07 Nov Secret to Coffee Freshness: Proper Storage
Proper Coffee Storage is More Important the Date of Roast
You found your special premium coffee (specialty) and you want to be sure you can enjoy a rich cup every morning, well, the best thing you can do is to store it correctly. Nothing ruins coffee faster than air and moister, and is not only coffee, in fact, oxidation is something you try to avoid all the time, then light and heat. Coffee should be stored in an air-tight dark cool place, that is the long and short of it.
No all coffees preserve the same; because coffee is grown at different altitude, the chemical composition is different. Premium coffee is grown at high altitude and yield a small, denser and harder bean (SHB), therefore trend to preserve better with age and consequently produce better taste that cheaper lower altitude coffee with time. Not to mention that it taste much better to start.
So what are you options?
First of all, be sure your coffee is packed in a foil-laminated bag with a release valve. Most premium coffee come in this presentation, but check just to be sure. The give away is a hole in the upper part of the front face. Foil-laminated bags come in many presentations, some even resemble paper bags.
Secondly would be to put your coffee in an air-tight container, like the one in the picture to the left. You should put the whole coffee bag in the container; foil-laminated bags are designed to protect the coffee from the elements described above, so why toss it away. Close the bag tight and try to get as much air out of the bag before placing it in the container.
Long-term storing
So some people like to put their coffee in the fridge or the freezer to preserve it. When it comes to the freezer the jury is still out, but the refrigerator is a big no no; NEVER put you coffee in the fridge, your coffee will deodorize and dehumidify your refrigerator, just like baking soda. Last thing you want it’s for it to absorb any flavor in the fridge.
When it come to the freezer, there are some proponents that if it’s for long-term storage, the freezer is a viable option; a one time event and not for daily use. The main idea behind it is that in a freezer there is no humidity, but that can be archived in order ways. Freezing the beans also does affect the chemical reaction inside the beans, the liberation of CO2, freezing it should stop this and might keep the beans fresher, but it also freezes the oils. Too many unwanted side effects that will mess with the original flavors.
When it comes to long-term storing, we prefer to store coffee in the original foil-laminated bag inside a vacuum seal bag or container. Your common Space Saver bags that use a household carpet vacuum to create the vacuum are a great alternative.
To recap
– Store your coffee in a air-tight container in the original bag
– Never put your coffee in the fridge and avoid the freezer
– Use Space Saver bags for long-term storage
Proper Coffee Storage
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