Managing Your Coffee Stocks

If you’re like me you tend to order your coffee almost exclusively online at this point which, while far superior based on where I live, also gives you a whole new set of complications. 

One of the biggest issues for me is figuring out exactly how far I can stretch my current amounts of coffee. I always seem to have either an extra 2-3 ounces of the previous batch when the new coffee arrives or I’ve been without coffee for the past couple of days and end up buying coffee at the shop.

I don’t like to waste coffee, but I also don’t like to waste money on coffee from the shop, so in general I like to err on the side of having extra coffee at home. So when you end up getting your new beans early you wind up with the unattractive choice of either missing the “peak” brewing time of your new beans or not using up all of your old beans. Now you do have some more options. Several people like to freeze half the beans when they get them, which is certainly an option, though I’ve never done it. However, this just prolongs the “peak” brewing window. It still leaves the question of when to order new coffee.

Which brings up this cool new website I found browsing: 
http://www.howlongwillmycoffeelast.com/

It’s obviously got a few limitations, such as being unable to deal with variations from a routine (i.e. friends coming over, giving a sample away to co-workers, etc.) but overall it gives you a fairly accurate baseline on how long your coffee will last. Which only leaves figuring out how long it will take to get your coffee from a roaster.