How long are coffee beans good for past "use by" date?

KitchenVarieties

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Long story short, I have a half used bag of whole coffee beans. Yesterday I happened to check the date, it said "Enjoy by March 1." Other than the potential loss of flavor, how long should this coffee be good for. Note: it's at room temperature.
 

JohnFernandes

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Long story short, I have a half used bag of whole coffee beans. Yesterday I happened to check the date, it said "Enjoy by March 1." Other than the potential loss of flavor, how long should this coffee be good for. Note: it's at room temperature.

Anything that's been mentioned as expired is expired. So to be on safe side, i'll avoid using it. :)
 

Musicphan

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May 11, 2014
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Coffee beans are best within 30 days of roast... your package has a best by vs. roast date so who knows how old they are. Most grocery store / big brands may be months old before they ever hit the grocery shelves. THe only risk you really have is having the oils within the coffee go rancid... take a good sniff... if it smells bad its probably no good.
 

PinkRose

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Preheat your oven to 400°F, spread your leftover coffee beans on a pan and put in the oven for 5 minutes. Take out and cool them fast. Now they are as good as new. Wasting food is an evil sin.

This reminds me of what some restaurants do with their stale bread and rolls. They warm them in the oven for a few minutes, and they seem "fresh" enough to serve to unsuspecting customers - but the minute they cool down, they're as stale as ever.
 

Musicphan

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So next time you hear somebody tells you 29.95 days old coffee is good and 30.05 days coffee is bad, ask him if that number is from God.

It's a bit of a loaded question & answer... coffee is best within 30 days of roast, that's also assuming its being stored properly in an airtight container out of direct sunlight. not that its 'bad' after 30 days but you certainly start losing the subtlety of flavor notes
 

PinkRose

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BTW, even you don't want to use the expired beans anymore, don't throw them away: grind them and use as fertilizer for your acid-loving plants like hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas, lily of the valley, and blueberries. While used coffee grounds are slightly acidic, fresh coffee grounds have more acid. All my used coffee grounds go to the garden.

Can you just toss the whole beans into the garden and mix them into the soil around the plants, or is it better if the beans are ground first?
 

Mr.Peaberry

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I have never found a quality coffee that uses a "use by" date. If they are unwilling to put a roast date on their package, there is a reason. It's also worth noting that knowing the roast date is merely an indicator of freshness, not the quality of the coffee.
 

MartinaJohnson

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there is expire date on every pack of coffee but one thing i want to mention here dont use open coffee bag after 2 months because the taste and color both are totally changed
 

MoonRivo

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If taste is your concern, your best bet is to store coffee in an airtight container somewhere cool, dry, and dark. Stored this way, ground coffee can be used for a few months past its expiration date, whole bean for up to nine months, and instant coffee for up to twenty years.
 
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