffee takes 48 to 72 hours to de-gas, or settle, after roasting. Consume coffee too close to the roast date, and you’ll end up with an uneven extraction; wait more than a few weeks, and the beans will have released too much carbon dioxide, setting them past peak freshness.

Coffee takes 48 to 72 hours to de-gas, or settle, after roasting.

Packaging contributes to freshness, as well. Counter Culture’s beans are packaged in non-porous Biotré bags with a one-way valve, preventing air from passing through but allowing carbon dioxide to escape during de-gassing. Look for a resealable container, whether a zip closure, twist-tie or tin.

2. Place of origin

bag of coffee beans
One region isn’t better than another, but coffee’s place of origin will tell you a little bit about how it will taste.
Photo by Henry Phillips for Gear Patrol

“Just like when you’re looking for a bottle of wine. You’re going to look for tasting notes, especially if you have an idea of whether you like fruity coffees or really chocolate-y coffees, sweet coffees or something with a little more acid to it. Usually, [tasting notes are] something that an expert coffee taster has analyzed and tested and decided that that’s how the coffee [in the bag] is best described,” Costello said.

Sampling single-origin coffees is the best way to understand and appreciate regional differences among beans.

More often than not, flavor and country of origin go hand in hand. As a general rule, Kenyan coffees skew savory, Colombian coffees have chocolate-like notes and Ethiopian coffees tend to be fruity.

Sampling single-origin coffees is the best way to understand and appreciate regional differences among beans.

3. Trade practices

bag of coffee beans
There’s a lot of greenwashing in coffee. If in doubt, vet the claims.
Photo by Henry Phillips for Gear Patrol

“Everybody has a direct-trade story. Very often, it’s written on the bag, but it’s good to not take that at face value,” Costello said. “There’s a lot of greenwashing, like claiming some amount of sustainable purchasing practices without following it up. It’s like saying ‘free-range eggs’ — that can mean a lot of different things.”

“Everybody has a direct-trade story … It’s like saying ‘free-range eggs’ — that can mean a lot of different things.”

Costello recommends taking to the roaster’s website, searching for evidence that the company is supporting its producers — that there’s an effort being made to pay farmers more money for their crops or to improve farming practices in one way or another.

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