How to store coffee at home

There are many tips and tricks out there, but some will do more harm than good. Read on to find out why you need to store coffee properly, how you can do it at home, and top tips for getting the most out of your coffee.

Why is it important to store coffee correctly?

Potatoes are kept in dark, dry cupboards, and cheese in the refrigerator. There are many well-known rules for keeping your favorite household foods fresh.

The exact same thing happens for our favorite morning beverage, coffee. If it is not stored correctly, it will lose its optimum quality. Daniel Hobart, winner of the world cupping championship in 2019, who lives in Ireland says: "Coffee...has an expiration date, but it doesn't mean you're going to get sick."

Although this is great news, drinking old coffee is not ideal. Coffee is a food, and like all foods, it reacts with oxygen and becomes rancid over time. Daniel tells me, "You will lose the freshness, the flavor and the aromas."

The flavors and aromas are what make the coffee delicious. So when these decrease due to exposure to oxygen, you'll end up with a less vibrant and flavorful cup. However, when stored correctly, it is possible to help protect the freshness of the coffee, and keep it tasting good for longer.

How to Store Coffee at Home

We have compiled all the steps to ensure that you store your coffee at home in the best possible way.

1. Always fresh coffee

You wouldn't buy expired food, so make sure you check that your coffee is really fresh. This is the first step in keeping your coffee fresher at home.

Daniel tells me: “It is highly recommended to have a coffee that is as fresh as possible”. Coffee loses its flavors and aromas over time, so you'll have a better chance of making a great cup of coffee with fresher beans.

Daniel says, “But keep in mind that coffee also needs to degas, so you'll need to leave it four to seven days after roasting to degas.” During the roasting process, different gases are formed inside the bean, including carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide continues to emanate from the bean after roasting, a process called degassing.

If you make filtered coffee, you can use it a few days after the roast date. If you prepare an espresso, it is recommended to wait at least seven days. Otherwise, gases from the bean can impede the flow of water and disrupt extraction, resulting in a flat, stale-tasting espresso.

So how long should you drink your coffee? Daniel tells me, "the coffee should be safe to drink for up to a month after roasting." This doesn't mean you can't drink the coffee after a month from the roast date. It is simply not recommended if you want to get the best flavor from your coffee.

2. Reduce contact with oxygen

Contact with air, specifically oxygen, will make the coffee go rancid faster. So reducing that contact is an easy way to improve the way you store your coffee at home.

How can you do this from home? Nisan Ağca, Turkish Barista Champion in 2016, 2017 and 2019, based in this country, tells me, “I usually keep my coffees in their original packaging if it has an airtight seal. Otherwise, I will change it to another container.”

A tight seal will help prevent oxygen from entering the bag. If you keep the coffee in the original ziplock bag or transfer it to another container, try to expel as much air as possible from the bag before closing it. This way, there is less air left inside to react with the coffee.

Daniel also suggests vacuum packing the coffee with a machine for this purpose. These machines completely extract the air from the bag, leaving little or no air inside. As an option, you can buy vacuum flasks online. With them, you fill the jar with coffee, screw on the lid and use a button to remove the air inside. Just remember that coffee should be stored in opaque containers, so the beans don't react with sunlight.

Moisture, light, and heat all contribute to the coffee going stale. Therefore, it is necessary to store it in a cool, dry and dark place.

It could be in a closet or pantry, if you have one. Consider that this space should ideally be away from a heat source, such as an oven.

Nisan tells me, "I keep coffee away from spices or anything that has a strong smell, because coffee is so powerful when it comes to absorbing aromas." Coffee is hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs everything in its environment, including oxygen, aromas, and moisture. It is best to keep it away from any food with strong odors, or from an environment with many odors.

4. Buy less coffee and grind it yourself

When buying coffee, there are things you can do to better store it at home, and in turn, maintain its freshness.

Improving the way you store coffee can also be done depending on the type and amount of coffee you buy.

Whole beans keep better than pre-ground coffee, which goes rancid much faster. Grinding increases the exposed surface area of ​​the beans, which speeds up the rate at which oxygen reacts with them. Daniel says, "If you want to keep coffee as long as possible, you should buy the whole bean and grind it fresh."

Buying larger coffee bags also means that fresh coffee will sit longer without being used, which can cause the coffee to go rancid. Eric Squires, former manager of Three Crowns Coffee in Indiana, USA, tells me, “Just keep small amounts on hand, what you consume in a week.”

If it's not possible to get smaller bags more regularly, it's best to stick to the rules of keeping your coffee cool, dry, and dark, and grinding it yourself, if possible.

You may see different tips and tricks on how to keep your coffee fresh, but not all of them are completely true. We've debunked some myths about coffee storage, so you can be sure your coffee really is as fresh as it can be.

Store coffee in the refrigerator:

Coffee is porous and will absorb aromas and odours. The refrigerator is full of different smells from the different foods you store inside. Eric tells me that “storing it in the fridge will make the coffee act like baking soda” since it will absorb odors from the environment.

Also, there is a lot of humidity in the fridge, which will help the coffee to go rancid faster, since the grain reacts with the humidity.

Store coffee in the freezer:

Daniel explains that it is possible to store coffee in the freezer. However, he says: “It is very important to extract the air from the bag of coffee and then freeze it. Do not leave the coffee in contact with the air”, since the coffee will absorb odors and humidity.

Coffee should not be stored directly in the freezer. If the air inside the bag is not removed, the coffee is at risk of absorbing the high moisture content and possible odors from inside the freezer.

Storing coffee at home can be simple and effective, and when done correctly, it means you're getting the best out of the coffee you buy. It's important to remember that coffee is a food, and by treating it like you would other foods, you'll ensure it stays fresh and can be enjoyed to its full potential.

Try it yourself and see if improving your coffee storage makes a difference in your daily preparation.

Courtesy and Credits: PDG Español

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