It's obvious that the most important ingredient in a good cup of coffee is a fresh bean. In fact, you should find retailers from which to purchase your coffee that know the exact roasting date of the beans in order to guarantee maximum freshness. If you cannot find a retailer in your town that has knowledge of the roasting date then you should take great pains to find a retailer that deals in good quality coffee beans and goes through inventory fairly quickly.

You should be aware of the fact that coffee will have its best flavor the day after it has been roasted. If you do a thorough search among roasters online you can find many that will ship the beans they day they have been roasted. This guarantees that you will get them fairly quickly after they have been roasted for maximum freshness and use.

One other thing you should keep in mind is the fact that beans are only fresh for about a week after they have been roasted. Not to say they won't work fine after a week only that they will not have that peak performance and freshness. With this in mind you should take care not to order more coffee than you will conceivably consume during that period of time. Many people work to find companies that are willing to do weekly automatic shipments of a specified amount of coffee. This guarantees a continuous supply of fresh coffee beans for you and continued business for them. You should note that it is generally higher end retailers that offer this service. The cost is a little higher but then the product they offer tends to be superior as well.

It is always best if you can grind your own beans as the grounds have a shelf life that is even lower than that of whole beans. You'll only receive consistently good quality from grounds for about two days. You should avoid the coffee you'll find on most grocery store shelves at all costs as even the beans have typically been sitting on shelves or in trucks for more than their preferred shelf life. You should also consider the type of storage containers that holds the beans no matter where you are purchasing them. Chances are that huge containers of coffee beans will not turn over quickly enough to guarantee freshness and there is always the question in the back of my mind as to whether or not the old beans are being properly rotated to begin with.

The thing you should take home from this is the fact that freshly roasted beans-well after 24 hours are typically the best choice when it comes to brewing the perfect cup of coffee. Grinding and brewing methods are largely manners of taste and preference. Take all the necessary steps in order to insure that you are getting the best possible bean for your coffee and the rest is simply gravy.