Storing your coffee.
You just bought some awesome coffee. So what’s the best way to store it?
It’s a question I get weekly. “How should I store my coffee beans?”
Other variations of this question include:
Do I need to put my coffee in a special container?
Should I put my coffee in the freezer?
Should I put my coffee in the fridge?
Should I do the hokey-pokey and turn myself around?
All great questions. You just spent good money on great coffee. So you should take care of it. The great thing is, it’s pretty easy.
To save you the headache and finger ache of endlessly scrolling to the bottom of the page - and annoyingly closing pop-up ads that always seem to mess up the page - I’ll cut to the chase: if you’re going to finish your bag of coffee within 1 - 2 weeks, just keep them in the bag they came in, keep them out of direct sunlight, and store them at room temp. There’s no need to transfer them to another container. So save your money and time, and put it towards more awesome coffee (or just save it. It’s up to you.)
Here’s why.
Keep them in the bag they came in Because our Bags are awesome.
Whether your coffee comes in a gusseted bag with the traditional foldable tin ties or a flat bottom bag with the “ziplock” seal, keeping your coffee in the bag they came in after you’ve cracked the seal is not going to hinder or help the freshness and taste of your coffee. Once the seal of the bag has been opened, the coffee stays relatively the same for about one to two weeks. And the tin-ties or zip-lock seal that your bag uses is sufficient in keeping your beans stored properly within that one-to-two-week timeframe.
That said, we can’t speak to all coffee roaster’s bags. If the bag that your coffee came in feels flimsy or weak, it probably is. Our bags are all black to keep light out and are made from 5 mil high barrier, food safe materials to keep contents fresh. We intentionally us a high quality bag, so you don’t have to worry about freshness and storage. Also, all of our coffee is bagged within minutes of roasting - once the beans are fully cooled - and our coffee is roast to order, meaning, they’re super fresh. So there’s just no other comparison when it comes to freshness, quality, and care.
Fresh roasted specialty coffee is meant to be drank, not stored.
The key to enjoying fresh roasted coffee and storing them properly is to use them within one to two weeks after you’ve opened the bag. Your goal for fresh roasted specialty coffee should not be to keep them as long as possible. But instead, enjoy them! You want to brew them. You want to use them when they’re fresh. Share the experience with friends and family! It would be like paying extra to buy a fresh baked, artisanal bread only to eat a few slices then store for it for as long as possible. The flavor of that awesome baked bread will be long gone after a couple days or so, no matter how you’re storing it.
Should I ever use a special container to store coffee?
In short, not really. Sure, if you’re planning on storing open beans (beans that have been already opened from a sealed bag) for weeks or months on end, it would be a good idea to put them in an air tight, no light container (like a crock jar with a seal or even a mason jar stored in a dark cabinet where light isn’t getting to it), but all your really doing is preserving stale-ish coffee. The amazing flavor and freshness said, “bye, bye” to that coffee long ago. It would be like buying an awesome (and expensive) bottle of wine, uncorking it, drinking one glass, then looking to store it for a month so you can have a glass now and then. You’re better off just buying some cheap box wine (although, we have found some pretty awesome box wines nowadays).
You guys sell 5 lbs bags. What about buying my coffee in bulk?
If you’re going through your bulk coffee in about a month, which that is typically what a 5lbs bag will last you, then you’re still pretty good. Also, you get price breaks and discounts when you order in bulk, so there’s a little trade off there. If freshness is a concern for you though and you drink coffee on the regular, then I would encourage checking out our monthly subscriptions. There, you can get multi-bag subscriptions that come individually, so you don’t have to crack them open until you’re ready. And they’re customizable, so you can tailor your subscription to align with how much coffee your drinking.
So go forth without fear and enjoy your awesome, small batch, fresh roasted, specialty coffee (and bag!). And remember…