Store Your Coffee Beans in an Airtight Container
The first step to storing your coffee beans properly is to buy an airtight container. This will help to keep the beans fresh and prevent them from going stale. You can find airtight containers at most places that sell coffee beans or online.
Amazon carries some wonderful coffee storage canisters, such as the Veken mentioned above or the Coffee Gator brand I own.
Alternatively, another quick fix to storing your coffee beans is to use a mason jar. Mason jars are a great option because they are also very airtight. Plus, they put your beautiful beans on display!
One thing a mason jar won’t do though is release the out-gassing of the carbon dioxide the freshly roasted beans put off.
If you end up using a mason jar, just be sure to keep it out of the direct sunlight.
Keep Them in a Cool, Dry, & Dark Place
Once you have your airtight container, it’s still important to store your beans in a cool, dry, and dark place.
Heat, light, and moisture are all enemies of coffee beans, so you’ll want to avoid them as much as possible. A pantry or cupboard is a great option for storing your beans.
Buy Only What You’ll Use
Buy only enough fresh
roasted coffee beans so they'll last you two weeks. If you want maximum freshness (taste), buy only enough for one week. This will ensure that your beans are always at their peak flavor.
Grind Them Right Before Brewing
We’ve all heard it time and time again. Coffee tastes best when it’s freshly ground. This is because, once coffee is ground, it rapidly begins to lose its flavor.
So, if you want the best tasting cup of coffee, ground your beans right before brewing. This may mean investing in a good burr grinder, but trust us, it’s a very worthwhile investment.
Should You Freeze Your Beans?
This is a controversial topic in the coffee world. Some people swear by freezing their beans, while others say it ruins the flavor.
In our opinion, it’s best to never freeze your beans. Freezing your beans can cause tiny fractures in the beans from molecular expansion, ultimately leading to a loss in flavor.
The same applies to storing your coffee in the refrigerator. The coffee will absorb smells from other foods in your fridge (think onions and leftovers!) and take on whatever scents are lurking in there.
Stale Beans: What Are They Good For?
Do stale beans still have a place in your kitchen? Of course!
While they may not make the best cup of traditional coffee, you can still use them for other things, such as cold brew coffee.
The reason using stale beans work for
cold brew so well is because the brewing process is much longer, giving the flavors more time to develop. And for whatever reason, the flavors in cold brew seem to be more resilient to staleness!
Enjoy Your Fresh, Delicious Coffee!
Now that you know how to store your coffee beans properly, you can enjoy fresh, delicious coffee every day, morning or night.
Now go make yourself a fresh cup of coffee! Cheers!
Clint Doerfler is the founder of Coffee Gear Gurus®, where he helps coffee lovers of all levels brew better coffee at home. When he’s not reviewing gear, he’s enjoying music or true crime with his family.
