In the last year my perception of beans has changed a lot, mainly because I started getting beans from Rancho Gordo which are supposedly very fresh. The claim i

In the last year my perception of beans has changed a lot, mainly because I started getting beans from Rancho Gordo which are supposedly very fresh. The claim is that using recently-harvested beans will give you better results than you can get with most dry beans that are available. I have no idea what typical harvest-to-consumption times are for Goya or other brands like that, the Rancho Gordo beans are supposed to be no older than 1 year. I'm pretty convinced by this argument. In general I find that fresher produce is significantly better when you can get it. In NYC it's hard to come by except for at food co-ops and farmers markets. I've also bought very freshly-milled flour last year during the Great Sourdough Obsession and it was significantly more flavourful and better behaved. I wonder if the real issue with cooking beans is simply one of freshness but other than the Rancho Gordo claims I have yet to see other mention of this.