Should I Freeze my Coffee?

  I get asked this on occasion and I must admit, I've been roasting as long as i've been a coffee drinker and never thought about it much. Before I opened the roastery, I would make enough coffee for about 4 or 5 days, so freezing had never been a requirement for me. At home, best practices for coffee storage is to keep only what you can consume in a week (two at most) and remains my top recommendation.

But, understanding that this coronavirus is changing habits as we all continue to practice social distancing, i wanted to look at the ins and outs of long term coffee storage. And, while I do not recommend freezing coffee, (there are just so many factors that can impact coffee experience- moisture, changes due to freezing, absorbed freezer flavors) some of us will find it necessary or more efficient to freeze.  Moisture gets the good stuff out of the bean and into your cup, but when coffee is unintentionally exposed,  moisture is the enemy of freshness and impacts the quality of your coffee experience. 

if you do chose to freeze, here are a actions you can take to reduce exposure to moisture and keep your coffee fresher, longer.

1. Buy beans. If you don't have a grinder and want to freeze beans, buy one.  This is key.  Grinding releases all the goodness in a coffee bean so it can get in your cup. Grinding also allows everything on the outside to get into your coffee.  Freeze beans. grind upon use.

2. Freeze your unopened bags or in separate into daily use portions in Ziploc bags, vacuum bags or glass jars.  I strongly recommend purchasing coffee packaged in a volume that can be consumed in one week and not re-freezing them upon opening. For example, we go through a 12 oz bag in about 5 days, so i would purchase 6 x 12 oz bags  for a months supply or buy 2 x 36 oz bags and vacuum pack them in 6 x 12 oz portions. This way I can open one wees worth at a time.

3. Take coffee out the night before use to allow your coffee to come to room temp. Doing this avoids condensation(moisture) on the coffee. 

4. Use the deep freeze if you own one. The deep freeze stays colder, is opened less and therefore reduces exposure to moisture.







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