If you love your coffee, then you need to know how to keep it fresh. Coffee has four natural enemies: heat, light, oxygen, and moisture. Protect your coffee from these elements and enjoy a delicious, fresh cup of coffee each morning.
First, you should never put your coffee in the fridge. While it may keep your beans cool and dark, everything in the fridge is unavoidably exposed to moisture.
Storing coffee in the freezer can be a good idea, but only if you are willing to take certain steps. Store coffee in proper freezer-safe containers, and only freeze it once; do not allow it to thaw and re-freeze. Place your coffee in a deep freezer if you have one, as that will regulate the temperature better than a fridge freezer, which gets opened frequently.
One of the best ways to keep your coffee fresh is simply to buy whole beans rather than grounds. Once coffee has been ground it begins to spoil; the oils in the beans contact the oxygen in the air and the oils will eventually turn rancid.
Keep your coffee in particular containers. Containers for coffee need to protect against the four elements mentioned earlier. So a good container for coffee will be:
- Opaque, to keep out light.
- Air tight, to keep out oxygen and moisture.
- And insulated, to protect from heat.
By following these guidelines, your coffee will stay fresh for quite a while, allowing you to enjoy for a long time to come.