For coffee lovers, changes in color, flavor, and consistency are easily recognizable. Therefore, many of us prefer to store coffee in bean form. Although the risk is much lower than ground coffee, changes are still possible and do occur. Here are some easy tips you can apply when storing coffee beans:
Buy coffee beans in moderation
Liking something sometimes drives us to have it all. The same is true for coffee. Our love for a particular coffee often makes us want to buy as much as possible to avoid running out. However, this is not recommended. Why is this? According to an article in The Spruce Eats, roasted coffee beans retain their fresh flavor for about a month.
Store coffee beans in a dry, odor-free place
Bicknell (2008) states that, like other natural ingredients, coffee can oxidize. Placing coffee beans in a humid environment increases the potential for oxidation. This reduces the coffee’s freshness, leading to significant changes in flavor, color, consistency, and quality. Furthermore, coffee can absorb aromas from the place where it’s stored. Therefore, it’s important to ensure the coffee is dry and odor-free. Examples of storage options for roasted coffee beans include placing them in an airtight jar or in the sealed coffee packaging itself.
Store coffee beans in a cool place away from heat sources.
Humidity and odors from the surrounding environment aren’t the only things to avoid when storing coffee beans. Coffee beans should also be kept away from heat or direct sunlight. By avoiding these two factors, we can slow down the process of staling or losing freshness.
Pay attention to the storage time of coffee beans
As mentioned previously, properly stored coffee beans will stay fresh for up to a month. Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep track of when you put the beans in the container and the best time to store them before they become stale or lose their freshness.
Tips for Storing Coffee Grounds
Many coffee lovers also prefer to stock ground coffee rather than whole beans. By stocking up on ground coffee, coffee lovers can save a lot of time and space. Why? We don’t need to prepare a coffee grinder and grind it beforehand every time we want to make a cup. In general, the tips mentioned above can also be applied. However, because ground coffee has more surface area than whole beans, storing ground coffee is much trickier to maintain its flavor, consistency, color, and quality. Here are some additional easy tips for storing ground coffee.
Storing ground coffee in multiple containers
As explained above, the large surface area of ground coffee makes it more susceptible to oxidation. Therefore, to reduce contact with air, it’s best to store the ground coffee in several jars. This way, the flavor and quality of the coffee can be better preserved.
Paying Attention to Storage Time for Ground Coffee
Not only does storing coffee beans require careful attention, but ground coffee also requires careful storage time. According to an article in The Spruce Eats, roasted ground coffee retains its fresh flavor for up to two weeks. Therefore, it’s recommended to mark the date on each container to ensure the coffee retains its flavor.
