How to store coffee

A big part of the joy of grinding good fresh coffee is fresh coffee.

Coming home with a fresh bag of good coffee is a highlight for any coffee lover: So many good flavors await you! You open the bag, you smell that smell and want to take it in forever!

It's tempting to try to preserve your coffee so that the good feeling of fresh coffee lasts as long as possible. But how can you do it the right way?

First and foremost, it helps not to buy more coffee than you can drink in a reasonable amount of time. A bag of 500g or a kilo of beans is great if you're hosting a wedding, but might be too much for a couple or a small family. Buying a bag of up to 250g at a time ensures that your coffee doesn't get old enough to go stale.

What you don't want to do is put the coffee in the freezer or refrigerator. This may seem like the right move; it's how you keep many foods as fresh as possible. However, it is important to remember that coffee contains very little moisture, so little that it does not require refrigeration to stay fresh.

Freezing or chilling coffee will actually negatively affect the taste. Large temperature changes are destructive to the chemical structure of coffee and the aromatic components it contains. When coffee freezes and thaws, these chemical compounds break down and the resulting brew loses much of its potential in terms of taste.

Freezing beans can also lead to the development of ice crystals which, when ground, can clog the grinder. Water is never good for your grinder, even as ice!

Something else you should avoid is storing coffee on a windowsill or in direct sunlight. This can also ruin the beans and lead to mediocre brews from initially delicious coffee beans.

Instead, the best advice is to keep coffee stored at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, away from moisture, and preferably in an airtight container. Room temperature is usually very stable - certainly more stable than going from room temperature to freezing point and back! Out of direct sunlight means the beans will remain quite stable in terms of heat, at least until brewing! Coffee's worst enemy is actually oxygen. An airtight container helps to delay aging. This is actually the best way to maintain freshness, not in the refrigerator. Some people swear by vacuum-sealed containers for their coffee.

Chances are your coffee came in a sealed bag. Many roasters use tight bags with zip-locks and one-way valves. This allows you to open and seal a bag and then push out any air remaining from the process. It's a good storage solution and requires no extra expense on your part!

That said, if you drink coffee often enough, the easiest thing might be to keep your beans in your grinder's hopper! Baratza hoppers should fit a 250g bag (a very common size). While they are not completely airtight, the bean hoppers have lids, and there is only a narrow space between the burrs, which limits oxygen exposure. We find that the added convenience of pre-grinding is often worth it!

Whether you buy vacuum-sealed containers with a pump or just close the bag with a ziplock, buying just enough coffee and keeping it at room temperature, away from sunlight or moisture, will ensure you get the best possible amazing taste you expect every time you come home to fresh coffee!