Coffee Storage Myths; Freeze Your Fresh Roasted Coffee And Other
By Vince Manzello, Fri Dec 9th
So you are finally fed up with that bland black liquid, you oncecalled coffee, brewed from the finest can of generic supermarketgrinds. You are finally outraged at the price of a single cup ofdesigner coffee shop coffee. It's now time to take matters intoyour own hands!
You invest in the latest technologically advanced coffee maker,including your very own grinder. Even the engineersat NASA would envy the bells and whistles on this baby. Yousplurge on several pounds of the finest fresh roasted Arabicabean coffee the world has to offer.
You pop open the vacuum-sealed bag and release that incrediblefresh roasted coffee aroma. Your eyes widen at the site of allthose shiny brown beans as you begin to grind your first poundof gourmet coffee. You feel like a mad scientist as you adjustevery bell and whistle on your space age coffee maker and yourevel in this accomplishment as you finish your first cup ofhome brewed gourmet coffee. No more long lines and outrageousprices at the neighborhood café for you!
Now it's time to store all those pounds of unopened packages offresh roasted coffee beans and the unused portion of the blackgold you have just ground. Then you remember what your mothertold you; "Freeze the unopened beans & Refrigerate thefreshly ground coffee".
At this point, it would be best if you just returned to thesupermarket and purchased a stock of those generic grinds youhad grown to loathe. Having the best coffee beans available andusing the most advanced coffee brewing equipment will do littleto provide you with the best cup of coffee you desire if thebeans are not treated correctly.
Looking at the facts, we learn that the natural enemies of freshroasted coffee are light, heat and moisture. Storing your coffeeaway from them will keep it fresher longer. Therefore, anairtight container stored in a cool, dry, dark place is the bestenvironment for your coffee.
But why not the freezer, It's cool & dark? This doesmake sense, but if it be the case, then why do we not find oursupermarket coffee in the frozen food section?
Here's why!
1.Coffee is Porous. It is exactly this feature thatallows us to use oils and syrups to flavor coffee beans forthose who enjoy gourmet flavored coffees. For this same reason,coffee can also absorb flavors and moisture from your freezer.The absorbed moisture will deteriorate the natural goodness ofyour coffee and your expensive gourmet coffee beans will tastelike your freezer.
2. The coffee roasting process causes the beans torelease their oils and essences in order to give the coffee itsdistinct flavor. This is the reason why your beans are shiny.These oils are more prominent on dark-roasted coffee andespresso beans and the reason why these coffees are so distinctin flavor. The process of freezing will break down these oilsand destroy the natural coffee flavor.
So unless you don't mind frozen fish flavored coffee, you shouldavoid using the freezer to store your gourmet coffee beans atall costs.
There are some exceptions to freezer storing your coffee, butyou should proceed with caution! Fresh roasted coffee willremain fresh for approximately 2 weeks. If you have morethan you can use in this 2 week period you can, & I shutter tosay, freeze your
coffee but you should follow these steps:*Apply the Freeze Once Rule. What this means is that onceyou take the beans out of the freezer, they should never go backin. The constant changes in temperature will wreak havoc on yourcoffee. The frozen moisture on your coffee will melt and beabsorbed into the bean, destroying the coffee oils and allowingabsorption of unwanted flavors. When you put it back into thefreezer, you are repeating the process and destroying yourexpensive gourmet coffee.
*Keep moisture out! Remember, moisture is coffee'snatural enemy. If you have a five-pound bag of coffee to store,divide it up into weekly portions. Wrap those portions up usingsealable freezer bags and plastic wrap. If possible, suck outthe excess air from the freezer bag using a straw or a vacuumsealer.
*Remove the weekly portion when you need it, and store itin an air-tight container in a dry place like your pantry. Andremember, Do not put it back into the freezer!
So when is it best Refrigerate Coffee? Simply put,Never ever, unless you are conducting a scienceexperiment on how long it takes to ruin perfectly good coffee.The fridge is one of the absolute worst places to put coffee.The reasons why not to freeze fresh roasted coffee also applyhere.
Other Popular Coffee Myths Exposed.
1. Grind all beans before storing. Absolutely not.Grinding the coffee breaks up the beans and their oils, exposesthe beans to air, and makes the coffee go stale a lot faster, nomatter how you store it. This especially holds true for flavoredcoffees! For the best tasting coffee, you should buy your beanswhole and store them in a sealed container in a dark place .Grind right before serving!
2. Vacuum-sealed packaging equals fresh coffee. Again,absolutely wrong. The coffee roasting process causes the coffeebeans to release a gas by-product, specifically carbon dioxide.This gas release process continues for several days afterroasting. In order to be vacuum sealed, the coffee has to firstrelease all its CO˛ or it will burst the bag, which means thatit must sit around for several days before it can be packagedand shipped. This sitting around begins to rob the coffee of itsfreshness. Vacuum sealing is best for pre-ground coffee, whichwe already know is not going to taste as good as fresh-groundcoffee.
The best method for packaging and shipping is in valve-sealedbags. The valve allows the carbon dioxide gasses and moisture toescape but doesn't allow oxygen or moisture in. Therefore, thefresh roasted coffee beans can be packaged and shippedimmediately after roasting, ensuring the coffee's freshness andtaste.
A quick review for storing your gourmet coffee
-Buy fresh roasted, whole bean coffee directly from a coffeeroaster if possible.
-Look for valve-sealed bags, not vacuum-sealed. -Store yourcoffee beans in a sealed container in a dark place.
-Grind your beans just before brewing.
-Enjoy!
About the author:Vince Manzello is a coffee lover, who like you,
continues hisquest to find & prepare
the ultimate cup of java. His search fora quality coffee distributor
led to the development of We Be Java. We Be Java (&Tea Too) is
not only the distributor but they are affiliateddirectly with the
roastery! Why is this so important? By dealingdirectly with the roastery,
your coffee order is roa
