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Front Street recently noticed that a small number of coffee enthusiast friends had left their coffee beans unopened for two months, believing that as long as the beans were not opened, they would not spoil. In fact, this indeed will not cause the coffee to spoil, but it will affect the flavor of the coffee beans. So in this article, Front Street will share some relevant knowledge about coffee bean storage.
 
Is freshly ground coffee fresh?

First, Front Street has learned that many coffee enthusiast friends believe that coffee beans, like other beans, are fresh as long as they are ground fresh. But in fact this is not the case. If you want to enjoy the aroma of coffee, it is not just about grinding fresh — the beans also need to have been roasted only a few days ago, because coffee beans that were just roasted a few days ago are at their aromatic peak.
 
Therefore, whether in-store or online, Front Street only provides freshly roasted coffee beans. Only when a customer requests grinding into powder will Front Street proceed with grinding. This is because the aroma of coffee beans generally only lasts for one month, so the optimal flavor period is also within one month. Once ground into coffee powder, the surface area of the coffee exposed to air increases, causing the aroma to fade even faster.

 
Are freshly roasted coffee beans the freshest?
    

So the reason Front Street emphasizes fresh roasting is that roasted coffee beans will, as time passes, basically have little aroma left after 50 days from roasting. At this point, some coffee enthusiast friends might ask whether freshly roasted coffee has the best flavor. Actually, that is not the case either, because in the first two days after roasting, the aroma has not yet stabilized, and the regional flavor cannot yet be tasted.

 
So Front Street generally reminds coffee enthusiast friends that when they receive freshly roasted coffee beans, they should let them rest for 3-4 days before brewing. How can you confirm the coffee roasting date? Front Street prints the roasting date of the day on every bag of coffee, so coffee enthusiasts can use the roasting date on the coffee bean packaging to estimate the period when the coffee beans will have the best flavor.
 
How long is the general shelf life of coffee beans?
    

As Front Street mentioned above, the deliciousness of coffee comes from its aroma and taste. And because coffee beans produce carbon dioxide after roasting, causing the beans to expand and become brittle with larger gaps between particles, the aroma easily volatilizes into the air, and the oils in the beans also oxidize, producing off-flavors.

Therefore, Front Street recommends that single-origin coffee beans are best consumed within one month. This is also the result Front Street has reached through practice, and the optimal flavor period is also within one month. After one month, although the coffee beans will still have some aroma, it is no longer as good as the flavor during the first month. Moreover, according to experience in the coffee roasting industry, the general freshness period of coffee beans is two to three months. The specific time is influenced by many factors: the quality of the green beans, the degree of roast, the storage environment, the storage method, and so on.
 
Does the shelf life of unopened coffee beans extend?
    

Unopened coffee beans still have air circulation inside the packaging, so the flavor will still be lost. Vacuum packaging also cannot achieve 100% vacuum. Even if stored in the refrigerator, coffee beans will be affected by moisture condensation. Therefore, the optimal flavor period of coffee is indeed limited. Even if unopened, Front Street also recommends that coffee enthusiast friends drink it within one month.

 
Of course, what Front Street refers to here is the optimal flavor period of single-origin coffee beans. As for the shelf life of coffee beans, the shelf life of coffee products stipulated by relevant food laws in our country is one year, meaning coffee does not spoil just because the aroma is lost. Therefore, if coffee is only used as a refreshing beverage, it can still be consumed within one year.
 
The freshness period of coffee powder
    

There is one more point Front Street must emphasize: when grinding coffee beans into powder, it is best to immediately pour-over brew the coffee powder, because after coffee beans are ground into powder, they become extremely fine particles, and the contact area with air increases many times over, so the flavor is lost very quickly. In humid environments, it may even absorb moisture from the air, bringing off-flavors.

 
How to properly store coffee beans
 
So how should opened coffee beans be stored properly? After all, if opened coffee beans are not placed properly, their flavor will also be affected. So Front Street will share some tips for storing coffee beans.
 
1.【One-way degassing valve】 

As Front Street mentioned above, after coffee beans are roasted, they contain compressed carbon dioxide gas inside. The gas gradually escapes from inside the beans, causing the beans to expand.
 
So Front Street puts a one-way degassing valve on every coffee bean bag. The gas inside can escape through the one-way degassing valve, while outside air cannot get in. Each time after taking out beans, pinch the ziplock opening of the bag tightly and squeeze out the gas inside the bag. Because carbon dioxide is denser than air, it will settle at the bottom. Squeezing this way can greatly reduce the internal oxygen content, which is beneficial for storing coffee beans.
 
2.【Sealed canister】 

A sealed canister can isolate outside air, but most are made of transparent material, so they are still easily affected by light. Also, every time it is opened and closed, air enters. The oxygen in that air will still react with the beans inside. Therefore, Front Street recommends that if using a sealed canister, it is best not to store too many coffee beans at one time.
 
3.【Vacuum canister】

A vacuum canister can isolate outside air, but most are also made of transparent material, so they are still easily affected by light. Also, every time it is opened and closed, air enters, and then the air is pumped out, creating a low-oxygen state. But at the same time, it also forms a low-pressure state. The pressure inside the beans remains unchanged, so the pressure difference between inside and outside increases, approaching one atmosphere. This will accelerate the loss of small-molecule, easily volatile aroma substances inside the beans.

So Front Street still recommends storing fresh coffee directly in the one-way degassing valve bag it came in, at room temperature, sealed, and away from sunlight. Of course, the best approach is to buy according to the amount of coffee you need each time and simply finish it while the beans are still fresh.

It is not recommended to store coffee in powder form. Even freshly roasted coffee beans, once ground into powder, have their contact surface with air greatly and exponentially increased, oxidize very quickly, and the coffee easily spoils. If ground into powder, it is best to finish it within the two-week freshness period.

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