For the best cup of coffee, start with quality beans and store them properly to maximize freshness and flavor.
1. Keep beans airtight and cool
Your beans’ greatest enemies are air, moisture, heat, and light.
To preserve your beans’ fresh roasted flavor as long as possible, store them in an opaque, air-tight container at room temperature. Coffee beans can be beautiful to look at, but avoid clear canisters which will allow light to compromise the taste of your coffee.
Keep your beans in a dark and cool location. A cabinet near the oven is often too warm, and so is a spot on the kitchen counter that gets strong afternoon sun.
Purchasing tips: For the freshest coffee, choose brands that use valve-sealed rather than vacuum-sealed packaging.
Vacuum-sealed coffee must be aged before packaging because coffee releases gas that can cause the bag to expand or even burst. So vacuum-sealed coffee is often not at its peak freshness.
Valve-sealed coffee, by contrast, allows gasses to escape from the coffee packaging but doesn’t let air in, so it can be packaged immediately after roasting.
2. Buy the right amount
Coffee begins to lose freshness almost immediately after roasting. Try to buy smaller batches of freshly roasted coffee, in quantities to last one to two weeks, and then store it properly.
Exposure to air is bad for your beans. If you prefer to keep your beans in an accessible container, it may be a good idea to divide your coffee supply into several smaller portions, with the larger, unused portion in an air-tight container.
This is especially important when buying pre-ground coffee (not recommended), because of the increased exposure to oxygen. If you buy whole beans, grind the amount you need immediately before brewing.
3. Freezing your beans??!!
I always advise my friends to grind only as much coffee beans to prepare the required amount of coffee. Storing coffee beans in the refrigerator or freezer is not a good idea as humidity and other food smell inside the refrigerator can spoil the aroma and flavor.
The three biggest threats to coffee beans are heat, moisture, and rodents. If you must store coffee beans inside the fridge, make sure it is kept inside an airtight container or zip locked bag. An unopened sealed bag of coffee beans can last for up to 2 to 3 years, while an opened bag can be kept in a sealed or airtight container and stored for 1-2 years.
You can technically extend the shelf life of whole beans and ground coffee by storing them in the fridge. While this is a quick and easy way to store home grounds, the downside is that refrigerating coffee will destroy the authentic flavors and the most interesting aspects will degrade.
However, let’s not forget that the best flavor and aroma of coffee comes only within 2-10 days of roasting. If you are storing the beans in the kitchen cabinet or in the refrigerator beyond that point, you are compromising with the quality of brew.
In Conclusion:
1. Keep roasted coffee beans airtight and cool.
2. Buy the right amount and grind the amount you need immediately before brewing.
3. Do not freeze your coffee beans.
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