Should You Freeze Your Coffee?

The experts agree that coffee should not be stored in a freezer, or in a refrigerator, but should instead be stored in a cool, dry, dark place, like wine. Like wine, coffee has its connoisseurs and its experts, has a terminology of description all its own and has strict rules for storage. However, coffee storage rules, though strict, are not specific down to a ten degree temperature range.

Coffee storage rules are more general.

Rule number one: Do not freeze or refrigerate your coffee beans.

Why not freeze it?

Freezers produce moisture. If a freezer works absolutely perfectly, then if won't produce any moisture, but most freezers, if not all, produce some modicum of moisture. That is bad for the coffee and that moisture is what becomes the frost in the freezer.

Coffee needs to be kept dry.

How should coffee be stored?

Airtight Containers:

An airtight container is the number one best place to keep coffee according to the National Coffee Association.

Cool Place:

After securing your coffee from air - exposure to air will make the coffee stale quickly - place your air-tight container in a cool place.

When heated, the enzymes in coffee begin to release. These enzymes create the coffee flavor. You don't want to use up the flavor before you brew your coffee, so keeping the coffee cool is important.

Dry Place:

Again, the freezer and the refrigerator may be cool and even air-tight, but the moisture they produce can compromise your beans.

A cabinet away from sources of heat is your best bet.

Is it ok to use a glass container if it is airtight?

The National Coffee Association suggests that light can also cause coffee to go stale in addition to exposure to air.

What kind of airtight container will work best for storing coffee?

Certain plastic and metal containers can compromise the taste of your coffee as much as a freezer would. "INeed Coffee" suggests using a ceramic container to store your coffee as ceramics won't alter the flavor of the coffee bean.

When can I freeze my coffee?

If you do freeze coffee, it is recommended that once you remove the coffee from the freezer, you should not put it back in.

To review, the rules of coffee storage are strict but simple. Keep your beans cool, dry, and away from moisture and light. This means no freezing and no refrigeration.

All the experts agree. If you choose to disagree and keep your coffee in the freezer because that is what you and your family have always done. Then, by all means, keep your coffee in the freezer.

If coffee is a functional drink for you and you drink it for the kick and not the flavor then the keeping the flavor fresh doesn't matter all that much anyway. It's a free country and if you want it to be, it can be a "freeze" country too.