We do not recommend storing ground coffee. Coffee beans are capsules that maximize flavor retention. After grinding, coffee quickly loses its flavor. Within a couple of days, the original taste of coffee will be just a faint memory.
Therefore, this article will focus on storing coffee beans. Any coffee, including whole beans, is highly hygroscopic. It rapidly absorbs and releases moisture, foreign odors, and quickly loses its freshness when exposed to oxygen. This is because the essential oils contained in the beans, which provide excellent flavor and aroma, oxidize, and the freshness of the coffee disappears.
The main enemies of coffee are:
- Oxygen, so the container must be airtight.
- Moisture, so coffee should not be stored in the freezer or refrigerator.
- Excessive heat.
- Direct sunlight.
- Other odors, which is another drawback of the freezer and refrigerator.
Refrigerator or freezer? It's better to throw away your coffee right away!
The main thing is - no refrigerator!
It is often advised to store coffee in the refrigerator. Under no circumstances!
Coffee is an excellent absorber and, thanks to its porous structure, absorbs odors better than any other product. If you're too lazy to clean the refrigerator, sprinkle coffee in it, and half of the odors will disappear within an hour :))
The humidity in the refrigerator is very high. Essential oils (which create the coffee aroma) are quickly washed out from the beans under increased humidity, and the coffee loses all its taste and aroma.
In general, if you like coffee with the aroma of vegetables, sausage, fish, and everything else you store in the refrigerator... Well, you get the idea :))
The freezer has a similar story, with one rare exception.
The freezer freezes coffee beans. This might seem good because all the tasty molecules of essential oils will come out of the coffee much more slowly. But you probably use the freezer quite often, which means that heat will reach the beans, and moisture will thaw. And then freeze again. Poor coffee, it definitely won't thank you for that.
Besides, the odor problem doesn't go away. After all, there is probably fish, meat, mushrooms, and so on in the freezer, right? :))
Exception. Once, we needed to preserve coffee for 5 months. Yes, it was a very rare variety that we promised to treat our friends to. How to keep coffee for as long as possible? We packed the original coffee bag in several layers of plastic wrap, then wrapped it in foil and more plastic wrap. Then we placed it in the freezer. The coffee remained perfect!
But it's better not to buy more coffee than you can use in 2 months to always enjoy freshly roasted coffee.
So how should you properly store coffee?
In a dry place, protected from direct sunlight. At room temperature. It doesn't matter whether it's 17 or 35 degrees Celsius in your home. The key is to maintain a constant temperature without rapid fluctuations.
This can be in an airtight, non-transparent container. The main thing is that the lid seals tightly and prevents oxygen from entering.
Tip: The more coffee in such a container, the less oxygen it contains. Try to keep it full at all times.
If the coffee storage container is transparent, store it in a cupboard. Sunlight is harmful to coffee beans.
Do you know how we store coffee?
Very simply. Right in the bag.
Our bags protect against oxygen, moisture, and sunlight.
All bags are equipped with a zip lock and a gas valve. Thanks to this, they can be used multiple times, and the coffee stays perfect.
Summary:
- Buy ground coffee only in extreme cases.
- Never store coffee in the refrigerator.
- The best way to store it is in an airtight, non-transparent bag with a valve.
- If you are buying coffee for a short period, store it in a dry, dark place with no temperature fluctuations. For example, in a kitchen cabinet.
- If you are buying coffee for a long period, divide it into portions, pack it well, and store it in the freezer. Once you take coffee out, you can't put it back.
- Air, light, temperature fluctuations, and foreign odors are the main enemies of coffee. Try to keep it away from them.
