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Storing Coffee pt.2
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at two of the most common ways of storing coffee to extend its shelf life - airtight containers and vacuum packing. These methods work wonders in making sure your coffee stays fresh and tasty for weeks or even months!
But what if you have a super special coffee you want to save for a rainy day? Maybe it’s a competition-style coffee with a special fermentation, or a bag of coffee from a vacation you want to keep for special occasions only?
There is one way to make sure your coffee lasts FOREVER! It’s used by world champions to lock in the freshness of their competition coffee. It’s used by some of the best cafés in the world to keep special lots fresh for customers. Some competition coffee roasters like our friends at Standout Coffee even send two bags in a box - one for now and one to keep.
The secret to keeping coffee forever: Freezing!
We all know that putting food in the freezer can keep it fresh for years, but did you know the same goes for coffee? Freezing coffee is an excellent way to lock in the freshness of your coffee beans indefinitely! How long does it last? Well, some studies have shown that one day in “normal conditions” is the same as 200 days in the freezer - so we can safely say that coffee will keep for as long as you may need in the freezer!
We’ve established now that freezing your coffee is the best way to keep your coffee fresh for the longest, but is there a “right way” to do it? While it is okay to just chuck a bag of your favourite beans in the freezer - there are some best practices.
Grind Coffee While Frozen 🥶
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING to remember when freezing your coffee beans is, when it’s time to brew the coffee, to grind the coffee when it’s still frozen. Letting your coffee defrost draws moisture into the coffee bean, making it stale. Once your coffee is frozen - make sure to keep it frozen when grinding.
Fun Fact - Following on from another blog post about how grind size distribution affects the brew, grinding coffee beans when they are still frozen will actually give you a more uniform grind size distribution. Tastier coffee that keeps forever? Yes, please!
Single Dose Coffee Into Grinder ☝️
Considering that letting your coffee defrost can ruin the beans, it’s best not to leave it up to chance. Here at Brew Journal HQ, we dose our coffee destined for the freezer into individual portions before it goes into the freezer. There are many ways to do this, but the storage vessel you choose needs to be airtight. Small Tupperware containers, Ziploc bags, or our personal favourites - Centrifuge Tubes - all work well for storing single-dosed coffee in the freezer.
Vacuum Pack Coffee 📦
We explained in Part 1 of this series that storing coffee in a vacuum-sealed container can keep the coffee fresh for months. Well, imagine how fresh the coffee will be if it’s vacuum-packed and frozen! Welcome to the holy grail of coffee storage. Some of the best baristas in the world use this method to keep their competition coffee fresh after a competition, so they can revisit it the year after or share it with their friends and family whenever they want.
So there we have it - the ultimate guide to keeping your coffee fresh! At the end of the day, I personally store most of my coffee at home in Vacuum Containers for the coffee I drink regularly. At Brew Journal HQ we do freeze very special coffee we collect from competitions and travels, and it’s nice to have a growing collection of very exclusive special coffees that allow us to revisit special places and events. So experiment with different methods and let there be no more stale coffee!
-P.T.
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