How to keep coffee beans fresh after opening the bag
Coffee lovers know that the key to a great cup of coffee starts with fresh beans. Whether you're a casual coffee drinker or a connoisseur, keeping your coffee beans fresh is essential to ensure a flavourful and aromatic brew every time.
Coffee is a fruit, and like all fruit it will eventually go bad.
As soon as coffee beans are roasted they will naturally begin to lose their aroma, freshness and taste over time. However there are many tips for storing whole bean coffee which can help maintain their freshness and quality for longer.
Here are some of the best ways to keep coffee beans fresh and store them correctly.
1. Buy coffee with the most recent roast date on
When searching for a bag of coffee, it’s always best to choose a bag with the most recent roast date on.
This will ensure you have bought the freshest beans possible from the outset.
Most coffee roasters will state on their website what days they roast their beans and they’ll often send the beans to you the day after roasting.
If you are in a supermarket, most brands won’t state a roast date on the packet, so alternatively you can aim to buy a bag with the longest expiry date instead.
“Experts agree that coffee should be consumed as quickly as possible after it is roasted, especially once the original packaging seal has been broken.”
2. Smaller bags are better
Every time you open your bag of coffee and expose it to fresh air, it will loose some of it’s aroma and slowly begin to go stale.
I would recommended purchasing smaller bags of coffee (around 1-2 weeks worth at a time) to avoid your beans being constantly exposed to air whilst sat at the bottom of a big coffee bag.
Most roasters will sell bags of 250g or smaller so I would always opt for this unless you know you will get through this within a couple of weeks.
3. Store your coffee in an airtight container
Oxygen is one of the biggest enemies of coffee beans as it can cause them to go stale quickly. Once you’ve bought your beans, it’s important to store them in an airtight container. This will prevent air getting into the beans and making them go stale. You can buy many different types of containers but any airtight one will do. Opt for something that looks nice on your counter top or perhaps tucks away nicely in your cupboard.
4. Keep them out of direct sunlight
Exposure to light and heat can also degrade the quality of coffee beans over time. Store your coffee container in a cool, dark place such as a pantry or cupboard away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and moisture. Avoid storing coffee near the stove, oven, or on top of the refrigerator. A good rule of thumb to use it to “treat your coffee like bread”.
We like to use the Fellow Atmos Vacuum Coffee Canister (view on Amazon)
5. Keep the original bag they came in
It’s a good idea to keep your coffee inside the bag it came in and then store that bag inside an airtight container. This is because the original bag picks up a lot of the oil from the beans and holds onto some the delicious aroma your beans give off. Why waste it? By keeping the bagged coffee within a container, you can keep more of the aroma whilst preventing any air or sunlight getting to your beans.
6. Don’t leave your beans out for too long
As soon as you expose your beans to oxygen, they will begin to go stale in a matter of days. Never leave your beans lying around for too long, always keep them inside your airtight container apart from when you take a scoop out to brew.
7. Grind your beans one cup at a time
This point is similar to number 6 as it helps minimise the amount of time your beans are exposed to oxygen and prevents them going stale as quickly. Whole coffee beans have a longer shelf life compared to ground coffee. It’s good practise to only take out the beans you need for your shot so you don’t have leftover beans sitting in your hopper going stale. Try weighing your beans before putting them into your grinder so you only grind exact quantity required for your brew. Grind your coffee beans just before brewing to preserve their freshness and flavour. Invest in a good quality burr grinder to achieve a consistent grind size for optimal extraction during brewing.
8. Keep your beans cool (if possible)
Heat can cause your beans to lose flavour so it’s important to keep them as cool as possible. It’s sometimes hard to do this unless you have a temperature controlled room, but you can start by keeping them out of direct sunlight and away from any heat sources such as radiators.
9. Pick beans over pre-ground coffee
When you grind your beans, they are broken down in to small particles and therefore have a large surface area than a single bean. This makes it easier for gasses to escape which means you will lose the aroma quicker. It also leaves the coffee susceptible to going stale faster. So consider this when purchasing pre-ground coffee and I would always recommend buying beans if you have a grinder.
Read our grinder buying guide
10. Don’t keep coffee beans in freezer or fridge (unless vacuum sealed)
Another key factor to avoid when keeping coffee fresh, is moisture. Beans can go bad very quickly as soon as they are exposed to moisture/humidity. While it may seem like a good idea to extend shelf life, freezing coffee beans is not recommended unless you have a vacuum-sealed bag specifically designed for freezing. Regular freezer storage can introduce moisture and cause the coffee beans to absorb unwanted flavours from other foods in the freezer.
“Your fridge or freezer are key players here not only because they’re humid environments, but also because they create temperature fluctuations, which cause even more moisture by creating condensation.”
By following these tips and techniques, you can ensure that your coffee beans stay fresh and flavourful for longer periods after opening the bag, allowing you to enjoy delicious cups of coffee at home whenever the craving strikes. Experiment with different storage methods and find what works best for your brewing routine to elevate your coffee experience to new heights.