How to Store Coffee at Home and Keep It Fresh

How to Store Coffee at Home and Keep It Fresh

So you’ve just finished grinding a fresh round of your favorite coffee beans from, you guessed it, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf®, but you got a little carried away and have several weeks-worth of coffee on your counter. Or maybe you simply bought a bag of ground coffee but don’t anticipate finishing it off quickly. No need to fear! 

Follow these simple guidelines to learn how to keep coffee fresh. It’s your hard-earned cash — preserve your beans’ fresh roasted flavor as long as possible by storing them properly.

How Long Will Ground Coffee Stay Fresh?

Some disclaimers before we break down the best way to store coffee in your home: regardless of storage method, ground coffee will be freshest two to three weeks after it is first opened. After this period the grounds will begin to gradually lose some of their flavor and nuance.

This isn’t necessarily bad news — if you make a pot of coffee per day, a bag of coffee grounds will last you about this length of time. Instead of investing in huge canisters, sample bags of different roasts as your supply is depleted. Coffee is seasonal anyway, so sticking with bags will also help you discover bold new roasts while keeping your coffee fresh.

How Do You Keep Coffee Fresh After Opening?

Luckily the answer is simple — once you open a new bag of coffee the best container for it is the bag it came in. The three most important elements of keeping coffee grounds or beans fresh are:
 

• Keeping the coffee climate-stable

• Not exposing the coffee to sunlight

• Degassing the beans, allowing built-up carbon dioxide to escape

Many coffee bags contain a release valve that does an excellent job of letting out CO2 without allowing air to come in. If you do decide to transfer beans to your own container always keep the coffee away from sunlight, as the exposure will age the beans.

When you store them in your own container the beans will naturally degas when you open the top. Keep coffee stored in a temperature-stable location like your pantry. 

Is It OK to Freeze Ground Coffee?

Most coffee experts agree not to keep ground coffee in the freezer. However, notable contrarians argue that freezing coffee is perfectly acceptable because the coffee is in a climate-stable environment and it’s protected from sunlight. 

If you intend to freeze some coffee, keep it in the original container to ensure degassing. Once frozen don’t thaw any coffee and re-store it in the freezer, as this will introduce moisture and cause the coffee to rapidly degrade in quality.

Storing coffee isn’t rocket science, but just remember to keep the temperature stable, don’t let the sunshine in, and be aware that the beans need to be degassed. With a little care, you can avoid ever sitting down to sip a stale, tasteless cup of homemade coffee. 

When you don’t have time to brew your own coffee just stop by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® near you to sample one of our signature coffee creations on your way to work, or wherever else life takes you.