Is Storage Killing Your Coffee

You have finally been able to purchase some of my delicious Storibord coffee. How can you maintain its freshness so you can expect best flavor when you are ready for your cup of coffee? Like all foods, coffee is volatile and has a certain shelf life of freshness before it starts to lose its best qualities. Not all good things last forever. Oddly enough, the roasting process of the coffee beans is one of the major reasons coffee turns stale. According to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), some of the complex chemical reactions and physical changes that happen to coffee during the roasting process, play key roles in the staling of coffee (Bladyka, 2012). How can we best preserve coffee quality and freshness? In spite of our fight with the elements, there are some simple keys to keeping your coffee from staling too fast.

There are three major elements that effect coffee staling:

1. Time

2. Oxygen

3. Temperature

Time

Coffee has a freshness timetable between 10 to 14 days. Though coffee will still taste great after the 14 day threshold, you will notice a depreciation of flavor and quality. There really is not much one can do to prevent coffee from loosing volatile properties over time.

Oxygen

Oxygen is the biggest bad boy to coffee freshness. Make sure you find a suitable container that will keep your coffee from being exposed to oxygen. I use Mason or Ball canning jars. These keep a very nice seal on your coffee. It is important to remember that carbon dioxide is constantly emitting from fresh coffee due to the roasting process. So do not be surprised if your lid pops when you open the container.

Coffee surface will determine how oxygen will stale coffee. When you grind your coffee too far in advance, you are allowing more surface exposure to oxygen, therefore staling your coffee twice as fast as whole bean coffee.

Temperature

Keep your coffee and storage container away from direct sun or any kind of heat. Warm or hot temperatures deplete the pleasant aromatics that you enjoy while brewing. These temperatures also speed up the staling process. On the other side, do NOT store your coffee in the freezer. This may be OK if all you are looking for is mediocre flavor, but if you want to keep the amazing and inspiring qualities of your coffee, keeping it stored in a cool (or room temp), dry location and you will be extracting the very best the coffee has to offer for you. You will loose those precious oils in your coffee that deliver the great flavor when you freeze coffee.

At the end of the day, coffee is as volatile as any other perishable food. Find a suitable container and location in your kitchen (or where you brew) and you will be enjoying the very best your Storibord coffee has to offer for you. Have an inspiring week and inspire those around you!