Shelf life of a coffee bean varies depending upon the form or stage in the value chain.

We can split these different stages into Green Bean, Roasted Bean, Roasted Ground Coffee. 

As soon as coffee cherry is harvested, the outer layers need to be removed and green bean needs to be extracted to be able to store the beans for a long duration. As long as the beans are not roasted, their shelf life remains long, sometimes over a year. 

Once the bean is roasted, the shelf life typically reduces to 3-4 weeks. Although the shelf life can be made as high as six to nine months depending upon the packaging and reduced exposure to oxygen, the coffee tastes best within 3-4 weeks of roasting. 

Once coffee in ground specific to any brewing method, the shelf life reduces further and ground coffee needs to be consumed at the earliest for best coffee experience. 

More on the shelf life of coffee in upcoming posts. 

Cheers