Keeping your coffee fresh

If you are willing to pay more for a higher quality coffee, you will want to follow the recommendations below on how to keep your coffee fresh.

1.       Buy coffee that has a clear roast date on the packaging.

2.       Buy coffee beans within two weeks of roasting.

3.       Only buy enough coffee beans for a couple weeks at a time.

4.       Buy whole beans and grind them immediately before use.

As mentioned above, you ideally want to only guy and store a couple weeks’ worth of coffee at a time. Even with that you should follow the guidelines to ensure maximum freshness.

1.       Keep the coffee airtight. If the beans come in a bag that can be resealed and has a degasser value to release carbon dioxide, you can just leave the beans in that bag. If not, transfer the beans to an airtight container designed for storing coffee.

2.       Keep the coffee in a dark place. Light, especially sunlight, accelerates the staling process.

3.       Do not put coffee in the refrigerator. This does not make it last longer and you run the risk of cross contamination from the aromas of other foods.

4.       Keep it dry. If it is not in an airtight container, at least avoid humidity.