Coffee storage

[The AD]

I got in a discussion oday about coffee with a coworker. I always go to a coffee station at work with a coffee grinder because I think pregound coffee sitting around at room temperture gets rancid pretty quick. So we were discussing storing coffee at home. He stores his at room temp, I store mine in the fridge.

After consulting the web most sites agree that coffee should NOT be stored in the fridge, but I still don't buy it. For example, one site says this:

"The enemies of roasted coffee are moisture, air, light, and heat. Storing your coffee away from them will keep it fresher longer. Therefore, an airtight container stored in a cool, dry, dark place is the best environment for your coffee."

But later they say this:

"When to Refrigerate Coffee
Never, unless you are conducting a science experiment on how long it takes to ruin perfectly good coffee. The fridge is one of the absolute worst places to put coffee."

(Both these quotes are from http://www.coffeeam.com/stgrandbrco.html)

Doesn't it seem like the second quote contradicts the first? A fridge meets all the criteria except for being dry, and does that matter if you put the coffee in an airtight container? The thing that bugs me is many of these sites say not to put coffee in the fridge but don't really say why not to. I can't believe that coffee stored in an airtight container in the fridge could possibly be worse than storing it in the same container out of the fridge.

I know there are some coffee geeks out there who can shed some light on this, so what say you?

[Jumper Bones]

no, it's like wine - best stored someplace out of sunlight and that is cooler than the majority of other rooms - a basement preferably, but a pantry that stays dark, or someplace like that.

my fucking roommate stores instant coffee in the fridge. As well as chewy chips ahoy cookies. He swears it keeps it fresher longer...but it pisses me off because it takes up valuable fridge shelf space...

[Below Zero]

Our office store the coffee beans in the freezer. Don't know if that is good or bad.

[lemon boy]

I think you're worrying entirely too much about this. You are HIGH if you think that before it gets to you coffee spends all its time refrigerated. How bout the stuff from the grocery store that sits in the bins = not refrigerated either.

That said, I keep coffee in the freezer (I'd argue that the reason no fridge is b/c there are a lot of odors that coffee absorbs) for storage but then maybe 1/2# preground in a cupboard.

[Stanley]

cool not cold place.
coffee should never be stored in the fridge or freezer.

I applaud you grinding beans at work.
im jealous and going to get an americano now.

[The AD]

no, it's like wine - best stored someplace out of sunlight and that is cooler than the majority of other rooms - a basement preferably, but a pantry that stays dark, or someplace like that.

But there's a huge difference between coffee and wine. Wine (at least some types of wine) are meant to age, and coffee decidely is not. I would imagine with wine too cold a temperature would inhibit the yeast activity and not allow the wine to age.

edit: So far the responses have parroted the info I've seen on the web: not to store coffee in the fridge, but without any good reason for this. About the best I've found is the problem with moisture and the potential to pick up off-flavors, both of which seem unlikely if the coffee is stored in an airtight container.

[Droopy]

As well as chewy chips ahoy cookies. He swears it keeps it fresher longer...

my mother always put sliced bread in the fridge... what a bad idea, cold bread sucks.

OH and penutbutter, that does not need to go in to fridge

[Jumper Bones]

I think the chips ahoy thing is bullshit - now the chewy cookies aren't chewy anymore.

it really pisses me off, because space is at a premium in there. fortunately he spends 10 to 11 months out of every year deployed overseas someplace, so I can clear all his shit out.

[Stanley]

but before i go, why would you ever pregrind beans, you lazy asses who don't care about taste coffee drinkers?

i really miss the prebaby days when i had the time to spend 45 minutes brewing the most tastiest cup of coffee ever known to man. You know that cup of coffee thats perculated without ever touching the burner, holding the pot the perfect distance over the flame so that it never boils but healthily froths to the top. Memories...

[13]

At Starbucks we never store coffee in the fridge/freezer, ground or whole.

Ground coffee can only be "held" for 24H before they quality really starts to suffer; whole beans last a lot longer than that -- approx. a week after opening the bag.

[lemon boy]

store an open jar of KimChi right by his chips ahoy and he'll put them in the pantry where they belong.

[lemon boy]

13 - Don't be feedin us that shit. Charbucks has no idea what coffee is supposed to taste like.

