How to store coffee beans

Keeping your coffee fresh is one of the biggest challenges aficionados face. The excitement of sourcing freshly roasted beans, followed by having the perfect filtered water brewing step can be offset by a disappointing cup if coffee is not stored correctly.

Should I buy coffee beans or ground coffee online?

In short, beans. Why? We believe, that the most controllable format of coffee is when it is in ‘bean’ format. Primarily as raw (green) coffee beans, however, most commonly it will be roasted coffee that people have in their homes. Buying ground coffee is never going to be a problem, however, we are simply stating that the ideal form that coffee should be bought as, in order to get the maximum freshness, is in bean format and for you to grind and brew in small minute batches, as and when needed.

How should I store my coffee beans?

Once your bag of coffee arrives, there are several things that need to be done. Pick a container or jar that they will live in. Ensure that you have a place for them to remain cool, dry, away from moisture and heat sources (including sunlight). Usually, a cupboard is fine due to the ability to shut out light - a potential heat source, some have placed coffee in the fridge, and others have even ground coffee and frozen it - they will still be consumable, just very cold when you take it out of the freezer!

When you order coffee from us, we send the beans / ground coffee to you in white, resealable pouches. The pouch we send your coffee to you in is specifically for coffee, it is foil lined and has a zip lock seal. This is control the temperature locked in the bag, and to stop oxygen entering the bag which can affect freshness.

Our coffee bags will allow you to dip in and out seamlessly when brewing as-you-go. We have tried to curate a pouch that is strong enough to withstand the shipping process while allowing a simple entry and exit point when trying to access your coffee.

We encourage people to use the bag to store both ground and wholebean coffee, even if you feel you want to put the bag into the fridge or freezer.

You will notice that when you order our larger packs such as the Costa Rican San Antonio, the pouches are different compared to when you order the Geisha. Both are sized to perfectly house the coffee and allow effective transportation and storage.

White stand up coffee pouch

One thing to consider, is that once coffee is roasted, it releases gases into the atmosphere. This is a process called degassing, which, in coffee beans, allow the flavour and roast profile to really shine. The degassing process can last two weeks for most coffees, others could be longer, but essentially it is similar to the maturing process in fine meats (e.g. 28 day aged steak). The coffee will still be perfectly fine to consume before the initial two weeks post roasting, however, it is said that the degassing processing can last up to weeks, immediately after which the coffee will be in its prime form.

How long will my coffee stay fresh for?

We are obliged legally to state that coffee is within its best before date up to 3 months from purchase / roasting. However, the truth remains that as long as the coffee is stored correctly you will still be able to extract taste up to one year post roasting. We have been experimenting with coffee beans for the last three years around the ability to extract taste from coffee after 1 year of roasting. Our findings were complex. And flawed in the sense that we only used Grade 1 or equivalent beans. We experimented with Geisha, Jamaica Blue Mountain and a non-menu item, the Indonesian Wild Kopi Luwak directly sourced. Our findings for every coffee showed that we could still extract taste from coffee beans after 1 year, a true testament to the work farmers are doing on the ground. We also found that the Kopi Luwak maintained the most flavour notes, perhaps due to the complex interaction of the beans with the digestive enzymes of the Civet. We do not stock the Luwak at present.

Summary

Please try to keep please try to keep coffee in please try to keep coffee in being format, and brew as you go.

Storing coffee in airtight containers, away from heat and moisture (including sunlight) as well as keeping them cool and dry will allow you to keep them in optimum condition. Similar to other consumable produce, oxygen is the key ingredient the coffee needs shielding from. As a rule of thumb, for the best experience, always buy specialty / top grade coffee. Our range of coffees are all premium grade with superior cup score compared to other coffees available widely on the high street - our coffees are within the top 0.1% of coffee available worldwide.