topic Re: ... in Kitchen

How do you store your ground coffee?

YellowLabMom — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:12:30 GMT

I used to drink Folgers and just stored it in the plastic container that it came in, in the cabinet. I have recently discovered a little coffee shop in my hometown that roasts their own coffee. You buy it by the 12 oz. bags (whole bean) and they grind it for you. How should I store it? So far I have just been leaving it in the bag but I am thinking about putting it in a canister. I have Fiesta dishes and was thinking about a Fiesta medium canister. Any suggestions? TIA

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

Catty2 — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:16:41 GMT

I either keep it in the can it came in with the plastic lid or a Lock n Lock container.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

chickenbutt — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:18:56 GMT

To be honest, I don't drink coffee but I keep some espresso on hand for my dry rub.

With the whole beans, I vacuum seal them and keep them in the freezer. With the extra ones I've ground I just put them into an appropriately sized Lock & Lock container and keep in the freezer. It will keep them perfectly for ages.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

on the bay — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:26:46 GMT

I thought I read that freezing ground coffee, changes the taste. I think I remember it was okay to keep in refrigerator but not the freezer?

But I keep mine in a pretty canister-that can is too ugly to keep on the counter

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

StylishLady — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:44:35 GMT

Right now I store the coffee I use that comes in a bag in an old can with the snap on plastic lid. Makes it easier for me to scoop out the amounts I need when setting up my coffee maker for the morning.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

alliswell — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:47:15 GMT

After I open the vacuum sealed coffee ( Starbucks' French Roast) I have always stored it in the fridge not the freezer. It is a personal preference but I love the way Starbucks roasts their coffee and their super strong French Roast and the "bitter-burnt" flavor of black coffee as well as the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

chickenbutt — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:54:30 GMT

on the bay wrote:
I thought I read that freezing ground coffee, changes the taste. I think I remember it was okay to keep in refrigerator but not the freezer?
But I keep mine in a pretty canister-that can is too ugly to keep on the counter

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that. I don't drink it, but I still wouldn't want it to 'change' even for my dry rub. Maybe I'll just toss the little bit that I have in the freezer that I had ground alreacy.

Do you think that the beans that are whole, and vacuum sealed, are ok in the freezer?

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

ctinaw — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:07:20 GMT

Coffee should be stored in an airtight, opaque container. Only buy what you think you will use in the next 1 or 2 weeks tops as the flavor goes dramatically downhill even after week 1. I use the Friis coffee storage containers which also have a filter which filter out the CO2 gases created during the roasting process. This really does lengthen the life of the coffee IMO and it is what I would recommend. I wouldn't use a fiest container as they are not airtight. You can purchase the Friis containers on amazon.

The problem with freezing coffee is that it will absorb moisture, odors and tastes from the air around it. So if you do choose to freeze it, definitely make sure you are using something airtight like lock and lock. Of course the problem with lock and lock is that it is clear and coffee really shoudl be in an opaque container as light can damage the flavor, though if its in a freezer MOST of the time which is going to be pitch black it's probalby ok. Though I'd recommend just buying smaller quantities so you aren't having to resort to this anyway because I can't imagine it would really halt the degredation of bean quality by much. Freshly roated and ground is the best way to go. I always grind my beans right before brewing.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

ellaphant — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:05:34 GMT

DON'T put beans or ground coffee in the fridge. Damages the flavor.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

JeanLouiseFinch — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:40:43 GMT

@YellowLabMom wrote:
I used to drink Folgers and just stored it in the plastic container that it came in, in the cabinet. I have recently discovered a little coffee shop in my hometown that roasts their own coffee. You buy it by the 12 oz. bags (whole bean) and they grind it for you. How should I store it? So far I have just been leaving it in the bag but I am thinking about putting it in a canister. I have Fiesta dishes and was thinking about a Fiesta medium canister. Any suggestions? TIA

@YellowLabMom We went through a period of time where I would buy assorted fresh beans and we'd grind them at home just prior to brewing. At the supermarket I usually go to, they have large bins of beans and you can take as much or as little as you want. You could grind there or just buy the whole beans. At home, I'd store the beans in small glass hinged canisters with the a rubber gasket and heavy wire clamp that I'd label with a p-touch label. I had a little coffee station set up on the counter where these canisters would be on a counter shelf type thing. They stayed fresh for several weeks that way.

