Recreating the artisanal coffee shop experience in your own home can be a painstaking process, with a lot of equipment involved and plenty of prep and forethought required.
Because of this, it’s important that you don’t fall at the first hurdle by failing to properly store the coffee that you spend so much time choosing and money procuring.
If coffee quality is a priority, here are a few of the best ways to handle storage in a typical domestic setup without having to make any sacrifices.
Timing is important
First of all, be sure to buy coffee which explicitly advertises the date on which it was roasted, as this is key to determining its durability and drinkability.
While different roasting techniques and bean varieties can have an impact on the ideal window for freshness, as a rule of thumb you’ll have about a month from the roast date to enjoy the coffee at its optimal quality.
Of course if you don’t know where to find top notch beans in the first place, checking out Roasty Coffee’s gift guide is a good starting point.
Airtight containers are a godsend
Staleness will be accelerated if the coffee is allowed to come in contact with the oxygen in the atmosphere, so storing it in an airtight container is sensible.
Some beans will be sold in resealable pouches, which will be more than adequate for this task. If not, you could use a mason jar, some Tupperware or whatever other sealable containers you have to hand.
Serious coffee aficionados may vacuum seal individual batches of beans, and there are reusable jars which allow this.
Sunlight is the enemy
Another key factor to storing coffee at home is to keep it out of sight of sunlight. Like the air, the rays of the sun will accelerate the rate at which the beans become stale, which is obviously unhelpful.
This means you either need to keep the coffee in a container in a cupboard, in the case that the container is transparent, or store it in a container that is opaque to prevent light getting through.
Other odors should be avoided
Putting your coffee in a cupboard is all well and good, but also think about the other items it is sharing the space with.
For example, because of coffee’s absorbent abilities, it is liable to take on any strong scents emitted by nearby items.
So don’t leave it next to a spice rack, or within close proximity of other pungent products, or else the taste will be subverted.
Heat and moisture will lead to stale coffee
Coffee is a lot like Goldilocks, in that it needs the right balance of conditions when being stored to stay fresh.
If it is too hot, or if there is too much moisture in the environment, staleness is sure to follow.
Don’t keep your coffee near the oven, don’t leave it exposed near the sink, and resist the temptation to put it in the fridge, in spite of what some people might say.
Beans are better than pre-ground coffee
Finally, if you have the option it is better to buy whole coffee beans and go through the grinding process yourself, rather than picking up pre-ground packets from the store.
This is not just about preserving the freshness and making storage easier, which are two things that grinding beans definitely delivers.
It is also about giving yourself the joyful experience of actually producing a cup of coffee in a more tactile, involved and sensual way.