How should Coffee beans be stored, so you can enjoy the tastiest coffee from your bean to cup espresso machine One method which we often hear is that of putting the Coffee Beans in the freezer So does storing coffee in your freezer actually work What are the advantages and are there any disadvantages
Freezing is a traditional method used to preserve food and in todays modern kitchen with a fridge or freezer it is easy and convenient A diverse selection of foods can be frozen. Meat, fruit & even bread can be successfully frozen with no major loss in taste and vitamin content. Coffee, however, isn’t as likely a candidate for storage in the freezer.
Four main elements attack Coffee Beans stealing their freshness (and more importantly its taste. These being air, heat, light and moisture.
At first, freezing doesn’t seem to contain many of the offending enemies. However, appearances can be deceiving.
One problem is that the Coffee Beans are porous, and freezers are full of many strongly flavoured foods, odours and smells. The porous beans take on the flavour of the other foods in the freezer Flavoured coffees can be pleasant, but no one wants to drink seafood or garlic flavored coffee.
Coffee Beans can also absorb moisture. Moisture can cause deterioration and loss of flavor. The more often you take coffee out of the freezer and put it back in, the more moisture absorption takes place into the bean. The only time you should even consider freezing coffee is if you have too much for normal use, in this situation freeze it only the one time. The more you take it in and out of the freezer, the more damage you do.
Once frozen these oils in the beans begin to break down. The oils contribute to the flavour of the coffee. Breaking down the oils means taking away flavour, and let’s face it, a large part of a good cup of coffee is the flavour.
In summary freezing is not the manner to store Coffee beans. The best results and to ensure coffee retains its taste store coffee in a cool, dry and air tight container away from the light and any source of heat. Freezing coffee is possible, and is best if you only freeze it once. The resulting loss of flavour and quality from repetitive freezing makes it a method of storage to stay away from.
The best approach is to buy just enough beans to keep you supplied for one or two weeks. That way you will enjoy Coffee from your Expresso Coffee Maker or Coffee machine at its freshiest and best.