5 Tips for Coffee Storage at Home

Coffee is extremely volatile when it comes to its freshness- it can become stale and lose some of its great quality if it is not stored properly after you open a new bag of whole bean or ground coffee. But if you follow these five tips for storing coffee properly you can maintain the freshness of your coffee, which will preserve its unique flavor qualities and taste fresh every time you drink it.

1. Buy coffee as close to the roast date as possible: Before purchasing any coffee, check the roast date. The roast date has become a standard in the specialty coffee industry so customers know how fresh their coffee is before they buy it. Generally, the optimal window for coffee freshness is between five days and two weeks of its roast date. And always buy your coffee beans whole, if possible – ground coffee loses flavor much faster than whole-bean coffee.
2. Store coffee in an airtight container with release valve: Heat, moisture, oxygen, and light are the elements that affect coffee freshness the most. To avoid these, you should store it in an airtight container. If this is not possible, store it in a cool, dark place in a regular container to eliminate heat, moisture, and light. This storage is key for ground coffee as it will go stale much quicker than whole bean coffee.
3. Freeze whole bean coffee: If you buy a lot of coffee at a time, then it is a good idea to divide your whole bean coffee into portions that you will drink a week at a time. Then, seal them in an airtight container, wrap in aluminum foil, and put in the freezer for up to a month. When you want to use the coffee, take it out of the freezer and let it return to room temperature before grinding and brewing the beans.
4. Never re-freeze coffee: After you take a portion of coffee beans out of the freezer, leave them out.  Do not attempt to re-freeze coffee beans. Instead, store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark area. This is why it is important to freeze the beans in small portions.
5. Do not refrigerate coffee: Although you must store your coffee in a cool place, never put your coffee in the refrigerator. This is because coffee easily absorbs odors and flavors of foods stored near it, so leaving it in your refrigerator will completely alter the flavor of the coffee, most likely not in a good way.

We are all about coffee freshness at Coffee Kind, so try these tips out and see the difference it makes in the taste and freshness of your coffee. Hopefully you find these important tips on home coffee storage helpful in your coffee journey!