Coffee and Caffeine FAQ

One should always store coffee beans in a glass, air-tight container. Air and moisture are coffee's principle enemies. Glass is best because it doesn't retain the odors of the beans or the oils, which could contaminate future beans stored in the same container. A mason jar with a good lid works well. If you use glass, make sure the container is not exposed to light, as sunlight can also reduce freshness.

Buy only what coffee can be consumed in a week to a week and a half from the time it was roasted. This is the only way to have truly fresh coffee.

Do not freeze coffee for regular storage. There are two key problems here. One, the freezing will damage some of subtle tastes in the coffee and two, when the coffee is taken out the container will sweat, exposing your coffee to moisture. If you must store coffee for an extended period of time divide it into small portions that you can use in a week or less. Take out one week of coffee at a time. This will help to reduce the damage to the coffee. For long term storage freezing is better than storage at room temperature. One last item to be cognizant of when freezing coffee is to make sure that is stays dry in the freezer.

My advice to you would be try to buy the freshest beans you can find (preferably roasted within a day or two of your purchase date) in smaller quantities that can be used in a week or less. If you must store coffee, break your purchase into the amount you will use in one week or less. Keep one container out for immediate use and store the rest in individual one week allotments in sealed canning jars in the freezer. Remove beans from the freezer the day that your old stash runs out so that they will be completely thawed when you need them the next day. This will help to keep moisture problems caused by moving the beans in and out of the freezer to a minimum.

If there is not a roaster convenient to you you should consider taking up home roasting as a hobby. It’s not at all difficult and can save you a few dollars while improving the coffee you drink. When you are replacing your coffee every few days with coffee fresh out of the roaster then storage becomes less of an issue.