When purchasing coffee, look for the date the coffee was roasted—not the sale by date.  If a coffee roaster does not label the package with the date the coffee was roasted, it is safe to assume the coffee is not fresh.  Coffee on grocery store shelves is often months old with sale by dates up to one year from the date of stocking.  To maximize freshness, purchase coffee soon after it was roasted, and use within two to three weeks of the roast date.