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| Coffee and friends in the freezer, where they should not be cohabitating. Photo: Erin Meister |
Let's face it: The world ain't ideal, and situations get hairy sometimes. I've been reduced to substituting paper towels for coffee filters before, so maybe you've had to keep your coffee beans in the freezer because your kitchen's the size of a walnut shell. You'll get no judgments from me, but I am here to help, and part of that means breaking (or reiterating) the news that coffee is best stored away from your icy asparagus tips.
Most high-quality retail coffee -- like the bag in the picture above, though it's living in the wrong place -- is packaged specifically to keep beans fresh, with the addition of a one-way valve that lets the coffee release necessary gases after being roasted but does not let air in to stale the java. Because it's bagged fresh and can be resealed properly, you should be able to simply keep whole-bean coffee in its bag or an air-tight container in a cool, dry place -- but definitely, definitely not the refrigerator.
Read more about coffee storage after the jump.
The fridge is really bad for beans because it messes with their moisture content, and the wrong kind of moisture is one of great coffee's mortal enemies. The less damp alternative, freezing, is slightly better, on one condition: Once coffee has been frozen, it can't be thawed and refrozen. And if your ice box as bustling as Grand Central Station, it should be off-limits: Temperature change from constantly opening and closing the door will wreak havoc on your joe. Seal coffee in an air-tight container -- or pre-measured in smaller air-tight containers, for convenience -- if you pop it in the chiller.
The perfect approach to coffee would be akin to the French approach to bread: Buy less more often, and use it while it's fresh. (Look for a roast date on the package: Within two weeks is heavenly, within three months is ... OK.) If the beans you buy come in a simple, valve-less paper bag, don't worry: Storing fresh coffee in any amount is easy -- you can always transfer it to one of these and keep it on a counter or in a cabinet.
Grind, brew, drink, repeat, enjoy!
6-24-2009 @5:10PM chris said... I've been keeping my whole beans in those zip-loc vacuum bags where you use a hand pump to suck the air out. Might be overkill but its become a quick and easy habit.
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6-24-2009 @8:44PM Alisa said... Love the OXO pop containers. This is where we keep our coffee. Also great for all kinds of other dry storage.
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6-25-2009 @10:29AM Astin said... Are you really a coffee specialist?
I ask, because every coffee geek, high-end barista, and beanery owner I've spoken to is pretty adamant that any pre-packaged pre-roasted bean you buy is long stale.
Those one-way valve packages? Useless. The gas escaping is the flavour and what small amount of aromatic compounds remain. That "poof" when you open a bag? Same thing, the last bit of freshness gone. They purposely sell stale beans because the gas in fresh ones would cause containers to explode. That's the reason for the valves, not keeping out oxygen, but letting gas escape before making a mess.
It's a pretty rapid reaction. ANY oxygen starts turning the oils in roasted beans rancid, and it produces a chain reaction that can't be stopped by vacuum sealing. There is now way to keep coffee from going stale once it has been roasted.
People might not mind their stale coffee. Thousands of tons are sold yearly of the stuff, so it's obviously popular. It's not bad by any means, but it's not fresh.
You're right in your last part though. If you don't want to roast your own, then buy beans that are roasted the same-day, but after 3-5 days, they might as well be two weeks or a month old.
If you want to avoid visiting the local shop twice a week, then an investment in a countertop roaster and green beans (which can last months to years if properly stored) is a viable option, and one I've used for years now.
There's a difference between not judging people and feeding them misinformation.
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6-25-2009 @8:42PM Meister said... Hi, Astin, and thanks so much for your comment!
Home roasting is indeed a great way to have super fresh coffee on hand all the time, but I have to argue that not all prepackaged coffee is stale from the get-go. I don't know of any beanery owner who would tell people not to buy their valve-bagged coffee in retail shops because it's not fresh, and I do think that the valves go a long way in preventing the coffee to stale--much more so than craft bags, which aren't remotely air-restricting. I also don't know of any coffee roastery that "purposely" sells stale coffee: At Counter Culture, we print the roast date right on the package--as do many high-end coffee companies--so that people can be aware of their coffee's age. We do a lot of outreach and education with our customers so that they understand that freshness is key, and that coffee should be treated like any other perishable produce.
I said in my piece that three months is a definite stretch in terms of the freshness of retail coffee off the shelf, and I stand behind that information on account of practicality. I think home roasting is wonderful, but I don't think it's possible for everyone (or even the majority of people), and I don't think it should mean that people without the capability to roast at home simply shouldn't enjoy great coffee. Two weeks off-roast, however, is a pretty attainable goal, in my opinion.
You bring up an interesting point about the gases that escape from coffee after it's roasted. The first thing to leave the roasted coffee beans is carbon dioxide, which causes expansion in the coffee upon extraction and also creates some bitterness in the cup (just like it causes expansion and some bitterness in carbonated water). It's true that a small percentage of the aromatics are flitted away with the release of this gas, but I also know countless coffee professionals who actually won't use the beans until after this process has happened some. Coffee used for drip brew is certainly better the fresher it is (2 to 3 days off roast is delightful), while espresso, many bean-heads will tell you, needs to age a little (or "rest") in order to pull nuanced, complex and smooth shots--often 5 to 7 days.
Thanks again; you raise very interesting questions! What type of roaster do you use?
Meister
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6-25-2009 @9:12PM J. Wagner said... I've been a home roaster for 7-8 years now and will agree that beans need 2-4 days of degassing after roasting to achieve maximum flavor. If people are worried about "losing aroma" from beans degassing, it's an easy experiment to get some coffee that is freshly roasted and sample it every day for a week to see how it changes. Also, do NOT store fresh-roasted coffee in an airtight bag/container. That valve is there for a reason. If the CO2 is not allowed to escape, the bag could ultimately explode.
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6-25-2009 @9:34PM Meister said... Good point about the air-tight container, J. Wagner.
I do think, though, that since most people buy their beans at least a few days after being roasted, much of the off-gassing has already happened. But I agree--directly postroast, that coffee has got to release those gasses before being put anywhere air-tight! I have heard tragicomic stories about unvalved bags, exploding in transit (on an airplane, for instance--yikes!)...
What type of roaster do you use? I'm fascinated by home roasting.
Happy caffeinating,
Meister
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7-06-2009 @11:47AM Melissa A. said... I am one of those people who keeps their coffee beans in the freezer because my cupboards are a disaster and if I put the coffee in there, I would never find it again. I know this needs to be remidied. However, I also don't know the difference between fresh roasted and stale, and I'm not sure I care anyway.
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7-06-2009 @11:59AM Meister said... Melissa A., my cupboards are a black hole, too -- I totally understand!
Most people probably don't think they could tell stale from fresh-roasted coffee once it's brewed, but I think part of that might be that we normally very rarely get a chance to taste them side-by-side. If you tasted fresh-roasted coffee directly before or after stale coffee, I'd wager a guess you'd be able to tell!
Hope you had a great and caffeinated weekend,
Meister
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