How To Store Your Coffee Beans At Home

Coffee, like any fresh product, can go stale. Coffee bean freshness is affected by air, heat, moisture and light. It’s best to consume freshly roasted coffee within 2 to 3 weeks of its’ roast date. So when buying coffee, try to buy just enough to consume within that time frame.

Coffee is a complex organic compound full of various oils, acids and organic chemical compounds. These compounds react with oxygen and can start to degrade not long after they are roasted. 

To best preserve your freshly roasted Rock Island coffee at home, store the coffee in an opaque air-tight container at room temperature. The opaque airtight container helps keep light and air out. Keep the coffee in the pantry where it is not affected by light or heat. A location near the oven can often be too warm, and so is a spot on the kitchen counter that gets strong afternoon sun. The bag your Rock Island Roastery coffee came in can be used for short term storage as it is non-transparent and releases built up CO2 through it’s built-in valve, but ideally transfer it to an opaque airtight container to maintain freshness.

If you have purchased whole bean coffee, try to grind the amount you need immediately before brewing your coffee. As coffee is affected by oxygen, ground coffee is impacted greater than beans by exposure.  

Storing Coffee in the Fridge:  

It is not recommended to store your coffee in the fridge.  Coffee is porous and hygroscopic. The humid climate of the fridge compromises the flavours and aromas of the coffee, adding undesired odours and moisture that eventually gets absorbed by the beans. If you need to store in the fridge, do so in an airtight container so that moisture from the fridge is not absorbed by the coffee. 

Storing Coffee in the Freezer:  

Freezing coffee has its sceptics, but can be effective for long term storage of your coffee. Freezing decreases the oxidation rate within the bean and slows the movement of the volatile compounds within the bean. The best way to freeze coffee beans is to put a single serving (whether for a pot or a cup) into an airtight, or better yet, vacuum packed, package or container.  Remove the package from the freezer several hours before you are about to grind and brew to allow it to warm to room temperature.