You're standing in a Georgia coffee shop at 8 AM, already thinking about the afternoon slump. The bag in your hand looks great—nice design, bold claims about single-origin beans. But flip it over. Do you see a roast date? If not, you're gambling with stale coffee.

Here's the thing: roast date is the only honest freshness signal a bag gives you. 'Best by' dates are arbitrary. 'Packed on' dates can be weeks after roasting. But a roast date tells you exactly when those beans left the roaster. For an office commuter who just wants a decent cup without obsessing over extraction ratios, this one number matters more than any tasting note.