If you love coffee, you want to make sure that the brew you spend your hard-earned cash on tastes really good. In order to help make this happen, you need to make sure that the coffee you buy is stored in the correct way. If you do not pay attention to storage, then your coffee is not going to be of the high quality you are looking for. Everything you need to know about coffee bean storage to keep the best taste possible. Take a look at this guide about how to properly store coffee beans.
Our aim is to tell you about how the environment in your home can affect coffee. We are also going to provide you with some tips on how you can protect your coffee against these environmental issues, by storing it in the right way. If you do this, you can really enjoy your coffee, and try out some of the exciting recipes that are out there.
Why buying fresh coffee is a good idea for coffee bean storage
Before we start to look at the storage of coffee we just wanted to point out a couple of things.
- If you want fresh coffee, it’s a good idea to buy beans instead of pre-ground.
- Coffee that is freshly roasted is the best purchase to make. As a rule of thumb, beans that have been roasted between three and ten days ago make the best filter and French press coffee, while five to twelve days is the optimum period if you want to make a good espresso.
If you buy beans to make coffee, remember that you should only grind what you are going to use.
How to properly store coffee beans?
Coffee beans do not react well with various environmental factors; heat, moisture, light and air. This is why choosing the right storage option is so important.
If you have purchased beans that have been packaged in a valve foil bag, and you use them within a week or two, you should be okay to just store the bag itself in a cool and dry part of the kitchen. Other packaging does not provide the protection that the beans require. This is why you need to place the beans in an airtight container. Remember to choose an opaque container, so that light does not get to the beans.
Should you refrigerate or freeze coffee beans?
Many purists insist that you should do neither of these things. Refrigeration is a definite no go area, as it creates condensation and actually causes the beans to degenerate faster than normal. However, if you really need to freeze coffee beans you can.
If you choose to do this, you have to ensure that they are kept airtight; use layers such as the original packaging, a zip lock bag and a freezer sack. You have to do all you can to protect the beans, and preserve the quality of your coffee. Freezing coffee beans is not ideal, but it can be done, if absolutely necessary.
As you can see, storing coffee is not that difficult. It’s all about making sure the beans are well protected. Remember, if possible, only buy an amount that you can use within one to two weeks and only grind the beans that you need to use, directly before you want to make your coffee.
