Start with high-quality beans and store them correctly to preserve their freshness and flavor for the best cup of coffee. How to store coffee beans?
The three main causes of stale coffee beans are air, light, and moisture.
Continue reading to learn how long your coffee beans will last, whether freezing them is ever a good idea, and tips for storage.
What Are Coffee Beans?
Fruits called coffee cherries are produced by coffee plants, and harvesters use the fruits to extract coffee beans or seeds. Coffee plants belong to the genus Coffea in the Rubiaceae family of plants and are native to countries in South America and Africa. The plants, which eventually develop into medium-sized trees, bloom each spring with fragrant white flowers before bearing green fruit that resembles berries. When the cherries turn a deep red, coffee farmers harvest them.
Before the coffee beans are packaged, roasters add to their flavor and aroma to prepare them for brewing. There is an infinite variety of coffees due to differences in plant species, growing conditions, roasting techniques, and brewing techniques.
How Long Does Roasted Coffee Bean Last?
The roasting date and coffee storage have a significant impact on the shelf life of coffee beans. After roasting, batches of beans must cool down to complete the release of carbon dioxide, a natural preservative. Purchase beans three days or less after the roasting date for brewed coffee and seven days for espresso. Coffee beans are most flavorful at this time.
After one week, coffee beans kept in a paper bag start to taste stale. The beans will last approximately three weeks in an opaque, resealable coffee bag if you’re diligent about removing all the air from the bag of coffee after each use.
Whole beans will keep for four to eight weeks if they are stored in an airtight container or canister. You’ll notice a decline in flavor after that. Note that you can grind down old beans and use them for cold brew coffee instead of throwing them away.
Keep Coffe Beans Airtight And Cool
Air, moisture, heat, and light are your beans’ worst enemies.
Store your beans at room temperature in an opaque, airtight container to maintain their freshly roasted flavor for as long as possible. Coffee beans can be beautiful, but avoid clear canisters which will allow light to compromise the taste of your coffee.
Keep your beans somewhere cool and dark. Both the kitchen counter and an area that receives direct afternoon sunlight in a cabinet near the oven are frequently too warm.
Generally speaking, the retail packaging for coffee is not the best for long-term storage. If you can, spend money on airtight storage containers.
Buy The Right Amount Of Coffee Beans
Fast after roasting, coffee starts to lose its freshness. Buy coffee that will last one or two weeks in smaller, more frequent batches.
In an ideal world, you would purchase freshly roasted whole bean coffee in modest enough quantities to ensure that you would finish the bag before the flavor started to deteriorate. Corlett, however, gives you the go-ahead to use old beans for a unique kind of brew called cold brew because that’s so frequently not the case. “Using fresh coffee for cold brew is kind of a waste, but I have strong feelings on the subject. You can use really old coffee, and it’ll taste just as good,” he says.
Purchase small quantities of freshly roasted coffee and place them in airtight containers to be kept at room temperature. Oh, and guzzle as much liquid as possible as quickly as you can. Nobody is waiting for coffee.
Can You Freeze Coffee Beans?
For a good cup of coffee, freshness is essential. Experts concur that coffee should be consumed as soon as it is roasted, especially after the seal on the original packaging has been broken.
Coffee is hygroscopic (bonus vocabulary word for all you coffee geeks out there), which means that it absorbs moisture, odors, and tastes from the air around it. There are various opinions on whether or not coffee should be frozen or refrigerated, but the main factor to take into account is that.
Food kept for an extended period of time in the freezer can experience freezer burn because the majority of home storage containers still allow small amounts of oxygen to enter. As a result, use a container that is truly airtight if you do decide to freeze or chill your beans.
If you decide to freeze your coffee, do so as soon as possible, taking only as much as you need for no longer than a week at a time, and putting the rest back in the freezer before any condensation forms.
The fundamental steps of brewing remain the same when your beans are frozen.
Related Reading: Can You Eat Coffee Beans?
Tips For Storing Coffee Beans
Following roasting, coffee beans can be kept for a longer period of time with proper storage, allowing you to brew fresh coffee every morning. Here are several tips for coffee bean storage:
- Store coffee beans whole. Whole coffee beans have a longer shelf life than ground coffee. After you grind your coffee beans, the oxidation process quickens and the flavor is reduced. Pre-ground coffee from the grocery store, despite being vacuum-sealed, will taste stale to coffee drinkers who consume freshly ground coffee.
- Use an airtight container. Oxygen significantly accelerates the staling process. The best way to preserve the priceless flavor and aroma of your coffee is to store it in an airtight canister.
- Keep the coffee beans in a dark place. Select a transparent, opaque canister that is airtight. Keep your beans in a drawer or cabinet if they are still in their original packaging or a glass container.
- Grind only what you need. Compared to coffee grounds, coffee beans store better. When you buy a bag of beans, specialty coffee shop baristas frequently offer to grind them for you. It is best to turn down this offer if freshness is important to you. Instead, grind your beans by the pot at home for the freshest brew.
- Avoid the refrigerator. In the refrigerator, coffee beans will absorb extra moisture and food odors. The beans will lose their initial flavor in a few days.
- Store beans in the freezer only if necessary. Before the beans start to lose flavor, unopened coffee bean bags can be kept in the freezer for three to four months. Never put frozen coffee beans in the grinder until they have reached room temperature.