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Can anyone help deciphering Lavazza coffee roasting / batch codes on ground coffee?

The bag on the left was great. The one on the right is bad enough I will return the several I bought. Both were bought from the same store, but 3 months apart.

batch codes on bag

The tasting was done side-by-side as I was finishing the old (left/good) bag & opening the new bag (right/bad) to make two separate cups via Aeropress, simultaneously. The difference was very obvious. The new bag on right had no punctures / was still vacuum-sealed & airtight upon opening.

On day of tasting both coffees, left bag had been opened 10 days prior & stored in freezer.

Bag on right was purchased 3 months later & freshly opened just prior to tasting its 1st cup.

Batch Code AD17HL AD16HL
Converting Letters → Numbers 1417812 1416812
"Best Before" Date 30/07/2023 30/07/2023
Packaging Time ? 13:27 11:18
Date purchased Dec 8, 2021 Mar 1, 2022

Thoughts/Ideas

The two digit number in the Batch Code (17 & 16), could that be week of production, counting down?

i.e.

52 - 17 = 35 = Aug 30 to Sep 5 (guessing for 2021)

52 - 16 = 36 = Sep 6 to Sep 12

Seems unlikely. There must be a ton of batches made every week. And none of the other letters (numbers) changed.

Thanks for any insight or ideas.

Baker
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  • I'd let the bag on the right (the newly opened one) "breathe" for 24 hours before discarding it. You say the difference in taste was obvious, and the reason could be retention of carbon dioxide from roasting. Most coffee packaging uses a valve in the bag wall that allows that gas to escape, but perhaps something failed in this case. If that is the problem, a days respite might save an otherwise delicious bag of coffee. – hardmath Nov 24 '22 at 23:37

2 Answers2

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A = Factory / production location code?

D = year: 2021 (E = 2022)

17 = day of month

H = month: 8 (August)

L = not sure

So in this case, the beans on the left were produced on 17/8/2021 and the ones on the right on 16/8/2021. Being fresher by 1 day wouldn't explain the difference in taste, so you'd have to put it down to either bad storage or to a different batch/source of beans being used at the factory.

BryceMcKinlay
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  • Do you have sources for this or is it all guesswork? As guesses, it seems pretty good except I'd put the year as 2022. I think a one year shelf life is more likely than 2 years. (Although both timespans are uncomfortably long) – luser droog Nov 24 '22 at 16:17
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    This is based on educated guesswork from looking at lots of labels. For example, the number in the middle is never higher than 31, so it's a safe assumption that it's the day of month. And the following letter is never higher than L (December). The best before date is the last day of the month 23 months following the production date. For example, the pack I just bought has a production code of AE23IX (indicating production date 23/09/2022) and a BB date of 31/08/2024. – BryceMcKinlay Nov 24 '22 at 18:34
  • That does tend to reinforce your results, I agree. I still think 2 years is a shockingly long shelf life to claim. But that's not your fault. – luser droog Nov 25 '22 at 01:23
  • https://www.lavazzausa.com/en/faq does mention a 2 year shelf life, so @BryceMcKinlay guess is confirmed by the manufacturer too. – Adarsha Mar 19 '23 at 23:52
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You're right that the roaster produces lots of batches regularly, but you're wrong that grocery stores restock on that same schedule. My guess is the biggest difference is age. The two batches were near enough in time that they have the same "best before" date. But the second bag had probably been sitting on a shelf in the store during the whole intervening time. A neighborhood roaster or coffee shop will likely give you much fresher beans more reliably.

luser droog
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