mr_class Senior Member Joined: 3 Jul 2011 Posts: 1 Location: Jim Thorpe Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Jul 3, 2011, 8:19am Subject: 20-Year-Old Green Beans
My late father bought 40 lbs. of green coffee beans about 20 years ago. They have been stored in the original 5 lb. brown paper bags in a cool, dark dry place. The bags are marked "SALV. GREEN COFFEE BEANS" and they were purchased from the Wayne Coffee Co. in East Orange, NJ. I am guessing they are El Salvador beans. Are they still good and, if so, what would they be worth?
Posted Sun Jul 3, 2011, 8:38am Subject: Re: 20-Year-Old Green Beans
Hi Jim,
Welcome to the Coffeegeek forums! {;-)
They're not worth anything, except maybe sentimental value. Green coffee doesn't have an infinite shelf life, most green coffee should be used up within one year from harvest date.
There are exceptions to this with some specialty aged green coffees being up to 3 years old, ond being "Old Java" or "Old Java Brown".
I'm sorry to say they are good perhaps as a source of nitrogen in compost, but not as coffee to be roasted for drinking. Although there are some "aged" coffees that are desirable for particular flavors they impart, Central Americans are not one of that group typically (usually Indonesians or Indians). The processing of beans for aging is also often different, leaving the parchment on the beans until after the aging is complete. These beans were getting stale after about a year, and by now would likely taste flat and lifeless after roasting. Sweet Maria's has a good page on aged coffees here.
Dana Leighton - Espresso hack and CoffeeGeek moderator
Posted Sun Jul 3, 2011, 8:22pm Subject: Re: 20-Year-Old Green Beans
I agree with Jerry.
While I would not be expecting much, it would be interiesting to see if they are close to drinkable. Sweet Maria's has sold some nasty robusta as well as formerly good coffee which went bad for your edification. I would approach these beans with the same mindset.
If you are getting rid of these beans, I'll pay postage for a roaster load (one cup) to see what I can do with them.
Phil
JKalpin Said:
I can't help wondering: If you planted them, would they grow? And if they did, could they still be useful?
Anyway, I would not discard them (...or compost them) until I tried a roast and a brew.
If you are looking to donate them to a good cause I could use them to test a new somewhat experimental roaster I am working on. I would be more than happy to pick up (and do some mountain biking in Jim Thorpe while I am there). At least they would come to a useful end. I am afraid I could not offer any money for them - it's a long drive. I could offer a tasty cup of coffee upon my arrival :)
Roast up a batch and let us know what you think. Who knows, maybe you will discover that super-aged coffee has a distinct quality that you find enjoyable. I don't know of anybody that has ever attempted to roast coffee that old, but it certainly wouldn't be harmful (assuming they weren't stored alongside hazardous chemicals or anything of that sort).
My late father bought 40 lbs. of green coffee beans about 20 years ago. They have been stored in the original 5 lb. brown paper bags in a cool, dark dry place. The bags are marked "SALV. GREEN COFFEE BEANS" and they were purchased from the Wayne Coffee Co. in East Orange, NJ. I am guessing they are El Salvador beans. Are they still good and, if so, what would they be worth?
20 years old, wow. Like others here, I wonder how well they would roast. Would they do 1st crack? Or would the lack of moisture in the beans lead directly to 2nd crack?
It would be a neat experiment to try.
All in all, if you didn't want to try that you could always sell them off on eBay with full disclosure that they were 20 years old, etc. Someone may buy them. I know that some companies use roasted beans for decorative purposes (not drinking), so again maybe a venue for a sale.
Len
"Coffee leads men to trifle away their time, scald their chops, and spend their money, all for a little base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking nauseous puddle water." ~The Women's Petition Against Coffee, 1674
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