When investing in top quality, specialty coffee beans for home, you’d want to get the most out of them. Incorrect storage can really mess with your brew, so we’ve compiled a basic cheat sheet on coffee storage.
To Fridge or Not to Fridge
There’s quite a debate around fridge storage. What do we say? While the fridge itself is not the major problem, the act of taking your beans in and out of the fridge results in condensation forming inside the bag or container. This will wreak havoc on your beans, not to mention other funky fridge aromas being absorbed.
The same goes for freezing; ice crystals that are formed as the container is brought in and out of the freezer will degrade your beautiful beans, i.e. unless they are portion-packed and not moved around regularly.
Image, Fellow Products. Available here.
Buy Less, More Often
It’s best to not stockpile coffee for long periods as the freshness peaks between 2-3 weeks after roasting. We recommend buying less coffee, more often, to enjoy maximum freshness.
Pre-ground coffee should be used within approx. 2 weeks (we recommend grinding your own as needed for the freshest possible coffee).
Grind as Needed
The major enemies of coffee are the aforementioned moisture, as well as heat, light and oxygen. High oxygen levels start the oxidization process and once ground, carbon dioxide is released, oils evaporate more quickly and the flavour is lost.
If you can grind coffee before you make your morning brew, you will be far closer to achieving café-quality freshness. We love the Hario Slim Pro grinder. For a mechanical option, many of our staff members own the Breville Smart Grinder Pro (no affiliation, we just think it’s a great quality home-use electric grinder!).
Store with Care
When your order arrives, we recommend using the tin-tie that comes with your Beancraft bag and placing it in the pantry or a cupboard where the temperature is stable and around 15-20 degrees.
You can also transfer beans to an opaque airtight container, making sure it is not near the stove, oven or area that has fluctuations in temperature. There are also a number of air-tight storage containers on the market, some of which have pressure-activated valves to maximize freshness. Clear containers are fine if kept in the pantry – remember that light is also one of the enemies of coffee freshness.
