How long to wait,
and what to do then.

A light roast bean is harder and denser than a dark one, so the carbon dioxide made during roasting leaves it slowly.

In a filter brew that gas mostly shows up as a lively bloom and a slightly muted sweetness in the first week. Under nine bars of espresso pressure it does more damage: the escaping gas pushes water away from the grounds, extraction goes uneven, and the thick puffy crema that looks so promising tastes bitter and metallic. Waiting is not fussiness — it is the cheapest improvement available to you.

Very dense, high-grown lots can keep improving well past a month. If a bag tastes closed, put it back in the cupboard and try again in five days rather than grinding finer.

Grind at the last possible moment.

Grinding multiplies the surface area of the coffee, and aroma leaves through that surface. Whole beans ground just before brewing keep their sweetness and complexity far longer. If you do not own a grinder, tell us your brewing method in the note at checkout and we will grind the bag for you.

• Keep the coffee in its original resealable bag; the one-way valve is part of the packaging.
• Store it somewhere cool and dry, away from direct sunlight and the hob.
• Do not refrigerate. Only freeze coffee that is still sealed and being kept for months.
• Best enjoyed within three months of the roast date, and within a month of opening.

These windows are a guide rather than a rule. Varieties, processing methods and roast profiles evolve at different speeds — taste a bag across its life and you will learn more than any table can tell you.