If you're like most coffee lovers, you probably enjoy buying whole beans and grinding them yourself. Not only does it give you control over the consistency of your coffee at home, but it also allows you to customise the flavour to your liking. The only problem is that if you don't store your beans properly, they can go stale pretty quickly.
Proper coffee bean storage can help conserve the quality of your beans. In this article, you'll learn what you can do to keep them fresh for as long as possible. Your goal is to avoid allowing moisture, light, heat, and air into contact with the beans to maintain that freshly roasted coffee you've always wanted.
How Long Can Coffee Beans Stay Fresh?
Depending on the packaging, coffee storage methods, and room temperature, coffee beans can stay fresh for up to 14 days in an opened bag. If they're sealed in a canister, glass jar, or vacuum-tight bag, you can expect them to stay fresh for up to 30 days. In the fridge and freezer, coffee beans keep their original flavour for as long as three months until they start to degrade in quality.
Ground coffee will only last around 7 days after being ground before going stale and losing its flavour. To keep fresher for longer, store your coffee beans whole and grind them as you need them.
Importance of Storing Coffee Beans Properly
As soon as coffee beans are roasted, the flavour starts to degrade. The older your beans are, the duller they'll taste. Proper storage can help keep them fresh for longer, so you don't have to go through the process of roasting and grinding new batches every time you want a cup of coffee.
Here are some other reasons why it is important to take note of the proper ways to store your coffee:
Increases Shelf Life
Proper storage increases a coffee bean's shelf life. The older a bag of beans is, the staler it will taste when ground and brewed. Air exposure causes oxidation, which speeds up the staling process. Carbon dioxide gas occurs naturally in unopened coffee bags, but air exposure can reduce it to levels that cause beans to go stale.
Improves Coffee Quality
The right storage helps maintain the flavour and taste of your coffee. If you've ever made a cup of coffee only to be disappointed by its dull taste, it was probably because your beans didn't stay fresh long enough before being ground. Another thing that affects the quality is humidity. Exposure to moisture will shorten the shelf life of your beans, while the presence of too much heat will make them go rancid.
Prevents Contamination
Proper storage is key to preventing your coffee beans from being contaminated by bacteria and other harmful substances that can ruin the taste. At home, you want to avoid opening up bags or jars in areas where they're exposed to high humidity levels, such as bathrooms and kitchens. If you're storing your beans in a freezer, make sure to leave enough space for them to breathe and not be surrounded by food that might absorb their smell or flavour.
Maintains Original Flavour of Beans
If you store your beans at home, then you already know that the flavour is what makes them so special. However, if not stored correctly, they can lose their great taste and aroma. As mentioned earlier, proper storage preserves this all-important feature of high quality.
Prevents Clumping
Storing coffee beans properly also prevents clumps from forming in your grinder or brewer. With improper storage, moisture can cause leakage that causes clumping.
Key Factors That Age Coffee Beans
Several factors influence the rate at which coffee beans age. These include:
- Air exposure – as mentioned above, air exposure causes oxidation and speeds up the staling process. Proper storage reduces this by limiting how much oxygen comes into contact with your beans.
- Exposure to heat – Maintaining appropriate storage temperature is crucial because too much heat speeds up aging. It also reduces the quality of coffee beans by causing them to turn rancid faster.
- Moisture – Excessive moisture can cause your coffee to lose its flavour faster, as well as clumps in your grinder and brewer when it's ground.
- Residual flavours and fragrances – If your storage area is close to a kitchen, then there's a strong chance that your beans will absorb food odours and leave an aftertaste.
7 Storage Tips for Coffee Beans
If you want to prolong the shelf life of your coffee beans so you can enjoy their rich flavour for longer, here are some storage tips:
1) Keep them whole and grind them as needed. This reduces oxidation by limiting exposure to air and moisture that speeds up staling.
2) Store them in a cool, dry place. Bulk storage is ideal because it allows air to circulate through the bag and not around its contents.
3) Keep them away from food odours. Seals tend to leak air, so using only foil bags for storage is best.
4) Store your extra beans in an airtight container. Coffee bags with valves are ideal because they allow carbon dioxide gas to escape without letting water vapour or other gasses in. The valve also reduces oxidation.
5) Avoid wet locations and high humidity. Moisture speeds up staling by causing beans to lose their flavour as well as clump together in your grinder or brewer.
6) Store them in the freezer if possible. Not only does this help slow down staling, but it also prevents moisture from reaching your beans. It can also prevent other flavours from seeping into your beans, making them taste weird.
7) Look at the roast date first before purchasing coffee beans for storage. You don't want to buy stale coffee beans, but you especially don't want fresh ones if they're not intended to be kept for over a week.
Buy Coffee Equipment and Tools from The Artisan Barista!
We hope you've learned some helpful tips on storing coffee beans at home properly. Coffee is a labour of love and deserves the best treatment possible, so it's important that we take care of our coffee beans with proper storage conditions. Follow these 7 simple tips for storing your fresh, whole-bean coffee wisely, and you'll be enjoying their great taste longer!
If you're looking for coffee equipment and tools that fit our tips for storing coffee beans, then check out our wide selection of coffee brewers, grinders, and other coffee equipment from The Artisan Barista!
Click here to browse our selection, and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.