2010 Coffee Storage Census

In my own experience, freezing coffee beans will preserve freshness, as long as the beans are frozen within a few (say 3-5) days of roast in an airtight container and that they are defrosted properly, with the sealed bag allowed to slowly come to room temperature over several hours before the container is opened and the beans are first exposed to air. There is some fairly detailed discussion of this over on homebarista.com.
 
Just like wine; cool, dark, and don't open it until you're going to drink it. Reefers offer to many contaminating flavors and if it's already ground when you buy it, it's best moments are a thing of the past. Once the oils in the bean have been expressed there's no getting them back. It's a bit like squeezing a lemon twist for a martini you're making tomorrow.
 
Green beans are kept in the closet at room temperature; roasted whole beans at room temperature for less than a week after roasting.
 
I lead a miserable itinerant existence. My current pound of roasted beans is 2 months old. It survives at 3*F.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
I lead a miserable itinerant existence. My current pound of roasted beans is 2 months old. It survives at 3*F.

You know, you should really think of your coffee beans, rather than traipsing off to the Beaujolais and Loire Valley and writing up detailed notes on your tastings and finds. Some people have no sense of priorities.
 
How long does ground coffee keep in the freezer? I rarely drink coffee, but keep some in the freezaer in case anyone wants some after dinner. I rarely have takers, though.
 
originally posted by Brad Kane:
How long does ground coffee keep in the freezer? I rarely drink coffee, but keep some in the freezaer in case anyone wants some after dinner. I rarely have takers, though.

I do the same with ground decaf for guests (because I rareley drink decaf). It keeps decently for months.

i keep ground "caf" in the fridge for 4-5 days for french press, and it is barely distinguishable from freshly ground, although when I retire I am going to grind the coffee fresh every morning.
 
Thanks, everyone, for all the input. I'm going to keep my beans in the cupboard from now on.

Brad, you should get into coffee, it's a great habit.
 
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
Brad, you should get into coffee, it's a great habit.

It tastes too much like the inside of the barrel. When mixed with milk and copious quantities of sugar so that it tastes like hot, liquid coffee ice cream, though, it's pretty good.
 
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
Oh you just need some better coffee. The good stuff has acidity. I think you'll really like it.

Yeah, Brad, try adding some sugar to it!

jb (who's pretending he's met Kane instead of just reading Coad's take on Kane)
 
originally posted by Bwood:
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
Oh you just need some better coffee. The good stuff has acidity. I think you'll really like it.

Yeah, Brad, try adding some sugar to it!

jb (who's pretending he's met Kane instead of just reading Coad's take on Kane)

Or a really big pour of PX.
 
originally posted by Scott Kraft:
originally posted by Bwood:
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
Oh you just need some better coffee. The good stuff has acidity. I think you'll really like it.

Yeah, Brad, try adding some sugar to it!

jb (who's pretending he's met Kane instead of just reading Coad's take on Kane)

Or a really big pour of PX.

Oohh, even better.

Maybe someone could call Coad and see what the right answer is?
 
originally posted by Scott Kraft:
Apparently Kane is the last person to have a live sighting. That would be problematical, no?

You say problematical, I say problematic.

Did you notice whether Kane had a number scrawled on his hand that we could call for these answers?
 
originally posted by Bwood:
[...] although when I retire I am going to grind the coffee fresh every morning.

Pick up a burr grinder- you make a one-time selection of the appropriate grind for your brewing method of choice and how much you want measured out*, then just hit a button every morning.

You can fall down the rabbit hole deciding which brand and how much to spend, but all the major automatic coffee maker companies have models under $100 that work fine (and are a significant improvement over the whirring blade grinders- use the old one to grind spices or the occasional cup of decaf).

(*of course, you can change either any time. But in our household, the doc gets up early enough that the caffeine delivery system is a sacrosanct medical device)
 
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