Posted Tue Dec 21, 2004, 12:15pm Subject: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
This is my first post. I've learned so much here and am honored to be among many coffee lovers. Are beans better stored in the freezer in freezer bags or should I just leave them in an airtight container in the cupboard? How long will they stay fresh? Thanks for all your help.
Riprazor Senior Member Joined: 17 Jan 2004 Posts: 136 Location: North Oaks, MN Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Isomac Tea, LaSpaziale S1 Grinder: Mazzer Mini x 2 Drip: only when wet Roaster: I-Roast
Posted Tue Dec 21, 2004, 12:26pm Subject: Re: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
A cool dark dry place. Not a freezing dark dry place. Air is also the enemy so airtight or vacuum sealed if possible. Roasted beans stay good about 2 weeks. Ground beans less than 2 days. Think about what happens when you take something out of the freezer where the temp is typically around 1 degree. Any moisture in the air instantly starts to condense on the surface as the temp rises. The higher the humidity in the air, the greater the problem. Tests seem to show that freezing roasted beans does little to stop their degredation.
Posted Tue Dec 21, 2004, 12:56pm Subject: Re: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
Tests seem to show that freezing roasted beans does little to stop their degredation.
To be fair not everyone agrees with that assertion.
Some very experienced people have found that vacuum freezing can indeed prevent or inhibit staling. The sooner after roasting, the greater the vacuum, and the colder the temp, the better, but even home freezers and available vacuum equipment can be very useful in storing fresh beans for several weeks.
If you use vacuum and freezing simply let the beans come to room temp before releasing the vacuum to prevent condensation.
Storing in an airtight container in the cupboard is fine for a week to 10 days.
Posted Tue Dec 21, 2004, 8:52pm Subject: Re: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
MaestroHC Said:
This is my first post. I've learned so much here and am honored to be among many coffee lovers. Are beans better stored in the freezer in freezer bags or should I just leave them in an airtight container in the cupboard? How long will they stay fresh? Thanks for all your help.
Unless you have a roaster and can freeze them within hours of roasting (before they have a chance to de-gas) the consensus is to NOT freeze them as it tends to do more harm than good.
On the other hand, ability to freeze is -for many of us- one of the primary reasons for roasting our own beans. If they are frozen immediately after roasting they can keep for months (three months according to some - I'm still testing this). For most of us, it's not really possible to buy beans fresh out of the roaster so roasting our own opens doors that would otherwise be closed.
I can't remember when "Everyone" ever agreed on anything, however, it appears that the majority of experts do agree that freezing provides little benefit. I suspect it is the vacuum part that provides the benefit, not the freezing. I certainly agree that if you are going to freeze, vacuum freezing is preferable since it does allow the temp to rise without the condensation problem.
Posted Wed Dec 22, 2004, 3:54pm Subject: Re: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
Riprazor Said:
I can't remember when "Everyone" ever agreed on anything, however, it appears that the majority of experts do agree that freezing provides little benefit. I suspect it is the vacuum part that provides the benefit, not the freezing. I certainly agree that if you are going to freeze, vacuum freezing is preferable since it does allow the temp to rise without the condensation problem.
Remember that vacuum is only applicable for the initial packaging right after roasting, and it's only pupose is to get rid of the oxygen. Very hard to get a decent vacuum. Very hard. Go to the Sivetz website for more info (freezing as well).
Posted Wed Dec 22, 2004, 4:11pm Subject: Re: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
Here's what I know. I vacuum freeze beans within a day or two of roasting and it works extremely well in preserving the freshness of the beans.
The enemies of freshness are oxygen, moisture, temperature, and light. Eliminating or reducing those as much as possible has extended freshness in my personal experiments.
My results with freezing without a vacuum were much less effective.
Posted Wed Dec 22, 2004, 10:03pm Subject: Re: Coffee Storage- Freezer or container???
Bob, that's a great picture! I am suprised to see ground coffee at low temp storage outlasting whole bean in valve bag storage. Can you post a link to a high-rez version?
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
![brokencup: coffee_staling_rate.jpg](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/11772/coffee_staling_rate.jpg", 600, 457, "brokencup: coffee_staling_rate.jpg");)
= No New Posts since last visit 