Coffee Storage Myths; Freeze Your Fresh Roasted Coffee & Other Popular Misconceptions

So you are finally fed up with that bland black liquid, you once called coffee, brewed from the finest can of generic supermarket grinds. You are financially outraged at the price of a single cup of designer coffee shop coffee. It's now time to take matters into your own hands!

So you invest in the latest technologically advanced coffee maker, including your very own coffee bean grinder. Even the engineers at NASA would envy the bells and whistles on this baby. You splurge on several pounds of the finest fresh roasted Arabica bean coffee the world has to offer.

You pop open the vacuum-sealed bag and release that incredible fresh roasted coffee aroma. Your eyes widen at the site of all those shiny brown beans as you begin to grind your first pound of gourmet coffee. You feel like a mad scientist as you adjust every bell and whistle on your space age coffee maker and you revel in this accomplishment as you finish your first cup of home brewed gourmet coffee. No more long lines and outrageous prices at the neighborhood café for you!

Now it's time to store all those pounds of unopened packages of fresh roasted coffee beans and the unused portion of the black gold you have just ground. Then you remember what your mother told you; "Freeze the unopened beans & Refrigerate the freshly ground coffee".

At this point, it would be best if you just returned to the supermarket and purchase a stock of those generic grinds you had grown to loathe. Having the best coffee beans available and using the most advanced coffee brewing equipment will do little to provide you with the best cup of coffee you desire if the beans are not treated correctly.

Looking at the facts, we learn that the natural enemies of fresh roasted coffee are light, heat and moisture. Storing your coffee away from them will keep it fresher longer. Therefore, an airtight container stored in a cool, dry, dark place is the best environment for your coffee.

But why not the freezer, It's cool & dark? This does make sense, but if it be the case, then why do we not find our supermarket coffee in the frozen food section?

Here's why!

Coffee is Porous. It is exactly this feature that allows us to use oils and syrups to flavor coffee beans for those who enjoy gourmet flavored coffees. For this same reason, coffee can also absorb flavors and moisture from your freezer. The absorbed moisture will deteriorate the natural goodness of your coffee and your expensive gourmet coffee beans will taste like your freezer.
The coffee roasting process causes the beans to release their oils and essences in order to give the coffee its distinct flavor. This is the reason why your beans are shiny. These oils are more prominent on dark-roasted coffee and espresso beans and the reason why these coffees are so distinct in flavor. The process of freezing will break down these oils and destroy the natural coffee flavor. So unless you don't mind frozen fish flavored coffee, you should avoid using the freezer to store your gourmet coffee beans at all costs.

There are some exceptions to freezer storing your coffee, but you should proceed with caution! Fresh roasted coffee will remain fresh for approximately 2 weeks. If you have more than you can use in this 2 week period you can, and I shutter to say, freeze your coffee but you should follow these steps:

Apply the Freeze Once Rule. What this means is that once you take the beans out of the freezer, they should never go back in. The constant changes in temperature will wreak havoc on your coffee. The frozen moisture on your coffee will melt and be absorbed into the bean, destroying the coffee oils and allowing absorption of unwanted flavors. When you put it back into the freezer, you are repeating the process and destroying your expensive gourmet coffee
Keep moisture out! Remember, moisture is coffee's natural enemy. If you have a five-pound bag of coffee to store, divide it up into weekly portions. Wrap those portions up using sealable freezer bags and plastic wrap. If possible, suck out the excess air from the freezer bag using a straw or a vacuum sealer. Remove the weekly portion when you need it, and store it in an air-tight container in a dry place like your pantry. And remember, Do not put it back into the freezer!

So when is it best Refrigerate Coffee? Simply put, Never ever, unless you are conducting a science experiment on how long it takes to ruin perfectly good coffee. The fridge is one of the absolute worst places to put coffee. The reasons why not to freeze fresh roasted coffee also apply here.

Other Popular Coffee Myths Exposed.

Grind all beans before storing Absolutely wrong!. Grinding the coffee breaks up the beans and their oils, exposes the beans to air, and makes the coffee go stale a lot faster, no matter how you store it. This especially holds true for flavored coffees! For the best tasting coffee, you should buy your beans whole and store them in a sealed container in a dark place. Grind right before serving!
Vacuum-sealed packaging equals fresh coffee. Again, absolutely wrong. The coffee roasting process causes the coffee beans to release a gas by-product, specifically carbon dioxide. This gas release process continues for several days after roasting. In order to be vacuum sealed, the coffee has to first release all its CO² or it will burst the bag, which means that it must sit around for several days before it can be packaged and shipped. This sitting around begins to rob the coffee of its freshness. Vacuum sealing is best for pre-ground coffee, which we already know is not going to taste as good as fresh-ground coffee. The best method for packaging and shipping is in valve-sealed bags. The valve allows the carbon dioxide gasses and moisture to escape but doesn't allow oxygen or moisture in. Therefore, the fresh roasted coffee beans can be packaged and shipped immediately after roasting, ensuring the coffee's freshness and taste.

A quick review for storing your gourmet coffee

Buy fresh roasted, whole bean coffee directly from a coffee roaster if possible
Look for valve-sealed bags, not vacuum-sealed
Store your coffee beans in a sealed container in a dark place
Grind your beans just before brewing
Enjoy!

