Coffee Storage: 3 Easy Tips To Keep Your Coffee Fresh

A question that often comes up is how should I store my coffee to keep it fresh as long as possible? There a few things you can do to keep your coffee tasty:

Purchase Whole Bean Coffee

First, buy coffee that is fresh roasted in whole bean form. Once coffee is ground, it begins to lose flavor and aroma immediately and dramatically. I recommend brewing coffee within 15 minutes of it being ground; purchasing whole bean coffee is a given. After you purchase your whole bean coffee, no matter how well you store coffee, it continues to lose flavor with age. Buy it as close as possible to its roast date. If you pick up a bag of coffee and it doesn’t have a roast date, put it back. Those best buy dates on coffee bags are generally 6 months to a year off roast. Six- month old coffee has lost all its flavor by then and it’s not worth your money. Coffee’s peak flavors are within 2 weeks of it's roast date.

Airtight Container

Airtight Storage Containers are great for keeping your beans fresh. I recommend containers that are just the right size to fit your coffee in. If you place your coffee in an airtight container that’s way oversized, the oxygen inside of empty airspace will cause your coffee stale sooner. Once placed inside a container, keep your beans from violent light and heat. An easy way to do this is to use an opaque container and store that container in a cabinet below your stove. Since heat rises, if you place it in a cabinet right above your oven, your coffee will age faster. We use heavy foil-lined bags and you can simply roll our bags down tight and close them with the tin ties on the bag. Afterwards, just place it in any container to keep it fresh. We selected those types of bags for their barrier protection and great storage capability.

The Fridge: Just Say No

Another common question I get is whether to store coffee in the fridge. I don’t recommend it. The humidity in the fridge will create condensation on the coffee's surface, causing it lose flavor. Coffee is very porous and absorbs aromas that is near it. If your coffee sits near your favorite left-overs too long, your beans could end up tasting like your spouse's best chicken parmesan. I don’t see that being a tasty combination.

In conclusion, the best way to keep your coffee fresh is to buy it fresh, store it in an airtight container and keep it away from light and heat. Implementing these simple tips can extend the flavor of your coffee longer. Be blessed.