Optimum Coffee Storage?
We’ve been storing our coffee beans in the freezer. A week or so ago, a friend gave us a bag of Torrefazione Italia’s Perugia Blend beans. It sez this on the package:
For best results, use within thirty days of purchase and grind beans just before use. To maintain the exceptional flavor, store in an airtight container in a cool place or at room temperature. We advise against refrigeration or freezing.
Torrefazione’s website doesn’t explain this advice. Quick searching shows that most recommend not storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer, except perhaps for long term storage (like more than a month). Here’s the run down:
| Source | 0-10 days | 11-30 days | >30 days | Bonus Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torrefazione package | airtight container in cool place or at room temp | airtight container in cool place or at room temp | don’t bother | We advise against refrigeration or freezing. |
| Alpen Sierra Coffee Company | airtight container in cool, dark place | airtight container in fridge | sealed container in freezer | Canning jars or plastic food storage containers work well. |
| Starbucks Coffee | in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature | in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature | Storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer for daily use can damage the coffee as warm, moist air condenses to the beans whenever the container is opened. | |
| Vittoria Coffee | airtight container in cool, dark place | don’t bother | haven’t you thrown it out yet? | We do not recommend the refrigerator or freezer for storage of coffee as it may dry out the coffee. Coffee is hydroscopic and will absorb moisture and flavours very easily. If coffee is placed in a freezer the viscosity of the oils are affected altering the flavour. |
| Caffe Roma | airtight non-odor container in a cool place or at room temp | airtight non-odor container in a cool place or at room temp | place in fridge or freezer | |
| Whole Foods Market | airtight container at room temp | don’t bother | come to Whole Foods and buy some more already | Many believe that keeping the beans or ground coffee in the freezer is a good way to preserve and store it. It isn’t. |
| Sahara Coffee | store in our specially designed laminated foil, one-way valve bag | place our specially designed laminated foil, one-way valve bag in freezer | place our specially designed laminated foil, one-way valve bag in freezer | Never use a polyethylene plastic container as it breathes and will allow foreign odors to contaminate the coffee. |
So we’re going to try storing coffee outside of the freezer. Will it make a difference? This is really a question that America’s Test Kitchen is more suited to answer. I think I’ll send in a request to the show.
September 20th, 2005 at 5:10 pm
Those of us that live in NON-coffee based cities (I think they’d run their cars on coffee in Seattle if possible and measure it in “Miles per Bean” (mpb))…..
Where was I….., Oh Yeah, Those of us that live in NON-coffee based cities let McDonalds worry ’bout coffee storage……
Just ribbin’ ya, Jek…… But I have been storing my home coffee per your recommendations…… S-o-o-o, Lets get this right: To Freeze or Not to Freeze, that IS the Question!……
September 22nd, 2005 at 3:49 pm
This is good to know. We’ll pull ours out of the freezer and put it, well, somewhere. One thing people in the northern climes of the US or Europe don’t always understand is that the concept of a “cool” place is not so common in the southern part of the country (Coastal California excepted, of course). This is the same thinking that says you can leave butter out, unrefrigerated, something that can be done in Seattle but not OKC. I’d sure love to be able to, though.
America’s Test Kitchen and the parent magazine Cook’s Illustrated are both quite good at tackling American cuisine. I’ve made many dozens of their recipes and have found only one clunker (their recipe for gazpacho).
Sorry for the digression.