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HOW TO PROPERLY
STORE YOUR COFFEE
With the price tag that comes with coffee
granules nowadays, it isn’t enough that you
just place them in a jar and put them on
the kitchen table. With the kind of money
that you pay for a gourmet coffee granule,
it is essential that you learn to store them
the proper way.
But what is the right way to store coffee
granules?
Some say that you can freeze them or refrigerate them to prolong life. Others recommend that you place the coffee granules in packets or jars and to seal them as
tightly as possible. Others have a different
storage advice for whole bean coffee and a
different one for a ground coffee granules?
Will the storage method matter?
Green beans
As a general rule, green coffee beans have
the best shelf life and they are very easy to
store. All you have to do is to just put them
inside a tightly-sealed jar and keep them
in a location that is cool and dry. With
proper storage, they can last for more than
a year. There are however few people who
use green beans perhaps because it is too
much work to prepare them. You have to
grind and roast them first before you can
actually be able to drink. This isn’t good
with people who are used to instant mixes.
A roasted whole bean can last for about 1
to 2 weeks. It is however important that it
is kept in standard room temperature and
be sealed in an air-tight containers or canister. As much as possible, use glass canisters and avoid plastic ones as the flavor
may be compromised in some way by the
plastic material.
Remember though to use dark-colored
glass as these beans shouldn’t be exposed
to light in any way. Metal containers are
also a no-no. Another good alternative are
ceramic ones.
Every two to three days, open the canister
to release the gas that is produced by the
roasted beans. One alternative to eliminate
the problem of gas is to use valve bags,
which allow the carbon dioxide to escape.
One disadvantage though is that these bags
can be very expensive and quite rare.
If however your whole bean coffee isn’t
consumed in two weeks, then it is important to store the coffee in the refrigerator and freeze them. Stored like this, the
coffee beans can last for a month or two.
Just wrap the beans with a plastic wrap. If
you need to use the beans, just grind them
frozen. Once thawed, you can’t use them
again.
Whole bean
The shelf life of a roasted whole bean is
much better than those that aren’t roasted.
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