When it comes down to the more complicated aspects of buying, grinding, preparing and storing coffee beans, one question is more controversial than almost any other: how long do coffee beans stay fresh?
Although there are claims that rules such as Babbie’s Rule of Fifteen are valid, many baristas and coffee aficionados will actually disagree with them, claiming that the process by which coffee beans become stale over time is a gradual one, and you can’t really pinpoint a precise date and time when your coffee loses its flavor.
How Long Do Coffee Beans Remain Fresh Based on How You Store Them?
So how long do coffee beans stay fresh anyway? Depending on the way you store them, they can actually stay fresh for several months. In some cases, for example, very little difference was observed when performing a blind taste of coffee that was kept in a sealed, airtight bag and frozen for up to 2 months. After that period, even airtight bags might not be able to hold the flavor inside the beans.
Simply using an airtight bag with a degassing valve will still keep your coffee beans in good shape for up to two weeks or so, however, many experts believe that storing them longer than that can lead to their flavor being lost entirely. This is also the reason why freezing coffee beans is important when it comes to storing them longer.
The problem with freezing, however, is that you simply can’t keep your coffee beans healthy without using an airtight bag. If you were to simply put your coffee beans into a regular bag and place them in the freezer, the process of reducing their temperature will slowly freeze dry them, leading to the humidity in the bag being lost and the beans becoming stale quite quickly.
Extending the Time Your Coffee Stays Fresh
So what can you really do to protect your coffee beans and prevent them from losing their flavor? Although the jury is still out on many of them, since coffee experts can’t fully agree on their level of efficiency, there are several methods to consider:
- An opaque container will help keep your coffee beans in good shape even if the bag isn’t fully airtight. However, the period of time these beans will retain their flavor will not exceed a month.
- Once the coffee beans are ground, they will lose their flavor within two hours. As a result, most experts will recommend that you use them as soon as possible after having prepared the ground coffee.
- The best method to store coffee is by roasting it, and then immediately storing it in an airtight bag and putting it in a freezer and keeping it frozen at a controlled temperature. Under these circumstances, the coffee will retain its flavor for at least 2 months – usually longer.
In most cases, these methods will help your coffee beans keep their flavor much longer than normal. Figuring out the answer to the question, “how long do coffee beans stay fresh,” can be a real problem f you don’t have the possibility of using airtight bags, since you’ll find that even the coffee beans themselves, when placed in a regular bag, will start losing their flavor in about 2-3 weeks.
To ensure the freshest coffee for your office, look for wholesale coffee k cups suppliers and ensure you are greeted with the most delicious tasting cup of coffee each morning!
