Coffee freshness Rule of 15:

Green (un-roasted) coffee beans should be used in 15 months.
Roasted coffee beans should be used in 15 days.
Ground coffee should be used in 15 minutes.
Extracted/brewed coffee should be served in 15 seconds.

I miss those days in Melbourne where I pick up my coffee bean and the roasting date is the day itself. Now that is what I call freshly roasted bean. Damn, I miss Proud Mary, Seven Seeds, Manchester Press and BBB!!

Tested finally. Darkly roasted with a strong coffee aromas.

Good info! Thanks

How much are the 100gm and 150gm packages?

It's more expensive than those sell on supermarket/Tesco...
but I think it's worth it in terms of quality and freshness.

Departure Lounge (5 Senses from Australia):
100gm - RM20
250gm - RM48
500gm - RM92.50

Coffee Famille:
150gm - from RM25 to RM32
Price is different based on regions and farms. Eg: Panama Lerida Estate (RM28); Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (RM30); Guatemala Antigua (RM32)... etc.

I'm sipping my coffee now as I typed

i am also sipping single origin, Nicaragua Javanica while i type too. Lol, btw, normally what is the roasting date of the 5 senses bean they carried?

haha, i've just finished my 3rd cup of coffee... (from espressoLAB eCurve)

After 5 Senses roasted the coffee, they will FedEx to Departure lounge.
So it depends on how fast FedEx delivers...

I switch my coffee beans very often, but so far the freshest coffee I've bought from Departure Lounge is 4 days after the roasting date.
You can call them up to check,
or just drop by their cafes, they usually write the roast date on their grinder hopper.

U win... i am only on my second cup.
Will pay them a visit soon. Coffee Ritual in the otherhand doesnt indicate the roasting date on their bean.
Hence ask, he told me that it'a bout 2 weeks or so...

Perhaps it's not profitable enough for them to roast more often.
How many people do you know personally who buys whole beans?

True~ almost all my friends drink 3-in-1 instant coffee.
The demand for fresh whole beans in Malaysia is still very low.
But it's been increasing rapidly for the past year, 'cuz two years ago you can't even find any cafe selling fresh roasted beans.

Traditional kopitium coffee powder suppliers roast daily; on delivery, the coffee powder was roasted no longer than a week ago.

Like wine, many people drink label rather than coffee itself.


This post has been edited by icemanfx: Jan 19 2013, 10:30 AM

I think coffee is an acquired taste.

If you drink instant coffee / stale / bad coffee everyday and never tasted freshly ground and brewed coffee before, then you will probably think all coffee taste the same as instant coffee / stale / bad coffee.

However, the best coffee in the world is the coffee you love, not the best coffee beans.

Same type/source of beans can be fermented and roasted to different aroma, flavours, finish, etc. The technique/method of coffee roaster determine the coffee aroma, flavour, finish, etc hardly the origin (for the same bean variety).

I went to a coffee workshop at RAW cafe few months ago,
the owner Michael Wilson showed us how he can adjust the acidity, sweetness, and bitterness of his coffee beans by changing the roasting temperature and timing (of reaching 1st and 2nd crack).
It's true that roasting can determine the final taste of the coffee.


(image from Lighthouse website)

But the origin of the bean (same variety) still contributes quite a bit on the flavor.
According to "Coffeeology"'s author, this is because different soil and climate condition will affect the concentration of acids, proteins, and lipids present in the coffee beans.
Those difference in coffee chemistry will in turn affect the final taste and flavor of the coffee.
For example, both Sumatra Mandheling coffee in Lake Toba region and Aceh's Lake Tawar region will taste slightly different due to different soil condition, even though they belong to the same coffee varietal.

Departure Lounge is now serving Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gelena Abaya (5 Senses), roast date: 14th Jan.
I'm gonna go re-stock my coffee later today

This post has been edited by ahsham: Jan 20 2013, 02:20 PM

i feel you, totally.
I was in Melb strolling along the streets few years ago around Frizroy...and even if you dont drink coffee... smelling and 'indulging' the aroma along the stress is a very happy thing.. ^^

awesome stuff!! thanks for sharing ahsham!
btw, do u know that there is chart call wheel of coffee taste or something that help u to differentiate the taste.
i think they might be using this as guide for coffee cupping but i find it kinda useful to differentiate the coffee taste.

hehehe.. tell me about it.. i was sitting in a kopitiam next to the store today and the auntie went into the store to scoop her kopi powder stash using a smaller container...
i was like.. heaven.. what on earth smells so good? that's som FRESH COFFEEE

adrian, did u by any chance venture into overseas roaster?
i was very fortunate to have had the Yellow Bird C.o.e-ed el salvardo from Whisk, Outpost in One U.
The flavour just ....burst in ur mouth and dances around, teasing ur every single taste bud.. it was awesome, unforgettable
but unfortunately it is "for a limited time only serving"...
aw... i miss that..

This post has been edited by kvct: Jan 20 2013, 05:00 PM

yeah, i know about that coffee flavor wheel,
but i have absolutely no idea how cineolic / camphoric / piney taste like

Leong from espressoLAB told me he's going to create a different coffee flavor wheel that's more useful for Asian people,
using tropical food such as longan, rambutan, mango... etc to describe coffee taste...

Wow..I learnt quite abit just reading from you and others posting here...thx

Been drinking drip brewed coffee bought fr Jin Yi lately, from some farm in Indonesia, i forgot the name but really enjoying it..and without sugar or anything added too, a good alternative from the 3 in 1's. I could get used to this

This post has been edited by cablesguy: Jan 20 2013, 08:51 PM