Coffee can be expensive. If you like premium coffee brands like Kona Coffee, especially, you might find that your spending on coffee is quite high. This is fine, but you want to be sure to preserve your coffee. Let’s explore some of the myths and facts about preserving coffee and flavor. Keep in mind the goal for coffee drinkers is to experience fresh flavor. You should realize that if your coffee is already ground, it has lost a lot of its freshness. Nothing is fresher than coffee that has just been grinded from whole beans. If you buy whole bean coffee, do not grind any that you do not plan to consume within 48 hours.
Myth #1- Freezer:
Putting coffee in the freezer to maintain freshness is not a complete myth. In fact, it may be one of your best options if you bought coffee at some sort of wholesale discount. For ground coffee, the freezer will not provide any extra benefits than just putting it on your counter. But for whole coffee, it can be worth it. It just is not as effective as the method below. If there is one “Don’t” about coffee and the freezer, it’s the advice that you should not take coffee in and out of the freezer. Once you pull some out of your freezer, never put it back in. It will have suffered from moisture damage.
Myth #2- Refrigerator:
There is almost no benefit to putting coffee in the refrigerator. The temperature of the average kitchen will not damage coffee enough to seek the fridge. There just really aren’t any benefits here.
Fact #1 (and the only one):
To store coffee for freshness, use an airtight container and keep it away from light. So, put it in a pantry or cupboard. This will keep the coffee from being exposed to air, light or moisture, the elements that are most likely to kill flavor. This will keep your coffee fresh for about two weeks, and if you aren’t that picky it will work for even longer. If you do have to keep some in the freezer, get it in an airtight container immediately after.
Remember, grind beans when you plan to use them, this is the time when coffee is freshest. Do not be fooled by and form of ground coffee that claims to be really fresh. This just is not possible. The only fresh ground coffee is the kind that comes from a local store that sells it the same day it grinds. If you aren’t buying your ground coffee from here, you aren’t getting fresh ground coffee. If you do have some, store it just like whole bean coffee, in an airtight container.
