It doesn’t matter if you purchase the best coffee beans in the world—if you don’t properly store them, then they will end up as tasteless and stale as some of the worst ground coffees end up. That’s why you must take the necessary steps to keep your beans tasting and smelling fresh for as long as possible.
Unfortunately, not everyone realizes what it takes to store coffee beans properly, so they just end up storing them improperly. We decided that it was unacceptable, so we decided to write a blog post on the subject. The result is the guide that you’re currently reading. We hope that it will help everyone take good care of their coffee beans, so they always have access to the best tasting coffee available.
How To Properly Store Coffee Beans
Since everyone who is reading this is looking to find out how to properly store their coffee beans, we thought that we’d just jump right into the fray. Below are some of the things that will ensure that your beans will remain as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
Buy A Suitable Coffee Bean Container
The first thing that you’re going to want to do is to purchase the proper container for storing coffee beans. And that doesn’t mean recycling a used store-bought container that was designed for coffee grounds. No, you have to buy an airtight container designed specifically for holding coffee beans.
The ideal container is airtight and opaque. Yes, we know that there are plenty of nice-looking clear coffee bean containers, but those containers let in too much light, and that can cause coffee bean deterioration. Of course, you could always use a clear container, if you placed it in a dark cabinet, but that kind of defeats its aesthetic value. In our opinion, you’re just better off using an opaque container in the first place.
Store That Container Away From Light & Heat
We’ve already gone over the fact that light can cause coffee bean deterioration, but heat is also harmful to coffee beans. Therefore, you should make sure that you store your coffee bean container away from heat. This means keeping it away from the stove, heaters, or anything else that could cause it to heat up.
Keep The Container Away From Moisture
It’s also a good idea to keep the coffee container away from excess moisture. Although a proper container will keep out humidity, it’s still a good idea to keep the container away from the sink or anyplace else where there’s excess moisture. A dark cabinet is probably the best place to store your coffee container.
Additional Tips For Storing Coffee Beans
Buying the proper container for your coffee beans and properly storing that bean container is only the beginning of keeping your beans fresh. There are other things that you can do to ensure that you always have access to the best tasting coffee possible. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Buy The Best Beans Possible
The first step to ensure that your coffee beans stay fresh for as long as possible is to start with the best coffee beans available. This might sound like obvious advice, but starting with quality beans that are immediately shipped from processing to your home will ensure that the beans haven’t been sitting in a warehouse for a long period before you received them. Generally speaking, many high-quality coffee beans are marked so the consumer knows exactly when they were processed and/or when they’re past their expiration date.
Buy Only What You Need
The next step to making sure that you have the freshest coffee beans possible is to buy only what you’re going to consume for 7-14 days. Although a lot of food products can be bought in bulk, it’s not a good idea to buy your coffee beans in bulk. That’s because they will end up going stale before you have a chance to use them.
Consider Buying Green Coffee Beans
Another way to ensure that you always have the freshest coffee available is to purchase green coffee beans. Why should you purchase green coffee beans? You should purchase green coffee beans because these beans have a shelf-life (if properly stored) of 1-year. Roasted coffee beans, on the other hand, only last about 6-weeks after roasting before they become stale. Sure, buying green coffee beans means you will have to roast your beans, but it will ensure that your coffee is as fresh as possible.
Don’t Freeze Your Coffee Beans
We know that this final point is going to be controversial for some people who swear that freezing coffee beans is the best method of storing. In our opinion, that’s just plain wrong. Keeping coffee beans in the refrigerator or freezer allows them to absorb excess moisture that can be detrimental to them. However, if you insist on freezing your beans, then at least be sure to keep them in an airtight container while you do so.
