How to Keep Your Coffee Beans Fresh

Like a banana left on the counter coffee beans can turn bad. This is due to oxidation and loss of volatile flavor compounds.

The good news is that you can preserve your fresh roast flavors for up to a week by implementing a few simple guidelines. The most formidable enemies of beans are air, moisture, and heat!

How to Keep Coffee Beans in the refrigerator? Beans

It's not a secret that coffee bean beans deteriorate quickly. To get the most flavor out of your beans, you need to store them properly. Despite this, many are unsure of how best to go about it. Some think they can just put their beans in the refrigerator but that's not the best method for doing it.

The most important thing is to store your beans in an airtight and transparent container at room temperatures. This will protect your beans from their biggest enemies: moisture and air. The air can strip the beans of their fresh-roasted taste and moisture can weaken the beans' flavor. Heat will also break down the flavor and aroma of the beans, and light (especially sunlight) can smudge the natural shine of the beans as well.

In fact, storing bulk coffee beans beans in the refrigerator could be more harmful than useful. They could absorb the flavors and odors from other foods in the refrigerator, like cheese and onions which could negatively affect the taste of your coffee. They may also be exposed to the cool air of the refrigerator to condensation and moisture.

You may want to store your beans in the container that you originally used or in a plastic bag that can be resealable. Make sure you push out all the air prior to resealing the bag, and keep it in a cool, dark and dry place. This will help the beans to last a bit longer, but it's recommended to consume them within 72 hours after roasting.

Coffee beans are stored in the Fridge

A majority of people keep their beans in the refrigerator but this isn't an ideal idea. Coffee beans kept in the refrigerator absorb the smells of food and moisture, which can negatively affect their flavor. The best place to keep your organic coffee Beans is a dark cabinet with an airtight, clear container.

A coffee bag that has a one-way valve will work just fine in the fridge however if the beans weren't packaged in this sort of packaging you'll have to transfer them into a tightly sealed and opaque container, such as a glass canister or the Coffee Gator canister mentioned above. The fridge might also be too cold for the coffee, which could affect its taste.

The primary enemies of coffee beans in bulk beans are heat, air and moisture. To ensure the freshness of your roasted beans, keep them in an opaque container (not transparent), at ambient temperature. The best place to keep them is a dark, cool pantry, but a wardrobe or a cabinet can also be used. Storing coffee in a refrigerator can help prolong its shelf life, however it isn't recommended. It could alter the flavor of your beverage and cause them to become stale faster due to its cold temperature. The smells of food and moisture in the refrigerator can also harm your coffee beans.

Storing coffee beans in the Pantry

When the seal on the packaging is broken on your beans, it's best to keep the beans in a dark space at room temperature in an airtight container. This will keep the aroma, flavor and freshness of the coffee for a time (depending on the extent of exposure to oxygen, heat and moisture). Storing your beans in a cupboard near an oven or counters where they are exposed to direct sunlight isn't the most ideal idea since these places could be extremely hot and accelerate oxidation.

Moisture is an important factor since beans are able to absorb moisture from the air, and this can reduce their natural flavors. It can also accelerate oxidation because the bean can destroy the molecular structure that gives them their aromas. Heat also robs the bean of its natural oils, causing them to lose flavor.

If you are able to keep your beans in the resealable one-way valve bag they came in, or in an airtight, opaque container that is equivalent to it, they'll stay fresh for about one week. They may last longer if they are placed in the freezer, but you have to be careful since the beans may be prone to freezer burn and they can also absorb food odors floating around in the freezer with them.

Storing coffee beans in the freezer

If you're spending 20 dollars or more on a bag of gourmet coffee beans, it's important to understand the best method of storing the beans. Coffee is like sponges and can absorb aromas, moisture and flavors. Therefore, keeping it in a cool dark place in an airtight opaque container will ensure that the flavor stays secure. You can also freeze your beans but be careful when doing this, it's best to transfer them to an Ziploc bag before freezing to avoid freezing burn.

Although freezing isn't the best option but it is a good option when you're short on time or you are traveling and want to take some of your favorite coffee with you. However, the coffee beans that are frozen will not be as fresh and will have a more muted flavor than beans that were stored correctly in the refrigerator or pantry.

As you can see, it's recommended to use your beans in a lickety-split fashion, but sometimes we just don't have that luxury. If you keep your coffee beans in a dark, cold location in an airtight, opaque container the shelf life of your coffee beans can be extended by as much as three times. You may be surprised at how much better the coffee will taste contrasted with beans that were rotten in the freezer or fridge.