Is there a particular coffee shop where one may attain the freshest java ?
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1By freshest do you mean freshly brewed, or freshly roasted? – Suspended User Oct 8 '15 at 22:23
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Even with Mike's answer below, it definitely depends on where at you live. Personally, I go to Starbucks whenever I go to a big "popular" coffee shop. But I have my local shops that I like more than that of course. – NealC Oct 14 '15 at 0:37
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By Major, are you referring to exclusively things like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc, etc?
If so, then I think I would have to go with Denny's actually. Yes, they will leave a pot on all day, but I've never been in a Denny's that wouldn't immediately pull it and start up a fresh one if you asked for it out of the gate.
In places like Starbucks, Coffee & Tea, etc, there seems to be trick words or a menu item that tells them to grind and brew fresh, but that's something that one has to learn.
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1I wouldn't go into a Denny's even if in a post-Apocalyptic world, they were the only restaurants selling non-irradiated coffee. My choice over the years (25) in commuting to work early in the morning has been Dunkin Donuts! – user1444 Oct 13 '15 at 21:46
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As an indirect answer to your question, find a coffeeshop that sells packages of roasted, whole beans with the roasting date marked on the package. It's a good indication such a coffeeshop will be using fresh beans and grinding them at the moment of brewing. These two factors are the most important indicators of freshness.
Justification: One of the biggest factors in freshness is when the coffee was roasted. As stated in an early question about freshness of coffee, coffee is usually best when brewed in a narrow window: between a few days after roast and a couple weeks after roast. If you're looking for beans to brew yourself: As stated in another question, always buy whole beans and grind them yourself just before brewing.
Bonus: Even better, find such a coffeeshop affiliated with a local roaster. You'll have higher confidence that the beans haven't encountered extreme temperatures (or humidity or other environmental conditions) during transport that might hurt the beans.
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Green coffee (unroasted) can maintain quality for several years. It is after you roast the coffee that it starts to lose freshness and quality. (see the first answer to this SO for data on loss of freshness after the roast)
So in order to find the "freshest java"sic, find the places where they roast their own. Nowadays you can find small coffee shops that buy green beans and roast themselves, known as micro-roasters, in almost any mayor city.
(I know, by definition micro-roaster implies that they aren't a mayor coffee shop... but they do have the freshest java )
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Try Peet's, and grind your own beans.
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Why Peet's? What is it about Peet's that you think makes them stand out? Do you mean brewed coffee or beans? – hoc_age♦ Oct 10 '15 at 21:45
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