As a genuine coffee lover, your coffee is one of the most precious things for you in the morning. Caffeine, after all, is what instills life and energy into your brain and body at the beginning of every single day. But, to be honest, it’s not just the caffeine levels that you’re crazy about, right? What also matters a great deal is the flavor, taste, and deliciousness of your coffee.
In that context, how to store coffee beans plays a huge role. If you want your coffee to yield a fresh taste, flavor, and aroma, then it has to be stored the right way. So let’s cover that territory in this article.
Storing Coffee Beans – The Best Storage Location
Before we tell you how to store your most favorite coffee, let’s talk about where to store. Yes, there is indeed a correct place for coffee bean storage.
- You have to choose a dark, cool, and dry spot. For example, cabinet or pantry.
- Keep your coffee away from high temperatures. This includes placing the storage container next to or above the oven, refrigerator, etc. At the same time, you should keep the coffee beans away from direct sunlight.
- Freezer and refrigerator storage is off-limits. Simply because humidity tends to give rise to moisture, which infiltrates the packaging.
Storing Coffee Beans – The Best Storage Container
Once the vacuum-sealed pouch or packaging of your coffee is opened, it’s time to put those freshly roasted beans into a container for storage. Now make sure the container has the following features…
- It should be made of glass, ceramic, or any non-reactive metal. Make sure the container is opaque and has an airtight seal.
- And if the storage container is see-through plastic or glass, then make it a point to place it in a dark location.
Where to Store Coffee – Pantry vs. Freezer
Keep Your Coffee Shelved
Placing your coffee storage container on a shelf in your pantry is the best thing you can do for keeping those beans fresh for a longer time. They have to be away from moisture, heat, and light if you want your coffee to taste fresh and flavorful.
Those who don’t have a storage container or canister go as far as sealing the bag using a rubber band and then placing that into a plastic bag. When there’s a will, there is a way indeed.
Freezing your coffee beans only means subjecting them to constant temperature fluctuations. This gives rise to moisture, which tends to seep into your coffee beans and ends up jeopardizing their freshness, flavor, and aroma.
When moisture comes in contact with coffee, be it bean or ground, its cell structure begins to change. And that leads to the loss of rich coffee oils that are responsible for lending all the delicious flavor and aroma to your coffee.
But then why do some coffee connoisseurs store coffee inside the freezer? Mostly because they have a large quantity of coffee to store. Some of us do tend to get carried away when it comes to buying coffee in bulk.
Freezing Coffee Beans?
Let’s not forget or underestimate the importance of freshness. That is precisely why buying freshly roasted coffee is crucial. Once the packaging has been opened, it’s best to consume the coffee as quickly as possible.
Moving on to the subject of freezing your coffee beans, should you do it? The viewpoints are mixed here. The primary concern of refrigerating or freezing coffee takes the form of moisture. At the same time, coffee is hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs tastes and odor from the different food items placed in your fridge or freezer.
Placing your coffee beans into an airtight container is a must in case you opt for freezer storage. Quickly remove how much ever is required for brewing and then store it back again. Make sure no amount of condensation is present on your frozen coffee.
And just by the way, freezing coffee beans doesn’t alter any part of the regular brewing process.
Whole Bean Storage vs. Ground Coffee Storage
What form of coffee has a higher exposed surface area? It’s ground coffee, no doubt. This implies that ground coffee has the ability to become stale sooner in comparison to whole bean coffee.
Ardent coffee lovers specially make time in the morning for freshly grinding coffee beans. And now you know why.
But then if you don’t have the luxury of time or patience to grind coffee beans every single time before brewing, then make it a point to consume all your whole beans in a month’s time from its roasting date. As for ground coffee, it’s the best within 2 weeks post-roasting.
The Concept of Less Is More for Coffee Storage
Let us bring to your attention that coffee can actually last for a few months after roasting. However, that does not mean it’s going to remain fresh throughout.
When coffee goes through the roasting process, it begins to lose its original freshness, flavor, and aroma. So it’s most advisable to consume this coffee within 2-3 weeks. But then what do you do if you’ve bought a huge canister that you just can’t to finish in 2 weeks? Well, you can use the coffee for longer, but don’t expect the taste and flavor to stay the same.
Or you could opt for a smaller quantity the next time you go out to buy coffee. Purchasing freshly roasted smaller batches eliminates the possibility of the loss of freshness. In fact, it also eliminates waste.
There are so many different varieties of coffee available these days with so many different textural and flavor profiles. So don’t hesitate to try these, but always buy in smaller batches. And know how to spot freshly roasted beans. For example, you know the best dark roast coffee beans are fresh when they have a rich glossy appearance.
Conclusion
Know that coffee beans don’t thrive when exposed to moisture, heat, and light. So you have to know how to store your coffee beans the right way. And before storage comes the part where you buy freshly roasted coffee beans in smaller batches.
Make sure the storage location is a cool, dry, and dark place. And you can indeed get away with freezing your coffee beans, but only if you do it the right way.
Author Bio
This post for coffee lovers has been created by Coffee Style Today who have truly understood the importance of brewing coffee the right way. They make up a professional team that creates a world in which only the best brewing practices and best coffee makers exist for the ultimate at-home coffee experience.
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