Fresh coffee is best. Knowing how to preserve the flavours of your coffee will make every cup worth it.
Your coffee has a set lifespan. You’ve got limited time to experience the delicious flavours and tasting notes of your favourite blend or single. But the good news is that you can preserve those great flavours longer by storing your coffee correctly – and it's not hard to do!
Why doesn't coffee last?
Oxidation is working against great flavour. Day-to-day, your coffee is exposed to more oxygen and degrades in quality over time.
Roasting coffee produces gases and oils on the beans that account for the delicious aromas and flavours we get when brewing. When we grind coffee, we open up more surface area of the beans to oxidation and speed this process up, releasing the gasses and oils inside much quicker.
Comparing the aromas of freshly ground coffee to beans that were ground a few hours ago, you'll notice a big difference.
How long does coffee stay fresh?
Whole beans retain their flavour far longer than ground coffee (up to 3-4 weeks). As time passes, and the gasses naturally release, you'll notice the aroma and flavour loss when brewing.
Ground coffee has more surface area exposed, increasing the oxidation rate and degrading great flavour. You’ve got less life on ground coffee (about 1-2 weeks). With this in mind, there are a few things we can do to keep the coffee at its best for longer.
How to store coffee once it’s open
Once you’ve opened a heat-sealed bag, you need an airtight container to preserve your flavour. Airtight containers are the most effective means of replicating our heat-sealing method at home, slowing oxidation and preserving flavour.
Keep in mind that coffee is porous — it’s not only oxygen that’s being sucked in affecting flavour. Your coffee will pull in flavour from anything that is around it, like onions in the pantry or heat on the kitchen bench. Airtight containers do the best job of insulating coffee against anything that might change the flavours in the cup.
Where to store coffee at home
The best place to store your coffee is in an airtight container in the pantry.
Keeping your coffee in a cool, dry space preserves the freshness of your coffee, letting it age steadily. Exposure to light and heat makes your coffee sweat out oils – this not only impacts the lifespan of your coffee but also affects how it tastes in the cup.
Any foreign smells, aromas, heat, sunlight or moisture will work their way into your coffee and compromise the flavour in the cup. It doesn’t matter how carefully you try to brew, if your coffee hasn’t been stored properly, it won’t bring out the best flavour.
Is it better to store coffee in the fridge or freezer?
Storing coffee in the fridge is not your friend!
While the cold is good for preserving food, cold environments dry your coffee out. Cold, dry coffee from the fridge will get you stale coffee quicker.
The same goes for the freezer to an extent. Storing coffee in the freezer is only suitable if you vacuum seal your coffee first and remove the oxygen from the bag before freezing. This method is only suitable for long-term storage of coffee.
Should I avoid buying pre-ground coffee?
We always recommend buying little and often, ensuring you only get enough to last a week or two and constantly top up with a fresh roast.
Our coffee is roasted, ground, packed and dispatched the same day to ensure your coffee makes it to your door fresh. As soon as you break that bag seal though, your coffee gets hit with oxygen, moisture, CO2 depletion and potential contamination, all of which affect flavour and freshness. This is particularly noticeable with the increased surface area that comes with ground coffee.
At the end of the day, the best way to keep your coffee fresh for as long as possible is to buy small amounts of fresh coffee often. Make sure to have your airtight container ready to store your coffee in once you’ve opened the bag.
