How to Keep Your Coffee Fresh
Fresh coffee tastes better.
From the days when Mr. Peet first delighted Berkeley customers with the concept of fresh-roasted coffee, we have kept the faith. True to his legacy, we pride ourselves on still roasting every batch of Peet's by hand, printing the roast date on bags, and brewing fresh every 30 minutes in our coffeebars. Some might say we were the first on the block to bring the news to coffee lovers that freshly roasted coffee, quite simply, tastes better. But to us, that’s old news.
Coffee doesn't get better with age. It gets stale.
If coffee isn't stored correctly, it simply won't taste as good once you brew it. And we don't want that for you. We want it to taste amazing, every time. Think of it like any other food: coffee reacts to oxygen and other elements, growing stale over time. Unlike some foods, you won’t get sick from stale coffee, but you will be deprived of its aromatic peaks and flavors…those things that make it so delicious. So here's how to keep your amazing coffee fresh.
Below are 4 factors that coffee is particularly sensitive to and which you want to guard against. This is especially true for ground coffee, because so much more of its surface area is exposed.
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Oxygen
Oxidation degrades the quality of coffee beans. -
Light
Exposure to UV rays will break down the coffee bean over time. -
Heat
Keep whole beans away from heat until it’s time to grind them. -
Humidity
If not kept in check, beans will absorb moisture from the air.
How do I keep my coffee fresh?
- Only buy as much as you’re going to drink in the next week or so. If the hidden hoarder in you means you have a longer supply than that, make sure you store it well by following our guidelines below.
- We believe that the freshest coffee is the best tasting coffee—period—and recommend that you drink your coffee within 90 days of the roast date. This doesn't mean you can’t drink older coffee—it's certainly food-safe beyond those 90 days—it's just that the quality of the cup will start to decline. We think that stale coffee is unworthy of your taste buds.
- Some brands might put an "expiration" date on their bags, which doesn't tell you anything about how freshly roasted it is. Peet's goes the extra mile by printing the roast date on every bag so you know you're buying fresh coffee with more depth, more body, and most importantly—optimal flavor. Once coffee is roasted, you’re on the clock as far as freshness is concerned.
- If you get your Peet's online or from your local grocery store, you'll find our bags have a one-way valve that allows gas to escape but prevents oxygen from getting back in. These bags are desgined to keep your coffee fresh and if you give them a light squeeze, the air coming out of the valve should smell like fresh coffee. Fun fact: there are more cracks in a dark roast bean, which means they degas and stabilize faster on the shelf than a lighter roast. When opening the bag, only take out as much coffee as you need to brew—beans or ground—then tightly wrap it up again, evacuating as much air as you can. Why? Because as we said before, coffee is particularly sensitive to oxygen. And just so you know, we heat seal our bags, so you don’t have to worry about any glues or chemicals coming in contact with your fresh coffee. If you get your coffee ground in a Peet’s coffeebar, bring your coffee home asap and make yourself a fresh pot or transfer the ground coffee to an airtight container.
- If you have your own tins, vacuum jars, or airscapes at home to store your coffee in, even better. Storage containers will ideally be crafted of non-reactive materials like glass, stainless steel, or ceramic. Just remember the same rule as above: buy smaller quantities more frequently, and keep your coffee as free of oxygen, light, heat, and humidity as you can.
- If you’re tempted to leave your beans in the grinder hopper at home—think again. It’s always best to grind your beans right before you brew. Dosing appropriately means you’ll be grinding exactly what you need to for your next serving, which keeps the aromatics and complexity of the coffee you’ve selected intact.
How should I store my coffee?
Coffee keeps best in a cool, dry, and dark place – away from the heat of the stove, away from sunlight, away from strong smelling items. Photodegradation causes organic compounds (like lipids and proteins) in the beans to break down and this can ultimately result in a bland cup. Coffee is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs what’s around it, whether that’s oxygen, moisture, or aromas. Which leads us to this next point….
Don’t keep coffee in the refrigerator.
Like baking powder, an open pack of ground coffee into your fridge will absorb stinky odors. Do not then drink that coffee! Its hygroscopic nature means it takes on all of the smells that surround it. Last night’s leftover pizza in the fridge? You don’t want your Major Dickason’s to taste like that.
And don’t put it in the freezer, either.
If you kept vacuum packed coffee in the freezer and only took it out once, it would indeed keep it fresher than, for example, storing it on the stovetop or in the full blaze of the sun on your kitchen counter. But if you take the bag out of the freezer to get your daily dose, then put the rest back in again, you risk moisture and condensation getting to the beans. And that, as we have already said, is one of the elements that degrades coffee quality. Odors and flavors from other foods in your freezer also have the potential to change the taste of your coffee.
What about K-Cup® Pods?
Ground coffee in K-Cup® Pods maintains its freshness longer than it does in bags due to the manufacturing process and its packaging. There is virtually no oxygen left in the K-Cup® Pod after it's nitrogen flushed, and the rigid material protects the coffee, making it less susceptible to oxygen and moisture when handled.
Oops, my coffee is stale. What should I do now?
Mistakes happen. Even when that morning cup of coffee is all you think about waking up to, it can still be hard to stay on top of managing coffee expiration dates. Here are a few ideas for what you can do if you find that you have stale coffee grounds on your hands.
- Add a dash of coffee grounds to your meat rub recipe. The natural tannins in coffee make the perfect complement in cooking, especially when it comes to adding flavor—and pulling flavor out of meat.
- Stale or used coffee grounds can be sprinkled directly onto the soil to add organic material and adjust the ph balance of the soil of your plants. Or, toss the coffee in with the rest of your compost.
Wrapping it all up, remember these guidelines:
A few simple rules to make sure the freshest coffee in the block is coming from your own kitchen.
- Buy coffee frequently and in smaller quantities
- Only take out what you’re going to brew right then
- Store it in a sealed, airtight container
- Keep it away from heat, light, and humidity