Store Coffee Beans or Ground Coffee
Many bulk food items can be stored in a variety of conditions without sustaining much damage or inviting pests. Unfortunately, coffee beans and ground coffee do not fit this bill. Coffee, in both whole bean and ground forms, deteriorates readily when exposed to oxygen, light, moisture, and unfavorable temperatures. Coffee, like baking soda or chalk, can also soak up odors from neighboring pantry items and present these odors in your brewed cup of coffee. Learning how to store coffee beans or ground coffee will allow you to keep your coffee tasting and smelling its freshest.
Steps
- Avoid grinding your coffee in advance if possible. As soon as coffee is ground, its surface area is vastly increased and it begins deteriorating very quickly. Pre-ground coffee therefore tastes and smells much staler and less vibrant than coffee ground freshly before brewing. If you are interested in storing your coffee to achieve optimal flavor, the most important step you can take is to invest in a coffee grinder so that you can grind coffee beans just before brewing.
- Choose an opaque container for storing coffee. Light is perhaps the primarily culprit for causing coffee beans or grounds to go stale quickly. This problem is easily remedied by storing coffee in an opaque container rather than a clear glass or plastic vessel. If you insist on storing your coffee in a transparent container, it is best to store the container away from light, for example in a pantry or cabinet.
- Store your coffee in an airtight container. A second enemy of fresh-tasting coffee is oxygen. Exposure to the air causes coffee beans, or especially ground coffee, to go stale very quickly. Invest in a hermetically sealed container for storing coffee, or at least use a container with a very heavy lid. Airtight containers are also ideal for preventing coffee from absorbing neighboring odors and discouraging insect and mold growth.
- Keep your coffee beans or ground coffee in a relatively dry environment. You may not have a great degree of control over the moisture level in your kitchen pantry or cabinets, but note that coffee will keep best in a dry environment. For example, avoid storing coffee beans in a damp basement.
- Avoid storing coffee beans or grounds in extreme temperatures. Like many bulk food items, coffee does not keep well in extremely cold or hot temperatures. Avoid storing coffee in rooms that are not heated in winter or that are not cooled during summer.
Tips
- Aim to purchase your coffee in as small quantities as possible. Having to store large amounts of coffee will lead to eventual staling and deterioration.
- When shopping for coffee, look for valve-sealed bags rather than vacuum-sealed bags. Coffee off-gasses for 48 hours after roasting, so coffee in a vacuum-sealed bag had to be allowed to sit around (and get stale) before it could be vacuum-packaged.
Warnings
- Especially avoid storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer. The moisture and temperature conditions are terrible for preserving the coffee's freshness, and these locations are where coffee is most likely to absorb offensive smells from neighboring food items.
- Do not move coffee around too much. Whenever the conditions are constantly varying, coffee may seem to deteriorate rapidly.
Things You'll Need
- Coffee beans
- Coffee grinder
- Airtight, opaque container
