This coffee is not vacuum packed but the mylar foil bag is sealed and has a a one-way valve. The roast date is not revealed, and as usual, the sell by date is long into the future. Coffee nerds will say you should consume coffee from a few days after the roast until about a month later at the most, so the roast date is important, yet kept a secret.
The main reason I bought this dark roast is I was going to mix it with another bag of beans I had bought that was too light, fruity and 3rd wavy for my tastes. But this coffee tastes so good that I don't have the heart to mix it as intended.
My beans were fresh, with no hint of staleness, but not so fresh that they popped off a lot of gas in the filter paper.
So if you like the darker, low acid, cocoa note, slightly smoky, type of coffee rather than the more fashionable light and fruity roasts that the cool people are using, then this very affordable, organic, fair-trade, Sumatra might be a pleasant treat for your tongue and tummy.
I would readily buy it again, and so I hope the freshness and quality is consistent from bag to bag.
Update: after several cups and half the bag, My opinion is only higher. I will certainly buy this again. It makes my other favorites seem light and acidic by comparison. For the time being, this is my number one.
100% Arabica coffee beans.