[skier666]

I keep mine in the original bag, clipped, in a dark cabinet...then grind.

[gorms]

If it were meant to be stored cold...you would buy it that way--coffee is always sold at room temp.

[Droopy]

My household has switched to instant coffie... it really sucks. Makes me feel sick alot of the time

[iceman]

but before i go, why would you ever pregrind beans, you lazy asses who don't care about taste coffee drinkers?

i really miss the prebaby days when i had the time to spend 45 minutes brewing the most tastiest cup of coffee ever known to man. You know that cup of coffee thats perculated without ever touching the burner, holding the pot the perfect distance over the flame so that it never boils but healthily froths to the top. Memories...

I'd commit suicide before spending 45 minutes to makea cup of coffee.

[igBand]

edit: So far the responses have parroted the info I've seen on the web: not to store coffee in the fridge, but without any good reason for this. About the best I've found is the problem with moisture and the potential to pick up off-flavors, both of which seem unlikely if the coffee is stored in an airtight container.

The rationale I've always heard behind keeping it in a cool, dry place and not the fridge is that the constant warming and cooling that occurs when the coffee is removed from and put back into the fridge/freezer causes condensation on the beans, thus resulting in wet coffee, causing it to go bad quicker. With that being said, I can't seem to tell the difference between refrigerated coffee and non-refrigerated coffee. It all tastes the same to me. I guess that might have to do with the fact that it is folgers and ain't nuttin' special.

Just as long as it's hot and doesn't taste like someone melted a hershey bar with almonds in it, I'm good to go.

[The AD]

If it were meant to be stored cold...you would buy it that way--coffee is always sold at room temp.

Yeah, you're right. Nothing sold at the grocery store has "refrigerate after opening" written on it.

[Jumper Bones]

I guess that might have to do with the fact that it is folgers and ain't nuttin' special.

and that's the thing I'm trying to point out to my roommate...IT'S INSTANT COFFEE, DAMMIT! IT'S SHIT ANYWAY!

AD, I was inferring off of what that webpage was saying - cool and dry doesn't necessarily mean fridge. I know coffee isn't supposed to age, but temperature extremes probably affect it in much the same way as it does wine. I mean only certain wines are supposed to be chilled, and that's immediately before serving...

[Yeti]

I used to keep coffee for months in the freezer. Of course, I didn't drink much coffee.

Now, I do treat my beans better. I buy it within a few days of roasting. I store it clipped in the roaster's bag, all inside a ziploc in a dark, dry (for Maine) closet.

When it's time to make coffee ("French press or die"), I don't grind until the water is boiling -- the few seconds it takes to grind is an appropriate cooling period for the water.

The first week or so after roasting, you can tell that the beans are fresh due to the CO2 bloom that mounds up the grounds in the press. This fades after about one week. I can taste the decreased freshness at this point; two weeks after roasting, I'll use the beans for nothing more than melting into dark chocolate -- the brew flavor has already gone off.

The downside to drinking good coffee is a deepened awareness of bad coffee.

[Snow Dog]

I've always put beans in the freezer and ground coffee in the fridge. The cold temperature slows down oxidation and the cooling process dehumidifies the air. All I know is the coffee tastes fine.

I used to grind beans at home but as I get older and lazier I just grind the whole bag at the store.

[Stanley]

I'd commit suicide before spending 45 minutes to makea cup of coffee.

double loss for you then.

[summit]

Optimally, once ground, coffee should be brewed shortly there after (matter of minutes to hours, not days to weeks).

I freeze beans. I do refrigerate some preground.

[Droopy]

IT'S INSTANT COFFEE, DAMMIT!

No, wrong, instant coffee is the shit you mix with water. Folgers is just pre-ground, you still have to brew the pot. Instant cofee is really bad

[Tippster]

Dunno about the fridge, but the freezer dries out your beans too much, according to an article I read in National geographic (the caffeine article a couple months ago.) It will also cause the essential oils to separate from the beans (rise to the surface) so when you grind them a goodly part of the flavor sticks to the grinder and not the grounds.

We store Coffee in the cupboard, but then again we drink it strong and really fast -- about 2lbs a week between myself, my wife, our nanny, and guests -- using a tablespoon per cup on average.