The Absolute Best Ways to Store Coffee Beans

_{Knowing where to store coffee is essential if you are a daily drinker. Read through these tips to keep your coffee beans fresher and longer.}

Best Way to store coffee beans - pictured a cup of black coffee with loose coffee beans on wooden cutting board

The Absolute Best Ways to Store Coffee Beans

If you’re a coffee-lover, chances are you’re pretty particular about your beans. You know how to grind them, brew them, and drink them. You know that there’s nothing better than a freshly brewed cup of Joe.

But did you know that how you store your coffee beans can make a big difference in the flavor of your coffee? Well, storing coffee beans is more complicated than you might think. There are a lot of factors that can affect the flavor and quality of your coffee. But don’t worry, we’re here to help.

In this blog post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about storing coffee beans so that they always taste fresh and you get to save some cash in the long run. So whether you’re a coffee novice or an experienced barista, read on for our tips on how to store coffee beans like a pro!

Coffee cup with plate and loose Coffee beans

How to Store Coffee Beans To Keep Them Fresh

Coffee is one of life’s most delicious gifts. Unfortunately, it does start going bad just a few days after roasting. There are some signs to watch out for. The most obvious sign that your beans have started going bad is the overall loss in flavor quality.

Even a slight change in quality, like a decrease in sweetness or saltiness, can make a massive difference in the taste of your coffee. Therefore, how you store your coffee beans is one of the essential steps in enjoying a freshly brewed beverage.

So even if you’re using the best espresso beans, there are a few things that you have to watch out for. Some of the factors that affect your coffee’s taste are exposure to heat and UV rays, oxygen contamination from air circulation, and moisture absorbed by the bean itself.

The proper method for storing coffee should help eliminate these factors and help your coffee beans stay fresh longer. Here are a few tips for storing coffee beans for an extended period:

Keep the Beans in a Cool and Airtight Container

Coffee beans are a hygroscopic matrix that can take up moisture when exposed to air. This is why it is important to store your coffee beans in an airtight container with minimal exposure to water and light. You should keep them away from heat, which will degrade the taste of roasted coffees over time!

If you’re not able to store them properly right after roasting them, you should put paper foil on the container’s opening before closing the lid so they don’t get damaged by hot temperatures.

The heat from the ovens and windowsills in direct sunlight can also damage your roasted coffee beans. Remember, direct exposure to UV light can damage your coffee beans; therefore, you should store them in an opaque container.

Coffee packaging isn’t also the best solution for long-term storage. In fact, your coffee will start degrading in quality as soon as you open the packaging. Therefore, you should invest in a reliable storage canister with airtight seals.

buying coffee beans in bulk. pictured bulk coffee beans in bin

Purchase the Right Amount of Coffee

Although it tastes best when freshly roasted, coffee starts losing its flavor within minutes after being ground. To keep your beans fresh for longer periods before brewing them, try buying smaller batches from multiple suppliers, enough to last one or two weeks at most!

If you purchase huge batches of coffee beans, then you should store the unused portion of the coffee beans in an airtight container. An airtight container can also help keep the pesky bugs out of the storage containers. Plus, most coffee lovers will agree that you should grind the amount needed immediately.

storing coffee in a ceramic container on countertop

To Freeze or Not to Freeze, the Coffee Beans

Generally, coffee is like bread; if you put an open bag of coffee in your fridge, then it won’t taste the same when you thaw it. Plus, the structure of coffee beans is porous and soft, so they can absorb the smell of anything near it, including onion or garlic.

If you don’t want your coffee to smell like onion garlic or taste differently, then you shouldn’t freeze it.

The freezer will force the coffee beans to condense and push out all the oils to their surface, resulting in your beans aging faster. But if you’re dead set on storing them in the fridge, then you should ensure that the bags are sealed.

Before drinking your coffee, you’ll have to thaw the beans at room temperature. Freezing them can preserve some of their flavors, and you will notice the difference between frozen and unfrozen coffee beans.

Purchase the Whole Beans

Since ground coffee loses its freshness faster than whole beans, then we recommend that you purchase whole beans every time. Buying whole grounds means grinding right before brewing, ensuring that you maximize coffee freshness.

Another factor that can affect the freshness of your cup of Joe is the type of grinder you use. Like a burr grinder, the right coffee grinder can help you optimize flavor. Plus, the kind of coffee filter you use to brew your beverage matters greatly.

Can I Throw Away Stale Coffee Beans?

You will purchase freshly roasted beans in small quantities in a perfect scenario and use them before they start losing their flavor. But since there is no such thing as a perfect scenario, we recommend using stale coffee beans for cold brew.

Stale coffee can still produce high-quality cold brew coffee; even old coffee beans can still make high-quality cold brew.

Lastly…

Coffee beans are best stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. This will help them stay fresh for up to two weeks. If you want to store your coffee beans for longer than two weeks, you can freeze them.

Just make sure they are sealed tightly in a freezer bag or container and that they don’t get too much exposure to the cold. Storing coffee beans this way will keep them fresh for up to six months. It’s important not to grind your coffee until you’re ready to brew as grinding exposes more surface area of the bean and causes oxidation, leading to flavor loss.