How to store coffee beans and grinds so they stay fresh

Storing coffee beans and coffee grinds so they stay fresh for flavour is a vital part of brewing the perfect coffee every time.

Coffee storage is just one of the many ways to make sure your coffee is as good as can be as early as possible but picking the right roast for your brewing method is key. Buy a medium to dark roast for espresso-based coffees, for example.

Once you’ve bought the right beans for your brew, how should you store them and keep them fresh for the perfect coffee taste?

Read on...

1. Keep your coffee airtight.

Once your coffee’s been roasted, it’s vital that you keep it as fresh as you can. This is why coffee beans are generally immediately packaged into the heat-sealed bags that you’re used to getting upon delivery or purchasing from a café or store.

Once those bags are opened, make sure that your coffee beans or grinds stay in an airtight container, and are stored in a cool, dark place.

Coffee tins or even good Tupperware or Pyrex containers are a great option for keeping your coffee airtight.

Try to avoid storing your coffee in the fridge as it can easily absorb moisture and odours from nearby foods. 

Remember: keeping your coffee fresh is the goal. Fresh coffee means flavourful coffee and if it dries out, you’ll be drinking coffee that may as well be instant.

2. Buy the right amount.

One way to make sure that you only have as much coffee as you’ll be able to drink before it goes stale is to make sure you buy the right amount of coffee as you need it.

By using our customisable subscription options, you can time your fresh coffee deliveries to match your consumption.

If you’ve planned ahead but you somehow have too much, you still have options.

3. If all else fails, freeze.

If you’re not drinking through your coffee fast enough, if you’ve run out of Tupperware containers, or if your coffee tin’s already full, you can freeze your coffee beans and grinds.

To freeze your coffee, make sure that you place it in an airtight container to avoid freezer burn on your beans from condensation that might squeeze through. Keep available what you might use for a week and freeze the rest.

Frozen coffee can stay good for about a month but make sure that it’s in something airtight. Coffee beans absorb moisture, flavour, and odour from foods around them so make sure your coffee isn’t accidentally also onboarding the taste of those emergency chicken nuggs. 

If you’re freezing beans rather than grinds, note that whether they should defrosted pre-grind or not can depend on your intended brewing method. For espresso coffee, you can grind straight away. For filter coffee, some baristas prefer to let them thaw. You can use grind from the freezer straight away.

Shop perfect coffee for a perfect brew.

Shop our Humble Blend blend. 50% of profits are donated to fund Indigenous youth and international aid programs.