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>stale coffee

I'd say consuming stale coffee is totally fine. The only certain way (that I'm aware of) to get coffee that won't be stale is to grind the beans just before use, and I certainly do not have patience for that. I buy packaged coffee even if my hipster-y friends disapprove.

For a regular coffee drinker, a far more useful way to improve the taste of coffee is to remember to wash the pot of the coffee machine more regularly.

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The clock starts ticking on coffee as soon as it's roasted (green beans last a long time). Grinding accelerates the degradation as more of the coffee is exposed to oxygen (nitrogen flushed containers help here). Coffee off its peak isn't harmful, but is less flavorful.

I get where you're coming from, but do yourself a favor and just get a decent burr grinder and a bag of the whole bean variety of whatever brand you are buying. Trust me, you'll learn to deal with the extra minute in your morning routine.

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