Dr. Cynthia Ochi is a coffee lover, who like you, continues her quest to find & prepare the ultimate cup of java. Her search for a quality coffee distributor led to the development of http://www.WeBeJava.com They are not only the distributor but they are affiliated directly with the roastery! Why is this so important? By dealing directly with the roastery, your coffee order is roasted in small batches right before it is shipped. Your coffee order is not sitting around on a shelf just waiting for you to order it! We Be Java's affiliated roastmaster hand picks beans from around the world, blends, flavors & roasts your order so you get the finest coffees available. Their line of coffees have even been featured in Time Magazine! We Be Java's roastery is a certified Organic Coffee Handler and Processor by the Georgia Crop Improvement Association Organic Certification Program (GCIAOCP) and they abide by the standards established by the National Organic Program. Check out http://www.webejava.com for yourself and see if you don't agree with Cynthia!

More resources:

RELATED ARTICLES

Coffee and Health
From the year dot, my mother taught all her children that coffee was not bad for you. But of course it is.

Does Your Morning Coffee Cause You Pain or Discomfort?
Does your morning coffee cause you pain? Are you frustrated when a night out dining with friends ends in discomfort instead of relaxed conversation? Do you carry antacids with you every day?Heartburn is more than just a nuisance. It can detract from enjoying a meal, force you to change your routine and hang over your every decision - what to eat, what to drink, when to lay down.

Coffee Roasting: Learning the Fundamental Art of Making Coffee Can be Fun
Coffee roasting from light to very dark, is an art form in itself. Green beans have none of the flavor we are all accustomed to.

Campfire Coffee Recipes
Want to know a few secrets to making a good cup of campfire coffee? There are lots of recipes for making coffee in a plain pot over a campfire or for your camping coffee pot. Try a few varieties to see what suits your taste the best.

Choosing A Coffee Maker - Tips On Finding The Right Features
Choosing a good coffee maker is not a decision to be taken for granted. If you are going to spend money on your favorite coffee, you will want to make sure the coffee maker you choose is of good quality and has the features you want.

History of Instant Coffee
Mention instant coffee to any connoisseur and you are sure to get a frown of disgust. Yet, who among us hasn't, after finding the coffee tin empty, scoured the cupboard in desperation with hopes of finding a long since misplaced jar or 'hotel packet' of instant coffee? And, after sighing in relief, relished in amazement that it is still good after all those years of obscurity, abandonment and outright neglect on the dusty top shelf at the back of the pantry.

Mocha Coffee: Learn About the Source and Try Our Recipes for Making Great Mochas
Depending on how we look at it, mocha coffee may be the tall drink made of coffee, cocoa and milk, often served with cream or, on the other hand mocha coffee may refer to the source.Yemen is the source of true Mocha coffee.

Portrait of a Barista
The barista is the Italian word for the skilled person who prepares coffee (ultimately espresso) in a coffee house.What would you want your barista to be like?This is not a trick question.

Coffee - Is It The Most Popular Beverage Of All Time?
Around 850 A.D it is thought that a lone shepherd and his sheep happened upon a strange and mysterious plant growing upon a secluded and forgotten hillside.

Kenya Coffee History
In Kenya coffee production dates back several hundred years. Coffee was originally discovered in Ethiopia, Kenya's neighbor to the north.

The Coffee Culture in the USA
It wasn't until I moved to the US that I started drinking coffee regularly and became what they call in the Netherlands a 'koffieleut', which translates literally into 'coffee socialite.' Although the average European drinks more coffee per year than the average American, the cultural importance and its effects on the average European seems to me smaller than that on the average American.

There is More to Motivation Than Meets the Coffee
The stress of unemployment can really take a toll on ones confidence and state of mind. For some individuals, it could lead to depression, for others - a mere lack of motivation and feeling of hopelessness.

Coffee and Alzheimers Disease
With the American population aging rapidly, diseases that affect the health of the elderly are becoming increasingly important. The prevalence of these conditions is increasing and is costing both insurers and taxpayers billions of dollars each year.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Espresso Machine
Buying an espresso machine is an important decision - choose a wrong one and you've wasted a few hundred dollars; choose a good one and you will be rewarded for years to come.Picking the correct machine for your needs is a matter of prioritizing the features that are most important to you.

Coffee, Caffeine & Fitness
One look at a line at the local Starbucks in the morning and you don't need to be convinced of the huge amount of coffee consumption in the U.S.

Coffee is a commodity
At Starbucks they obviously need coffee. To insure that they get the coffee at a good price, Starbucks has chosen to buy the coffee fields, rather than pay an advanced contract price for the coffee beans.

How Is Kona Coffee Different?
Like much of Hawaii, Kona offers ideal climate conditions for growing coffee. But there is something different about the Kona coffee cherries produced here that has earned this coffee a worldwide reputation for excellence.

Italian Coffee - Something For Everyone
Espresso, caffè latte, cappuccino; there would seem to be as many types of Italian coffee as there are pastas. And just like pasta, Italian coffees are an art form accompanied by hundreds of customs and traditions.

Cappuccino Secrets: Creating the Perfect Foam
Here is an article that tells the secret of creating the perfect foam with steamed milk for making a wonderful cappuccino. As you'll see creating the perfect foam isn't as easy as it may seem .

Tea at Sea
Marylyn Monroe famed amongst other things for her love of Tea once said that, "World Peace would be with us if politicians drank tea at meetings" - or something to that effect. And she was very true in her words, very true indeed.