Freeze Your Coffee, Says Don Francisco
Best way to store your coffee? Coffee experts tend to split on whether or not you should freeze your coffee beans, so specialty coffee roaster Don Francisco's decided to research the subject scientifically. Their results: freeze your coffee. No, not like that! That's my solution to watery iced coffee. Don Francisco's research doesn't say anything about freezing your brewed coffee. It is, however, interesting when it comes to storing your beans.
According to an article on MarketWatch, the coffee company got down to the nitty gritty on this one.They handed the assignment to their Q graders, the professionally accredited team that cups their coffees and selects the beans for their blends. The company stored coffee in 3 different environments -- a 0 F freezer, a 36 F refrigerator and a 70 F countertop -- for a period of twelve weeks. Every two weeks, they cupped each coffee and tested the beans for moisture content. Every four weeks, they brewed and checked it for color consistency. Throughout, the samples were blind-tasted by 3 Q-graders.
The results? According to the Don Francisco's tasters, whole coffee beans stored in the freezer retain "optimal freshness" for up to 4 weeks, and no more than 6 weeks.If you're storing ground coffee, cut that max time to 4 weeks. Second best: an airtight container in your refrigerator, followed by an airtight container in a cool, dark cabinet.
Their final coffee storage recommendations should come as no real surprise to anyone serious about coffee:
Store unopened bags of whole beans (vacuum-sealed with the seal intact) in the freezer.
Once you open the coffee, transfer the beans to an airtight container and return them to the freezer.
Or... avoid the whole thing by buying in small quantities that you'll use up within 10 days.
Anyone surprised?
P.S. -- I'm on the hunt for covered ice cube trays to keep freezer odors out of my coffee ice cubes. Someone must make them, right?
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