part one
This is part one in a series of posts where I will recount the experience of exploring my frozen coffee backlog
Once you spend some time in the thralls of this hobby, you’ll happen upon the concept of freezing coffee. It’s a great way to keep beans fresh for long periods of time, maintain peak flavor, or dramatically increase the variety of coffees you have on hand.
There’s just one problem. If you only freeze and never brew, the backlog grows indefinitely.
And this is where our story starts. Sure, I’ve brewed a dose, or even a bag, here or there (revisiting September’s Janja Hill and Sey’s Silva Gesha was quite delicious), but I’ve amassed well over a kilo in the depths of my freezer.
It’s finally time to brew.
let’s see what’s inside
Over the next few weeks, while a couple of exciting coffees from Aviary and Hydrangea are resting, I’m going to explore these forgotten beans.
I have fond memories of some of the coffees; ones I froze because I enjoyed them so much. Others were frozen for convenience, when I had too much coffee on hand. Either way, having this massive variety will be quite fun.
But, as with any obsession, fun isn’t the only reason I’m doing this.
It will also serve as a great informal experiment. I’ll be able to observe different methods of freezing, brewing frozen vs. thawing first, re-freezing, and how well coffee holds up when frozen for over a year.
I’m not the first person to keep a coffee cold for 365 days, but it’s one thing to hear someone say, “xyz happens to the flavor”, and another to taste it yourself.
more to come
I’ll keep this short and just say that I’m looking forward to jumping in.
First up is one of my favorite coffees in recent memory, Sey’s Hamasho 2023, extended fermentation. And there are more interesting beans to come, including a roaster I’ve never brewed before.
The results of this experiment will undoubtedly inform future freezing decisions. I think ideally, I will freeze a few doses of my favorite coffees at peak flavor. Then I can revisit them at a later day; a sort of Freezer Friday tradition.