How Do I Store Coffee?
This is a question that I get asked quite a bit and honestly there is a ton of debate on the answer. But if you know me, then you know that I like keeping things simple, so here is basically the run down.
1) Coffee is best Fresh, the fresher the better. Fresh coffee is what changed my perspective on coffee. When I started roasting in college, having coffee the day after roasting it, literally was an entire new experience in the coffee realm. The flavors, the notes, and just the deliciousness was fabulous. So basically the quicker you consume the coffee, the better. Honestly, I tell people order what you would use within a month.
2) Coffee Storage, everyone agrees that a cool dark place is best for coffee. There is no disagreement on this. Coffee after being roasted needs to stay out of direct sunlight and shouldn't be in extreme changes of weather. It shouldn't be super hot, and it shouldn't be super cold. Most everywhere will agree that a pantry is a great place for coffee. I typically tell people unless you have a coffee storage container, keeping it in its original package is best.
3) The Debates: Freezer or Fridge. Fridge is honestly never a good idea, and this is mainly because coffee soaks up any strong smells and moisture. So typically the fridge has a high content of both of those situations. So my recommendation is a no go on the fridge. Now moving on to the Freezer. I've read many different thoughts from all sorts of places. Pretty much unless you're going to keep the coffee unopened still in it's original packaging, this isn't a great option. (Even if you do, it's still not the best option.) Mainly because you have to be very careful, once again coffee doesn't like extreme weather changes and the freezer is cold and outside the freezer typically is not cold. You also wouldn't want moisture getting into your package and getting freezer burnt coffee or moisture on your coffee.
4) Nitrogen infused packaging - this is sort of a new topic for many roasters and some companies are claiming this will keep coffee fresher longer, but really when you boil it down, fresher is always better in my opinion. Plus whenever you put something in with coffee, the flavor always changes. (Cold Brew hit with nitro tastes different then regular cold brew)
Once again, this is a hot topic for many different companies. But We like to keep it simple at Spearfish Coffee Roasters, so to answer how to store your coffee. 1) Buy as fresh as you can and get a month or less supply. 2) store it in a sealed coffee container or its originally packaging in a cool dark place such as a pantry.
Stay Awesome & Thanks for Enjoying our Coffee
- Tristan