If you expect to use up the grounds within a couple of weeks or so, you can leave them in that pouch from the coffee shop, in your cabinet, and they'll be fine. Don't ever put the coffee (ground or beans) in the refrigerator and if you decide to freeze any of it, do it in small portions rather than the whole bag that you'll be taking out and returning to the freezer. Generally speaking, freezing coffee is a one-shot kind of thing. Repeatedly taking the coffee out and returning it back to the freezer changes the quality and flavor.

Fresh Coffee Storage #1

Fresh Coffee Storage #2

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

SeaMaiden — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:33:16 GMT

In the jar it comes in. I suppose I really should refrigerate it so the coffee oils do not go rancid....have to think about that!

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

NickNack — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:46:03 GMT

Here is what the National Coffee Association says about freezing and refrigerating coffee.

Freezing your beans?

Freshness is critical to a quality cup of coffee. Experts agree that coffee should be consumed as quickly as possible after it is roasted, especially once the original packaging seal has been broken. Consumers who purchase whole bean coffee should grind immediately before brewing.

While there are different views on whether or not coffee should be frozen or refrigerated, the main consideration is that coffee absorbs moisture – and odors and tastes – from the air around it, since it is hygroscopic. As mentioned above, most home storage containers are not truly airtight, which is why food stored a long time in the freezer can suffer freezer burn. Therefore, if you do refrigerate or freeze your beans, it is critically important to use a truly airtight container.

If you choose to freeze your coffee, quickly remove as much as you need for no more than a week, and return the rest to the freezer before any condensation forms on the frozen coffee.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

ECBG — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:51:26 GMT

I buy beans at the grocery store and grind them there. I keep it in a small tupperware container.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

Tigriss — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 22:19:51 GMT

I prefer to store my coffee in my veins, but before that, I store it in a coffee vault I got at BBB. I also use coffee pods buy Roger's Family, which are super awesome, are small batch roasted and created, and vacuumed sealed in small bags for freshness. I love them!

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

soonersis — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 22:25:21 GMT

I got this coffee storage container at The Container Store and really like it:

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

Noel7 — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 22:51:51 GMT

I took a test about coffee the other day and it came out that the best way to store it is on the counter. Not news to most here I see I do that, in a lock and lock, but felt a little guilty thinking it should be in the freezer. I feel better now.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

Sooner — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 22:56:47 GMT

When you store food, don't store it in a container a lot bigger then the food. It just lets more air get to it.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

chickenbutt — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 22:58:20 GMT

So, it sounds like it is just the transfer of air/odors that can degrade the coffee in the freezer or refrigerator.

That's good to know since I have the whole beans vacuum sealed and what I've ground (very small quantities left over from making a recipe) is in L&L, which is air and liquid tight.

I'm so profoundly food-neurotic anyway that you'd be hard-pressed to find ANY food-type item in my kitchen that isn't either vac-sealed or in an airtight, liquid tight, container. Even dry goods, grains -everything.

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

Gokat — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:23:04 GMT

I grind as I go, @YellowLabMom, so keep approx. a week's worth of beans in the burr grinder on the counter and store the rest in a coffee vault until needed. A good cup of coffee is important here and starts the day off in the right direction!

Re: How do you store your ground coffee?

Desertdi — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 00:05:09 GMT

I only buy 12 oz. bags, and store the contents in a glass cannister with a stopper.......... (I drink a lot of coffee, so it goes fast!)