How To Keep Coffee Fresh

10:23 am

Your coffee may taste delicious to you but how would you feel if I told you it was stale? That’s right. Most of the coffee we drink is actually stale since coffee beans degrade quickly upon being roasted. The degree of deterioration is dependent on the way you handle the beans. If you’re in the dark as to how to store coffee correctly, you’re apparently taking stale coffee without realizing it.

To preserve fresh coffee, the National Coffee Association (NCA) of USA Inc. states you shouldn’t expose it to too much air, moisture, heat and light. Place coffee beans in an airtight glass or ceramic container and hide it in a cold, dark place. Don’t make the mistake of putting the container near the oven or a window where it can be transformed by the elements. A cabinet near the oven may be too warm while one on an outside wall of your kitchen may acquire heat from the sun.

How do air, moisture, heat and light change coffee? After roasting, the beans emit carbon dioxide at room temperature for the following three days. While doing this, the chemical composition of the beans changes, especially if they are exposed to air, moisture, heat and light. An open container allows a lot of air to enter. This, in turn, leads to oxidation and the beans end up stale. If moisture is present, this affects the flavor which becomes weaker.

Many people believe that freezing coffee will help keep it fresh. But the truth is extreme temperatures are the foes of coffee. For this reason, refrigeration or freezing of coffee is not advised. The NCA agrees and said that coffee will deteriorate fast with these conditions.

To preserve the flavor and freshness of coffee, get only what you need. Avoid stocking up on coffee unless you intend to waste money. Choose whole beans if you can and grind only what you will use. Finally, avoid extreme temperatures when storing coffee.

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