COFFEE.............. I started roasting coffee beans about 4 years ago. Natural coffee tastes different from every mountain and every country arround the world. They(Max, Folg, etc) get consistant taste by adding flavoring, fillers (sawdust), preservatives, etc. Green coffee beans from the producer will stay fresh about 2 years. Once beans are roasted, they will loose about 1/2 their flavor within a week. Once ground, they loose 1/2 their flavor within 24 hours. I have a little roaster that does 5 days worth (in 11 minutes) for the wife & I. We grind enough for each pot full (about 10 seconds). My favorite is a Costarician Dota. There are hundreds to choose from and are not any more expensive than a can of "whatever" brand at the store.
......so, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about coffee.
Luke, I'll bring you a batch the end of April (grand daughter graduating from Memphis State).
regis