How to Keep Your Coffee Beans Fresh

As with a banana left on the counter, coffee beans can go bad. This is because of oxidation and loss of volatile flavor compounds.

The good news is you can preserve your fresh roasted flavors for several weeks by following a few easy tips. Your beans' greatest enemies are air, moisture, and heat!

How do you store coffee beans

It's no secret that coffee beans lose their flavor quickly. To ensure the best flavor from your beans, it is essential to store them properly. Many people are confused about how to go about this, however. Some people think that they can place their beans into the fridge. This is not the best method.

Keep your beans at room temperature in an airtight, opaque container. This will protect your beans from their most formidable enemies: moisture and air. Moisture and air can both rob the beans their fresh-roasted flavor, and moisture can also weaken them. The heat can also destroy the flavor and aroma of the beans, and light (especially sunlight) can smudge the natural shine of the beans as well.

In fact, keeping coffee beans in a refrigerator could be more harmful than helpful. They can absorb the flavors of other foods, such as onions and cheese in the refrigerator and affect the taste of your coffee. They could also be exposed to cold air from the refrigerator to condensation and moisture.

Instead, you can store your beans in the container they were packaged in, or in a resealable bag. Be sure to blow out all air prior to sealing the bag and keep it in a cool, dark location. This will help the beans last a bit longer, but it's recommended to use them within 72 hours after roasting.

Storing coffee beans in the Fridge

The majority of people store their beans in the refrigerator but this isn't an ideal solution. Coffee beans in the fridge absorb odors and moisture from food items which can adversely affect their flavor. The best place to store your coffee is the dark cabinet, with an airtight, opaque container.

If your beans don't come in a bag with a one-way valve, you'll need to transfer them into containers that are tightly sealed and opaque, like the coffee beans bulk Gator canister. It's important that you note that the fridge can also be a little cold for coffee, which may affect the taste.

Moisture, heat and air are the main enemies of coffee beans. To preserve the freshness and quality of your beans, store them in an opaque container (not transparent) at temperatures that are at room temperature. A dark, cool pantry is the perfect location to store them, however a closet or cupboard can also work. It is not recommended to store coffee in the refrigerator. It will extend its shelf-life, but you might want to consider it. It could alter the flavor of your brew and even cause them to deteriorate faster due to its cold temperature. The moisture and food smells in the refrigerator could cause damage to your coffee beans.

Storing coffee beans in the Pantry

When the seal on the packaging of the beans is broken, it's best to keep the beans in a dark, dry place at ambient temperature and in an airtight container. This will help preserve the aroma, flavor, and freshness of your top rated Coffee Beans for a long time (depending on the amount of oxygen, heat, or moisture is exposed to the beans). Storing your coffee beans in a cabinet next to an oven or counter where they get direct sunlight isn't a good option as these places can become extremely hot and accelerate oxidation.

Moisture is a significant element, as beans absorb moisture in the air. This can weaken the natural flavors. Also, heat can accelerate the process of oxidation, as beans break the molecular structure that provides them with their distinctive aromas. Heat also strips the bean of its natural oils, which makes them taste less.

If you are able to keep your beans in their one-way valve bag that is resealable and resealable that they came in or an equivalent airtight opaque container, then their freshness will last approximately a week before they begin to decay. They can go longer if you store them in the freezer, however you must be cautious because the beans might be affected by freezer burn and they may also absorb food odors that are floating around in the freezer along with them.

Storing coffee beans in the freezer

If you're spending $20 or more for a bag of gourmet coffee beans, it is important to know the best way to store the beans. Coffee absorbs moisture, aromas and flavors and placing it in an opaque airtight container in a cool, dark place will help to preserve the flavor. You can also freeze your beans, but be careful if you do this, you should transfer them to an Ziploc bag prior to freezing to avoid burning in the freezer.

Although freezing isn't the best option, it can be useful when you're running out of time or traveling and want to bring some of your favorite coffee with you. However, coffee beans frozen will not be as fresh and will have a more mild flavor than beans that were stored correctly in the fridge or pantry.

As you can see it's best 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, cool place in an opaque airtight container and their shelf life could be extended by as much as three times. Give your coffee a try (be sure to follow the directions above carefully) you might be amazed by how much better the flavor of your coffee is compared to the dull, lifeless beans that rotted in the fridge or freezer.