Coffee can be a wonderful beverage full of both intense and delicate flavors. That’s one of the reasons that consuming your coffee at the perfect temperature can make a big difference in the taste. The molecules that make up those flavors can change over time, and with exposure to light, air, and moisture. For these reasons, proper storage of your coffee is important for ensuring great tasting coffee, with maximum freshness and the best flavor.

Store whole beans: The flavor of ground coffee will change much faster than that of whole beans. The act of grinding heats them up a little bit, and the surface area of ground coffee is many times larger than that of beans. The increased surface area allows oxygen to have more contact with the beans, and the flavors degrade much more quickly than a whole bean. Ideally, you grind your beans immediately before you make your coffee, or as close to the time of brewing as possible.

Keep the beans in a cool dry place: Heat and sunlight also degrade those flavor molecules. And your coffee will taste better if it is kept cool and dry. A nice cool kitchen cupboard is a great place to store your coffee. Keep the coffee away from the fridge or freezer ( moisture) and away from the stove and sunlit areas of the counter(heat).

Use an airtight container: Glass, ceramic or aluminum containers with an airtight seal are best. Even whole beans react with the oxygen in the air, and an airtight container limits that reaction. If you use a clear glass or plastic container, be sure the container is kept in a dark place, out of the sunlight.

If you are a coffee connoisseur and buy craft coffee beans, you’ll want to use your beans within a month of when they’ve been roasted. If you aren’t as picky about your beans, you’ll still benefit from storing your coffee in a cool dry place, away from sunlight. In an airtight container.

Storage for tea follows many of the same principles as coffee.  The primary factors to consider are air, light, and moisture.  Use the same principles and methods described here to keep your tea leaves dry, dark, and away from oxygen.

How do you store your coffee?  Do you have any coffee tips or tricks to us?    Reach out to us on our Facebook page and tell us how you store your favorite drink..