How To Store Coffee.

[filingaccount]

Air, heat, light and moisture are all bad for your coffee beans.

The key is to store them away from these environmental influences as much as possible. This of course means you have to keep them in airtight and dark containers preferably in dry and cool places.

So you'd go "Aha! The freezer!", but sadly you'd be very wrong.

Let us explore what happens with the coffee bean when you freeze it.

Briefly; Coffee gets its distinct flavor from roasting. The roasting process releases the beans natural oils which is the main source of flavor. The darker the roast, the more oil is released and the more flavorful your coffee becomes.

The process of freezing will break down these oils on the surface - the oils are what gives your beans the "shiny" look and also what makes them slippery. Furthermore, the beans are porous (in other words, not very solid) and during the process of freezing your beans will absorb moisture and odors from your other items in the freezer. In a best case scenario this would cause your beans to lose their natural flavor rapidly, and worst case your expensive gourmet coffee beans will taste from the frozen fish, chicken, pork, salami and cheese you have stored. Not very exciting anymore...

You can freeze your coffee beans once, in a worst case scenario, if you intend to store them for about 14 days. You do have to be mindful about odors in any case. If you have a lot of other food items in the freezer, consider not freezing your beans. In any case, freezing your beans is not recommended though. After about 2 weeks the beans tend to break down and will quickly become less flavorful. Do not take the beans out and refreeze them again. This quickens the process of breakdown of the natural oils.

So what about the fridge? Shouldn't this be better then?

No, it's even worse. The same applies in a fridge as it does in a freezer. Your beans will absorb more moisture and odors and the oils will break down quickly.

But I'm in Thailand! It's +40C with 80% humidity every dang day. What can I do?

Relax. It's not so difficult.

If it's possible, buy only freshly roasted beans on a weekly basis. This solves all your problems in one step. Simply store your 1 week supply in an airtight, dark container and store it near your coffee machine. If you drink the supply in a week the breakdown of the coffee isn't so significant and you'll be quite hard pressed to taste the difference between a fresh supply and the week old supply.

My bean supplier is very far away and it's not convenient for me to go there every week. What can I do?

The absolute best you can do is to get a wine cooler with a dehumidifier built in. This keeps your coffee cool, but not cold, removes excess humidity and stores the beans in a dark place.

Yeah, but an expensive wine cooler is not what I want nor do I have the space for it. Any other suggestions?

Sure! Buy freshly roasted beans that are in small valve sealed bags (e.g. 250 gram packages). The valve sealed bags are a sure sign that the manufacturer roasts his beans and immediately packs them, ensuring the highest freshness. The valve allows CO2's to escape, which the roasted beans release for several days after roasting, and also allows moisture out. The seal is one way, meaning that no air or moisture can seep in. Then store the beans in a cool (but not cold) place.

I buy 5 KG bags from my supplier. It's cheaper that way. What should I do?

Consider changing and buy smaller bags. We strongly recommend 250 gram bags. The small price difference is worth it!

If you insist on the big bag, divide your coffee into smaller containers. Airtight zip lock bags can be a good choice. Try to remove all the excess air from the bag using a straw or a vacuum (or you can get the vacuum bags normally used for storing clothes). You can freeze the extra bags, but please be mindful of moisture and odors. Freezing is not ideal, but might work in a pinch. Store the extra bags away from everyday items - and this can't be stressed enough - in cool, dark, airtight and dry conditions.

I heard that if I grind the coffee and store it vacuum sealed it will preserve the flavors. Is this correct?

No. This is absolutely the worst thing you can do if you intend to store you coffee longer than a few hours.

The oxidation that takes place after your grind the beans will destroy the flavor very quickly and you'll end up with a brown watery substance not worthy of the name coffee.

Briefly, this is our suggestions for the best coffee beans:

• Buy directly from the roaster, or from a dealer who can ensure quick delivery of the freshest beans.
• Make sure the beans are stored in small valve sealed bags. After opening, store in dark, airtight containers.
• Store the beans in a cool place.
• Grind just enough beans for the amount of coffee you are going to enjoy, and grind just before making your cup(s).

[ColinChapman]

A tip I found which seems to work is to store your beans in a wine bottle (washed out first) and use one of the wine storage vacuum pumps. This keeps my coffee tasting almost as fresh as when new.

[duran]

Thanks for the OP. I always thought that putting coffee in the refrigerator was the good thing to do.