Don Hilario | Our Roasting Process - Estate Coffee Roasting

Unprecedented Roasting and Packaging

The Difference: Our Packaging Operation

After taking the extraordinary effort to bring you one of the highest quality coffees grown in the world, you would expect to receive the same commitment to the roasting and final packaging - and you get just that - when you purchase Don Hilario Estate Coffee.

The Packaging

Most people believe that "ground" coffee is inferior to whole bean coffee, and they are right probably 75% of the time, for several reasons. One reason is that many ground coffees will blend different grades of coffee, including Robusta coffee, which is inferior to Arabica coffee. Another reason that some ground coffees are inferior tasting is that they are not freshly packed into their containers. In many instances, ground coffee is not packed until 48 hours after roasting. There is a reason some roasters do this, and we will explain why.

Fresh is Best

Coffee is freshest immediately after it is roasted. After that time, whole bean or otherwise, it will immediately start releasing its flavor and aromatic properties as it cools, and thus it begins to stale. The key to freshness in coffee, then, is to package it as quickly as possible with materials that do not permit oxygen or moisture to reach the coffee. The reason some roasters will wait 48 hours before packaging their roasted coffee, is because all coffee releases carbon dioxide after it is roasted and this causes some packages to swell or puff-out, including cans. By waiting 48 hours, the carbon dioxide is all released, but so is much of the freshness and flavor.

We're Different

In the state-of-the-art facilities where Don Hilario has its roasting and packaging operation, our estate coffee is quickly cooled in large de-gassing chambers. As you may already know, by chilling coffee, you protect its flavor and freshness. This greatly reduces the time needed for our coffee to release carbon dioxide.

From there our coffee is precision ground (unless you want whole bean) and re-cooled for a second time, then packaged and sealed to keep out all oxygen and moisture. The cost is a little more, but the result? Probably the freshest coffee available anywhere. Unless you want to roast your own!

Your Assurance

You can be assured that when you purchase Don Hilario Estate Coffee, you are receiving one of the highest quality coffees grown in the world, and that it has been roasted, ground and packaged by the finest, most quality assured coffee roasting operation available. And that it will be no more than 4 hours old - unprecedented for ground coffee.