You can buy coffee in large bags and in small bags. When you buy a small bag, it's not such a big deal if you find that you don't love the coffee, as you won't have that much extra to use up. On the other hand, when you buy a larger bag, such as a 2-pound bag, you want to make sure the coffee inside is a coffee you'll enjoy. You'll have a lot of waste otherwise. So, what things should you be looking at and considering before buying such a large bag of coffee? Here are the key ones.
The coffee's origin.
Some cheaper coffees are blends of coffee from multiple different plantations and origins. But for the most part, mid-range to high-end coffees are from a single origin. You may see, for example, coffee from Ethiopia and other coffee from Colombia. Look into the origins of the various coffees and what flavors coffees from those origins tend to have. If you're not sure what you like, coffee from Colombia tends to be a good choice. Such coffees tend to have nice, balanced flavors without too much acidity.
The coffee's roast level.
Coffee can be roasted a lot, a little, or somewhere in between. If you look at a specific coffee in the store, it should tell you how long it has been roasted with the indicator words "light, medium, and dark." Light roast coffee beans still have a lighter, brown color and a more aromatic, nutty flavor. Light-roast coffee also contains the most caffeine. Medium roast coffees are nutty, but with some hints of deeper caramelized flavors. If you're not sure what roast you like, medium is a good bet. Dark roast coffees are roasted longer, resulting in deeper, caramelized, roasted flavors.
The coffee's roast date.
Finally, check the roast date before you buy a larger bag of coffee. Often, this is printed on the bag. If it is not, you can ask the coffee retailer and they should be able to tell you. Whole bean coffee lasts about 6–9 months in a vacuum-sealed bag. The closer to the roast date the coffee is, the longer you'll be able to keep it in your pantry.
Before you buy a big bag of coffee, such as a 2 lb bag whole-bean Colombian coffee, check the three elements above. You want to make sure you have a coffee from an origin you like, at a roast level you like, and with a more recent roast date.