How To Store Coffee Beans

When you buy coffee beans what is the best way to store them? We’re talking about roasted coffee beans, the type most people buy.

This is not about green unroasted beans, which are another story altogether but which is not an issue for most people. Note that many of the concepts we discuss also apply to single serve coffee pods, K-cups, and more.

Roasted coffee beans age rather quickly. They’ll still be good in a month or two, regardless of how you store them, but they will not be as good as when fresh. So how can we prolong their freshness and flavor?

First of all, do not grind them until you want to use them. Ground coffee, even from freshly roasted beans, ages more rapidly. If I grind a bit extra and am going to use it within a day, I don’t worry and just leave it in the grinder. Any more and I pack it in an airtight container and store in a dark cool place. Ground coffee stays nice and fresh up to about a week before it tastes “not as fresh” but it’s still better to not grind coffee beans until you need them.

The bags coffee comes in are not ideal to store the beans in as they are not air or moisture tight. I recommend removing the coffee and placing it in an airtight container, preferably glass although many claim plastic works as well. Some plastic may impart flavors to the coffee. In a pinch or for convenience, taking the bag of beans and placing the whole thing in a Ziploc or similar bag definitively helps! Store the beans in a dark and cool place like the cupboard.

It’s best to not buy more coffee than you will use in 4 weeks, and I try to err on the conservative side. What if you have an extra pound or two that will not or cannot be used that quickly? Simple, you can store them in the freezer. Now make sure that you place them in an airtight container first and keep in mind that you cannot store them forever. A couple of months are fine; a couple of years are not! Also you must keep the coffee in the freezer, not put it in and take it out. Both the temperature extremes and condensation that forms will adversely affect flavor.

Note that some coffees freeze better than others. For example, I have found dark roasts to not freeze well and become bitter quickly. If you freeze coffee, do not let it warm and cold over and over as that will affect flavor. That’s why I recommend the freezer only for longer term storage, not for the beans you are using daily.

Am I being a bit uptight? Can you really taste the difference? Well, try it for yourself and see how your palate responds.

How does the coffee from fresh beans compare to a handful you leave out for a month or two for the sake of this experiment? How about tossing some in the freezer for 6 months and comparing? You can also try newly bought K-cups or pods (from somewhere that sells good volume and hence has good turnover) to some you’ve had sitting around for 6-12 months.

The results may surprise you, and if you can’t tell the difference then no big deal. If you can though, and most people can, then you know how to handle your coffee for maximum enjoyment!