How to Store Coffee for Freshness and Flavor
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, 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.
What Causes Coffee to Lose Its Freshness and Flavor?
If coffee isn't stored correctly, it simply won't taste as good once you brew it. 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.
- 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 to Store Coffee Beans
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. Make sure you store your coffee beans in an airtight container kept at room temperature. If you have your own 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. Avoid clear containers if possible. Photodegradation causes organic compounds (like lipids and proteins) in the beans to break down and this can ultimately result in a bland cup.
How to Store Ground Coffee
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.
But we know that there are many reasons why you might need to buy or store pre-ground coffee, so here’s our expert recommendation on the proper way to store your coffee, whether you bought it already ground or need to grind a batch ahead. Keep our 4 factors in mind—you want to avoid oxygen, light, heat, and humidity. So keep your pre-ground coffee in a cool, dark, dry place, just like you would with whole coffee beans.
Should Coffee Be Stored in the Freezer?
Storing an opened bag of coffee in the freezer is not recommended. Of course, if you kept vacuum packed bag of 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 in a clear jar. 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. Plus, odors and flavors from other foods in your freezer also have the potential to change the taste of your coffee. We all know what a freezer smells like, and we don’t want our coffee to taste like that.
Should You Store Coffee in the Refrigerator?
And you shouldn’t store coffee in the refrigerator, either. Just like we don’t want our coffee to taste like a freezer, we don’t want our coffee to taste like last night’s leftovers. Coffee is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs what’s around it. So an open bag of ground or whole bean coffee in your fridge will absorb odors just like the carton of baking soda you use to keep down the stink. You don’t want your Major Dickason’s to taste like that.
Does Coffee Expire?
Coffee doesn’t actually expire, but it loses freshness and flavor over time. Just like a loaf of bread might be safe to eat days after opening, it will be hard and stale. Coffee can get stale, too. 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 our bags 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.
We believe that the freshest coffee is the best tasting coffee—period.This doesn't mean you can’t drink older coffee, it's just that the quality of the cup will start to decline. We think that stale coffee is unworthy of your taste buds.
If you get your Peet's coffee 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 designed 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 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. 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.
Do Single Serve Pods Keep Coffee Fresh?
Ground coffee in Single Serve 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 Single Serve Pod after it has been nitrogen flushed, and the rigid material protects the coffee, making it less susceptible to oxygen and moisture when handled.
Uses for Stale Coffee
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.
- Use those coffee grounds in 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.
Simple Rules Summary
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 away
- Store it in a sealed, airtight container
- Keep it away from heat, light, and humidity