If you can get to Urth than you are so close to the best two places for beans in that part of LA. To truely impress hit up LA Mill or Intlligentsia. They are wayyyyy ahead of the curve in their purchasing, roasting and serving/extraction knowledge. If you love those big brands you named, then...
The highest end I have found is Elan Organics (researched it for about six months with a consultant and help from others in the biz). They do their research and are VERY well respected. They are even work on a higher standard than fair trade ECO-Q that will be focused on all the right needs of...
Degassing can be rushed and breaking the cell structure up to increase that rate is possible but still not recommended. Stick to the 24-48 that the SCAA recommends. Just watch one of your darker roasts progress and you will see the whole bean change and the oils relase to the surface in those...
I am looking for a chart that gives the specific times and percentages that whole roasted beans deterriorate. I have the time span information in general from several trade professional but was looking for a place the specifics are published. Any help would be great!
What kind of base do you want to make? If it is just the coffee then use a toddy and go about 1 pound of coffee to 1 gallon of no more than 150 tds RO water. Cold extraction gives you the concentrated coffee without being too astringent or bitter.