How to Store Coffee at Home

After roasting, coffee rapidly loses its freshness: the taste becomes flat and bitter. The reason is that roasted coffee quickly absorbs and releases moisture and takes on other aromas. At the same time the essential oils in the grain react with oxygen and oxidize. To keep coffee fresh longer, it must be stored properly. Read on to learn how to store different types of coffee at home properly.

The shelf life depends on three factors: grinding, package, and storage.

Ground coffee exhales much faster than whole beans coffee because it has more contact points with the air. It shouldn’t be stored for a long period of time. Coffee will start to lose freshness immediately after grinding, even in good packaging it will be fresh for 1-2 days.

We recommend buying ground coffee only in the particular cases. For example, if you don’t have a coffee grinder, or you want to drink coffee very quickly. In other situations, it is better to choose coffee beans.

Properly stored, coffee beans stay fresh for nearly two months after roasting. Most often it is stored in bags, jars or plastic containers.

Ziplock bags with a degassing valve are best for storage. They are opaque and protected from moisture and air. The valve allows you to remove carbon dioxide, which is released by freshly roasted grains.

Another good option is ceramic or glass jar with airtight lids. Its advantage is that it protects coffee from moisture and foreign odors as well as bags do. The disadvantage is that there will always be air inside. It means that oxidative processes will occur in the jar and the coffee will lose its freshness.

It is better not to use plastic containers. They are not always airtight and let light through, and sometimes the coffee tastes like plastic.

If you plan on using your coffee during a month in advance, it's best to store it in a cupboard. It can also be any other place where there are no temperature fluctuations or direct light. Make sure that the cupboard is away from the stove (as during cooking, the temperature in it will increase and then fall again).

If you buy coffee in advance for a long time, you can store it in the freezer. However, there are several conditions that are important to comply with:

— The packaging must be opaque and completely sealed. Before putting the bag in the freezer, it makes sense to remove excess air through the valve to reduce the possibility of condensation.

— You can’t take coffee out of the freezer in parts. If you plan to store coffee in the freezer, you need to distribute it in portions in advance.

— Before preparing iced coffee, it must be warmed to room temperature. You can not warm it up on purpose, you need to leave it in the room for a while until it warms up itself. For example, take it out of the freezer in the evening and make coffee from it in the morning.

— The refrigerator is the worst place to store coffee. The temperature inside is unstable because the refrigerator is periodically opened and closed. It leads to the fact that condensation and excess moisture appear in the coffee. But the worst thing is numerous aromas, that coffee acquires.

Mr. Viet cooperates with Vietnamese farmers in Dalat region in order to connect them to the world coffee lovers. We carefully select and expertly roast different types of coffee that you can find in our online store. Our main desire is to share our love for such exotic and unique country as Vietnam with you! Follow us to learn more about coffee and taste the best Vietnamese coffee from Mr. Viet!