Coffee storage - Our top tips for keeping your beans fresh!

I’m guessing that by now, most of us are well aware of the many benefits of buying freshly roasted coffee. However, it's also important to consider just how easy it is for good coffee to turn bad if it’s not stored correctly. Since your coffee experience matters so much to us, we thought we’d put together a quick guide with our top tips for coffee storage, with the aim of helping you get more bang for your buck!  

The Basics

The main thing to remember is that coffee keeps for longer when it’s not exposed to light, heat or moisture, and this is true whether you’re using coffee beans, ground coffee or instant coffee. So I suppose the first thing is - try not to open a bag of freshly roasted coffee beans and leave it open on the windowsill in the kitchen. Sure, it’s always nice to have the subtle aroma of coffee wafting about, but if you do this be prepared for your coffee to meet an untimely demise! If you have a pantry this is perfect – keeping coffee somewhere like this will ensure your coffee stays fresh for months rather than weeks. 

If you’re the type of person who doesn’t like to take chances, or perhaps your house is inexplicably moister than most, then I’d recommend going for a vacuum container. It’s super easy to find a relatively cheap vacuum container these days, and what’s good about these is that they do the job of the pantry for you. Vacuum containers are built with an airtight seal, so you can be sure that the coffee won’t be exposed to any of the threats we need to protect it from – bless its little cotton socks.

Storing For Longer Periods - Can You Freeze Coffee?

We understand that for some people, coffee must last considerably longer for their personal needs. Storing coffee in the freezer is extremely common, and the good news is that storing coffee this way means it can be enjoyed for years… if done correctly. There’s always been a debate around whether storing coffee this way leads to a loss of flavour, but I suppose if you do need to store coffee for longer periods then the best way we can help is to advise on how to do it correctly. 

With frozen coffee, your main enemy is likely to be the condensation that forms when the coffee is removed from the freezer. For this reason, we advise freezing coffee in batches so the same coffee isn’t constantly going in and out of the freezer. We’ve all seen what freeze-thaw weathering can do to rocks! If you do wish to freeze your coffee then we also recommend doing so in a vacuum container. Coffee absorbs everything from the air around it, and the last you want is an old, chilli-flavoured coffee… although somehow that actually sounds very appealing! 

Conclusion

Hopefully these tips help! We accept that storing coffee in the most efficient way, all of the time isn’t an option for some people. Just remember - air, light, heat and moisture are the enemy, so be sure to avoid these as much as possible.

As we always say, the best way to ensure the coffee you’re sipping is at its best is to make sure you’re buying freshly roasted coffee to begin with. If you’re careful to buy the right amount each time, you should be able to enjoy fresh coffee all-year-round without being plagued by bitter coffee that goes to waste.  

Be sure to take a look at our very own range of freshly roasted, 100% Fairtrade coffee. We roast a wide range of different beans, which are available for single purchase or as part of one of our Roast of The Month Subscriptions.

If you’ve got any questions about any of our roasts or you’d like to learn a bit more about us then please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help :D