A good idea is to always make sure your coffee is fresh, so you can enjoy the best cup of coffee possible. Coffee is a perishable product. After the beans are roasted, they start losing freshness, and its natural aromas and flavors are diminished.
So, the sooner you use your beans, the better. After roasting, adequately stored coffee beans can last for around a month. Alternatively, ground coffee lasts for about two weeks after roasting.
The difference is due to the higher surface area of ground coffee, which is more than that of whole beans. This means that ground coffee is more prone to moisture, air, light, and heat.
In this article, we will discuss how to properly store coffee, whether it’s ground or whole beans.
#1. Prevent Access To Air, Light, And Moisture
The key here is to keep the coffee fresh, whether it is whole beans or ground. This is achieved by keeping it away from agents of deterioration, which are air, heat, moisture, and light.
After opening a package of coffee, don’t leave it inside and instead, store it in an air-tight container. You can use ordinary kitchen canisters to store the coffee, as long as they can be tightly closed. Using specially designed, airtight storage containers ensure better results.
Avoid moisture by ensuring that the coffee is stored in a dry location. Excess humidity accelerates the deterioration process. Excessive exposure of coffee to moisture leads to a sour taste and aroma. Also, keep your coffee away from heat until it is brewed. Too much exposure to heat accelerates the breakdown of the coffee flavor.
If you store coffee on top of the kitchen counter, or in the kitchen cabinet, make sure there is no stove or oven near it. Similarly, avoid sunny locations, like near the window. Additionally, glass containers are not a good option for coffee storage, as they allow light penetration. You can opt to keep the canisters in a pantry cabinet, or anywhere away from light.
Opaque canisters are the best option. After you put your coffee in a opaque container, you can comfortably put it on top of the kitchen counter, with no worry about deterioration from light.
#2. Choose The Right Sized Container
The air in half empty jars of coffee, whether it is airtight or not, can also cause damage to its taste. So, choose a canister that corresponds to the volume of coffee that you have. The majority of containers hold between 250 to 500 grams.
#3. Don’t Switch Containers
If the coffee you purchased comes in proper packaging, there is no need to transfer it to another container. Most packaging containers provide the correct storage, which is airtight and opaque.
Some coffee roasters package their coffee in special containers, with a permeable valve. This enables gases to be released, after coffee roasting, to escape and at the same time, stopping air entry.
#4. Store Coffee In The Freezer, Not The Fridge
There is a widespread myth that coffee remains fresh if put it in the refrigerator. This is wrong, because it is actually the opposite.
As discussed above, moisture or humidity affects coffee. Every time the fridge is opened, moisture condenses on the container, and if it gets into contact with the coffee, it will spoil the taste.
Instead, store your coffee in the freezer and make sure you first pack it in a plastic bag. This will ensure that there’s no air trapped inside.
Conclusion
Conclusively, knowing the correct ways of keeping coffee fresh is not exactly rocket science. The best thing is to buy the right amount of coffee and store it correctly, to guarantee a great tasting coffee.
