Many people think that freshly ground coffee means fresh coffee, but that's not actually the case. To truly enjoy the aroma of coffee, it's not just about grinding it fresh—the roasting time of the coffee beans also matters. Whether in-store or on its online Taobao shop, Front Street Coffee offers freshly roasted coffee beans. Unless customers specifically request ground coffee for shipping, we only grind according to their intended use (espresso or pour-over).

The reason Front Street Coffee emphasizes fresh roasting so much is that as time goes by, coffee that has been roasted for more than 50 days basically loses its aroma. Some might ask, is coffee better the fresher it is? Not exactly. In the first two days after roasting, the aroma hasn't stabilized yet, and you can't really taste the flavors of its origin. That's why Front Street Coffee reminds customers to usually let the beans rest for three to four days before brewing.

Aside from the small samples Front Street Coffee sends out, which are just enough for one brew, the smallest package size for other offerings is 100g, which is enough for about seven single servings. So, after opening a package of coffee beans, how do youpreserve the freshnessof the coffee? Front Street Coffee has a few tips for everyone. 

How should you store coffee beans to keep them fresh? 

Front Street Coffee first needs to tell you about a few things that coffee beans fear most during storage. As long as you try your best to overcome and avoid these, the beans can retain enough flavor for a certain period of time.

(1) Fear of moisture

Front Street Coffee specializes in freshly roasted coffee beans. Once roasted, coffee is in an active state and is easily affected by the external environment. In relatively humid places, because coffee beans readily absorb external odors and moisture, they develop off-flavors. This is also why Front Street Coffee does not recommend putting coffee beans in the refrigerator. When beans taken out of the fridge are exposed to room temperature, a temperature difference forms, causing condensation, and the coffee will inevitably lose its flavor.   

(2) Fear of oxygen

Oxygen causes many of the compounds in coffee to oxidize, which negatively affects flavor and mouthfeel. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) bean packaging all has sealing strips. After pouring out the beans, be sure to press the sealing strip tightly. 

(3) Fear of light and heat

Light and heat accelerate various reactions. The higher the temperature, the faster the deterioration. Therefore, you need an airtight container to store coffee beans.

Front Street Coffee's method for storing fresh coffee

【One-way degassing valve】

After roasting, coffee beans contain trapped carbon dioxide gas that gradually escapes from inside the beans, causing them to expand. That's why the bag has a one-way degassing valve on its surface—gas inside can escape through the valve, but outside air cannot get in. Each time after taking out beans, pinch the ziplock seal tightly and squeeze out the gas inside the bag. Since carbon dioxide is denser than air, it sinks to the bottom, so squeezing can greatly reduce the internal oxygen content, which helps with coffee bean storage. 

【Airtight container】

An airtight container can block external air, but most are made of transparent material, so they are still easily affected by light. Also, each time you open and close it, air enters, and the oxygen in that air will still react with the beans inside. So if using an airtight container, it's best not to store too many coffee beans at once.

【Vacuum container】

A vacuum container can block external air, but most are also made of transparent material, so they are still easily affected by light. Moreover, each time you open and close it, air enters, and then the air is pumped out to create a low-oxygen state. But at the same time, it also creates a low-pressure state. The pressure inside the beans remains unchanged, so the pressure difference between inside and outside increases, approaching one atmosphere. This causes the small molecules and volatile aroma compounds inside the beans to be lost at an accelerated rate. 

So Front Street Coffee still recommendsfresh coffeesimply be stored in the one-way degassing valve bag it arrived in, kept at room temperature in a sealed, sunlight-free place. Of course, the best approach is to buy only the amount of coffee you need each time and finish it while the beans are still fresh.

Storing coffee as ground coffee is not recommended. Even freshly roasted coffee beans, once ground, have a vastly increased surface area exposed to air, oxidize very quickly, and the coffee spoils easily. If you do grind it, drink it within the two-week freshness window as soon as possible.

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