The history of coffee is pretty elusive. It’s an old, popular drink and a lot of people wish their culture gets credited with discovering it. As said on the Good Fika blog, “The genesis of coffee, like most origin stories, is entangled in centuries-old folklore.” There are multiple origin stories and we may never know if none or all of them are true, but we can certainly learn more about coffee and how it is today.
When Europeans started importing their coffee, it came from far-off places like India, Yemen, and Africa. It took a while to get to them, and they grew used to the taste of that “aged” coffee. When the Suez canal got it faster to them, they rejected the fresh coffee beans for a long time. The trend died down eventually, but it’s made a comeback in the recent months. Aged coffee is now being sold like a special kind of trend or the aged wine of the coffee world.
But what is aged coffee? How is it made? And how do you tell it apart from coffee that’s just, well, stale? We’re going to be answering these questions and more in this article today, so hang in there!
What is Aged Coffee?
Aged coffee is roasted coffee beans that have been meticulously aged in large barrels not much different than those used to store wine. After going through a certain process for six months to three years, the coffee is ready to hit the market with a tasteful aroma that many don’t forget.
Aged coffee doesn’t have too much acidity, but a real coffee lover would be able to tell it apart from regular roast coffee because of a certain depth of flavor that regular coffee just doesn’t have.
Different blends in aged coffee will taste different, and most will have a woodsy, smokey, or even windy taste depending on the type of conditions it’s aged in.
How is it Made?
Aged coffee is usually a dark blend of coffee that’s stored in barrels. The temperature, humidity, and other conditions of the coffee barrels are carefully monitored and the barrels are rotated regularly to make sure that moisture is evenly distributed and some mold or fungus doesn’t settle in.
It’s usually done up in the mountains or an elevated area since the humidity and temperature levels don’t fluctuate too much there. The coffee is regularly tasted throughout the whole process too!
Dark roasted aged coffee usually has strong notes, but a light roasted aged coffee has stronger tastes borrowed from where it was aged and in what conditions.
Is Old Coffee the Same as Aged Coffee?
The short answer? Absolutely not. Aged coffee is made with the help of a pretty meticulous process. It’s regularly checked and maintained, kept away from anything that would spoil it, and much more.
Stale coffee, on the other hand, is just plain old stale coffee that shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. Of course, there are sellers who are taking advantage of the whole aged coffee trend to sell off coffee that’s too old to be sold like that.
It’s really a game of guess, but you increase your chances of getting genuine aged coffee when you get it from a well-reputed store or brand.
It’s usually done up in the mountains or an elevated area since the humidity and temperature levels don’t fluctuate too much there. The coffee is regularly tasted throughout the whole process too!
Dark roasted aged coffee usually has strong notes, but a light roasted aged coffee has stronger tastes borrowed from where it was aged and in what conditions.
Is Old Coffee the Same as Aged Coffee?
The short answer? Absolutely not. Aged coffee is made with the help of a pretty meticulous process. It’s regularly checked and maintained, kept away from anything that would spoil it, and much more.
Stale coffee, on the other hand, is just plain old stale coffee that shouldn’t be taken seriously at all. Of course, there are sellers who are taking advantage of the whole aged coffee trend to sell off coffee that’s too old to be sold like that.
It’s really a game of guess, but you increase your chances of getting genuine aged coffee when you get it from a well-reputed store or brand.
Aged coffee isn’t something that would interest a casual coffee drinker, but for those who have a nose and the taste for some finer blends would definitely enjoy the experience. Varieties of aged coffee like whiskey-aged coffee and others leave something for us all to look forward to, and we’re sure your mind would already be racing about all the recipes you need to try aged coffee with.
