Understanding the basics of Roast Maturation will help you achieve the perfect cup. Once fresh-roasted coffee is removed from the roast process it begins to mature, and over periods of time ("days out") the coffee will go through various stages of maturation.
For the first 2 to 3 days out, the beans are filled with a lot of gases and is considered "young" and if brewed, the cup will appear to be very acrid. Before brewing, let young coffee degas in its unopened, one-way-valved bag. Only during this young stage is when Caffe Fresco suggests to freeze coffee. Please see Bean Storage for further details on freezing.
During days 4 and 5 the degassing begins to subside and the roasted beans begin to show their essence. It's the essence of the bean we love and want to extract. The cup will start to soften but may appear too bright for some palettes, and espresso may appear very fizzy and slightly acrid in the demitasse.
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