Storing batches of grounds in your freezer can help your coffee last. Although you should be careful about freezer burn, it's probably the safest place for long-term storage. Make sure to defrost your grounds for a day or so before use, even if you're making cold brew coffee. 4.
And yes, coffee beans and grounds do have oils. Lots of them, in fact. So, freezing can cause issues with these oils and detract from the taste. Storing coffee in the fridge is even worse, as your ground coffee or porous coffee beans might begin absorbing the flavors of other food items in your refrigerator.
Yes! It's possible to achieve a coffee-store taste without grinding your beans every morning. Simply pre-grind your beans on the weekend, then stash the grounds in the freezer for use during the week. Make sure to use an airtight container to lock out moisture and odors.
The best way to keep ground coffee or whole beans fresh is to store the coffee on a pantry shelf in an opaque, airtight container. It should be away from light, heat, and moisture, says Scott McMartin, who has tasted more than half a million cups of coffee as a member of the Starbucks Green Coffee Quality group.
The fridge is not the place to store coffee in any form, ground or whole bean even if in an airtight container. It isn't cold enough to keep your coffee fresh, and because coffee works as a deodorizer, it will absorb all the aromas in your fridge.
Therefore, the best way to keep ground coffee or whole beans fresh is to store the coffee on a pantry shelf in an opaque airtight container away from light, heat, and moisture.
Keep the air out
Once you've opened a package of coffee, don't leave it in the package. Instead, store it in an air-tight container.
Most ground coffee stays fresh for about one week after grinding. With the short shelf life of ground coffee, you should always use it within two weeks of purchase to enjoy that fresh and flavorful coffee that you want.
Once you open the package, most sources suggest using its contents within two weeks for peak quality. If you keep the ground coffee in the freezer, that period increases to about a month.
The answer is no, coffee does not actually go bad, and a “bad” cup of coffee won't make you sick. But, if coffee grounds or beans get wet, then yes, they can't be reused and need to be tossed. Coffee is a dry, packaged food and like most dry goods, there is no firm expiration date to keep in mind.
When storing coffee, put it in a dark, air-tight low-moisture place. A cannister can work. Or a Ziploc bag. In a cabinet.
Ideally, the pantry should be cool (at or below room temperature), and if the canister is clear, then the pantry should be dark. As a “rule of thumb,” frozen ground coffee can last and keep its freshness for up to two years if the coffee has been vacuum-sealed, but not more than six months if it has not.
The Arguments For Storing Coffee Beans In The Freezer
If you have more beans than you can use in the next two or three weeks, freezing can preserve the flavor and fresh qualities of those beans if you store them in a truly airtight container. This disqualifies the bag that your beans come in when you buy them.
Most experts agree that you should consume coffee as quickly as possible after it has been frozen to get the most of the aroma and flavor of the beans. So having it in the freezer for too long can be detrimental, and can even cause your coffee to become tasteless. Freezer burn can be a huge issue as well.
Bottom line is that ground coffee will stay safe enough to drink pretty much indefinitely, barring any mold in the bag or a funky smell. But let's be honest, the coffee-drinking experience is more about the taste than anything else. If you don't like how it tastes, then you might as well dump it.
The simplest way to do this is to check the color of the coffee. If it is completely black and there is no crema on the top of the coffee, this is usually a sure indicator that the coffee beans or grounds have gone stale and rancid.
Choose a cool, dark, dry place, such as in a pantry or cabinet. Do not store coffee in the refrigerator or freezer; the humidity can cause moisture to infiltrate the packaging. Avoid warm spots, such as above/next to the oven or in cabinets that get hot from exposure to sunlight or cooking equipment.
Coffee grounds have a high nitrogen content, along with a few other nutrients plants can use. In compost, they help create organic matter that improves the ability of soil to hold water.
Containers used for coffee storage should be preferably non-absorbant, e.g. metal and ceramic are the best, followed by glass and only just a small number of plastics - many plastics in use today absorb the aromatics and volatile compounds, but it's OK for a short time, e.g. say up to 2 weeks.
If unopened, coffee grounds last around five months. After opening, exposure to the air speeds up the oxidation process – around 3-4 months. These same rules apply to coffee bags. Therefore, keep opened ground coffee in an airtight container.
Store in an airtight container. To store wet coffee grounds, scoop them into an airtight container and put them in the refrigerator. The cold temp will keep them from sprouting mold until you're ready to use them.
Is it better to keep coffee in the bag or in a jar? Definitely, a jar would be best, however a lot of coffee connoisseurs would say to purchase a vacuum sealed coffee container. But, if the jar has an airtight seal and it is kept out of the sunlight then it will work.
There is almost no question I get asked more often than "should I put my coffee in the freezer?" And it's a hard answer because the truth is that with PERFECT storage and thawing, using the freezer is a great way to extend the shelf-life of your coffee.
Best Container to Store Ground Coffee
You can use a Mason jar, a Tupperware container, or even a plastic zip-top bag. If you are using a plastic bag, make sure to squeeze all the air out before sealing it.