Coffee 101
Storing coffee
Fresh and fragrant: you want your beans to stay that way as long as possible. Store them wrong and the taste fades with every cup.
Coffee’s four enemies
Coffee has its fans (like you) and a few enemies:
- Oxygen
- Heat
- Light
- Humidity
Why they matter
Beans, and ground coffee even more so, are very hygroscopic: they quickly absorb moisture and odours, and their own aroma disappears. The essential oils responsible for coffee’s taste and smell react with oxygen and oxidise, and light and heat speed that up.
The result is a rancid, unpleasant taste rather than a delicious cup. Coffee brewed from beans exposed to oxygen and light will still be coffee, but you’re unlikely to enjoy it.
Buy small
Don’t stockpile. Buy in small quantities and use it as soon as you can. The aroma of freshly roasted coffee is a cut above beans that have been sitting around.
Where to keep your beans
Coffee loves dry, cool, dark places. Shelves above the stove, sunny windowsills and kitchen counters are a no-go. Choose their neighbours carefully too, and keep beans away from anything with a strong smell, such as garlic, onions, spices and chemicals.
A kitchen cabinet is ideal for the jar you reach for every day. It gives you the right temperature, protection from sun and artificial light, and a hideout from moisture and heat. If your container is transparent, put it in a dark cabinet.
Quick dos and don’ts
Do
- Use an airtight, opaque container
- Keep it in a cool, dark cupboard
- Buy small and use it up
- Keep beans whole until you brew
Don’t
- Leave it on a sunny windowsill or above the stove
- Store it next to garlic, onions or spices
- Leave the bag open
- Keep it in the fridge, where moisture and strong smells get in
Check the roast date
Freshly roasted coffee tastes best. Look for a roast date on the bag, and try to use your beans within a few weeks of it.
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