Recently, everyone has probably stocked up on beans during Double Eleven. The questions asked to Front Street are all things like "How long can the flavor of unopened coffee beans be preserved at most?" and "How should opened coffee beans be stored to slow down the rate of flavor loss?" Today, Front Street will talk about the storage of coffee beans.

How long can the flavor of coffee beans be preserved?

Those who ask this question are basically friends who pursue coffee flavor, but Front Street still needs to explain this issue of flavor and taste. Flavor refers more to aroma, such as the aroma released when grinding coffee powder, and the pleasant aroma filling the brewed coffee liquid. After the coffee has lost its flavor, the aroma when grinding is relatively heavy, with some notes of peanut skin and almond, and the aroma of the brewed coffee is also relatively light and heavy. However, the general taste of coffee is still there. These tastes mainly come from the water-soluble substances in coffee, which themselves do not volatilize easily.

So what we call losing flavor actually means the flavor has run out, so it is not as good to drink as before, but if it is still within the shelf life (within 12 months), it can still be consumed. The flavor of coffee beans reaches its peak after roasting and then going through the resting period, and then the flavor gradually decreases until it all runs out. The length of the resting period and the tasting period (flavor period) varies from bean to bean and is also related to the storage environment, so a general range is usually given: the resting period is about 4-7 days, and the tasting period is about 30-45 days.

Can blocking the degassing valve preserve it longer?

Some friends, after receiving the beans, immediately seal the degassing valve with tape to prevent flavor from escaping. In fact, this practice seems reasonable but is actually unnecessary. Because this one-way degassing valve is only to prevent the coffee beans from bursting the bag when they degas; under normal conditions without external force, the degassing valve does not work. Only when there is too much gas inside the bag will the excess gas be discharged through the pressure difference. If the degassing valve is sealed, the coffee beans will still degas as they should, and the bag will still expand as it should.

Airtight jar & original packaging bag?

Some friends also pour the coffee beans into an airtight jar for storage after opening. In fact, if it is a jar with good airtightness and the original coffee bag with a sealing strip, the effect on preserving coffee beans will not differ much. What has a relatively large impact on coffee flavor loss is the frequency and duration of opening the package.

Every time the bag is opened, it is equivalent to connecting the inside with the outside once, and the flavor of the coffee beans will be lost faster. Therefore, this is also why some coffee beans still taste pretty good when opened and brewed for the first time after 30 days of storage, but when brewed again two days later, the flavor takes a sharp downturn.

Should coffee beans be stored frozen in the refrigerator?

Some friends have seen that frozen storage can slow down the loss of coffee flavor and have followed suit one after another. But freezing coffee beans also has its own problems. If they cannot be handled well, it is actually worse than not putting them in the freezer.

The first is the problem of odor transfer. If other frozen items are placed in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator, and then coffee beans are put in for freezing, the coffee beans may absorb other odors, or a freezer area that has not been cleaned for a long time is also prone to producing a "refrigerator smell," which can easily affect the coffee beans.

The second is the problem of thawing. When we take a bottle of beverage out of the refrigerator, after a while the originally dry plastic bottle is covered with small water droplets. The principle for frozen coffee beans is the same. When coffee beans go from -10 degrees to a room temperature of 28 degrees, the surrounding water vapor will condense into water droplets attached to the beans, causing the coffee beans to become damp.

The best way to preserve flavor

No matter which method is used, the loss of coffee flavor over time is an unavoidable process, so the best method is to calculate your own coffee consumption, then buy the amount you will consume in one month according to your needs, and buy freshly roasted coffee beans again when you are almost finished. Do not greedily stock up on a large amount of coffee beans for a temporary bargain. In the end, the flavor runs out, and if you cannot drink it, it becomes waste.

If the coffee beans are unopened, try to leave them in the original bag and place them in a cool, dry place away from light. After opening, you can use the sealing strip on the original packaging to store them sealed. However, after sealing, check the airtightness of the packaging. If you find that the bag is broken, you need to use another sealed container to store the coffee beans.

Under the condition of ensuring sealed storage during normal times and opening the packaging bag to take beans at a normal frequency, the flavor of coffee beans can be preserved for up to 30 days.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.