The article relates some of the information from last issue to coffee staling. When coffee is just roasted it is fresh and at its most flavorful and pleasant potential, but its downhill from there. Five progressive stages of staling can be identified, theses are:
1. Dull - The dry aroma has mostly been lost
2. Flat - The cup aroma has been mostly lost
3. Vapid - Much of the nose has been lost
4. Insipid - The oxidation of some of the coffee oils causes a noticeable change in the taste of the brew
5. Stale - The oxidation of the linoleic triglycerides causes them to turn from having a pleasant flavor to having an unpleasant flavor
6. Rancid - The fats in the coffee change to having a distinct offensive flavor
Remember how to slow this process down (issues 10, 11, & 52), and buy fresh roasted coffee to avoid a dull, flat, vapid, insipid, stale, rancid, of otherwise yucky cup.