What happens after roasting

When coffee is roasted, it starts a clock. Right after roasting, the beans release CO₂ and the flavors are at their peak — bright, complex, rich. Within days, that degassing slows. Within weeks, oxidation sets in. Within a few months, what was once a nuanced cup becomes flat, papery, and dull.

That's not a flaw. That's just chemistry. Coffee is a fresh agricultural product, not a shelf-stable commodity. The problem is the entire grocery store coffee industry is built around pretending otherwise.