Do you usually have the urge to buy coffee beans after drinking hand brewed coffee outside? I bought a lot of utensils at home and thought I could brew them myself, but how do I store coffee beans when I get home? How long can beans last? What is the shelf life?
Today’s article will teach you how to store coffee beans.
In fact, the consumption of coffee beans depends on the frequency you drink them. Nowadays, when purchasing coffee beans online or in a coffee shop, a bag of coffee beans weighs around 100g-500g. For example, when using 15g coffee beans at home, 100g can be brewed about 6 times, and 454g can be brewed about 30 times. How should you store coffee beans if you buy too many?
We recommend everyone to drink during the best tasting period, which refers to the 30-45 days after the coffee beans are roasted. It is not recommended to purchase too much coffee in regular quantities! Although coffee beans can be stored in a suitable environment for a year, the flavor compounds in their bodies cannot stay for so long! This is why we emphasize both the shelf life and the taste period.
1. Put it directly in the bag
There are currently two main types of packaging for purchasing coffee beans online: bagged and canned. The coffee bag basically has holes, which are actually a valve device called a one-way exhaust valve. Like a one-way street of a car, gas can only exit from one direction and cannot enter from another direction. But don’t squeeze the coffee beans just to smell them, as this can cause the aroma to be squeezed out multiple times and weaken later on.
When coffee beans are just roasted, their bodies contain a large amount of carbon dioxide and will emit a large amount in the coming days. However, after the coffee beans are taken out of the furnace to cool down, we will put them into sealed bags. Without a one-way exhaust valve, a large amount of emitted carbon dioxide will fill the entire bag. When the bag can no longer support the continuous gas emissions of the beans, it is easy to burst. This type of coffee pouch is suitable for small quantities and has a relatively fast consumption rate.
2. Buy bean cans for storage
When searching online, a dazzling array of jars will appear. How to choose? Firstly, there must be three conditions: good sealing, a one-way exhaust valve, and proximity to vacuum storage.
During the roasting process, the internal structure of coffee beans expands and produces carbon dioxide, which is rich in the volatile flavor compounds of coffee. Sealed cans can prevent the loss of volatile flavor compounds. It can also prevent moisture from the air from coming into contact with coffee beans and causing them to become damp.
A one-way valve not only prevents the beans from being easily burst due to the continuous emission of gas, but also prevents the coffee beans from coming into contact with oxygen and causing oxidation. The carbon dioxide produced by the coffee beans during baking can form a protective layer, isolating oxygen. But as time goes by day by day, these carbon dioxide will gradually be lost.
At present, many coffee bean cans on the market can achieve a near vacuum effect through some simple operations to prevent coffee beans from being exposed to the air for a long time. Jars can also be divided into transparent and fully transparent ones, mainly to prevent the impact of light accelerating the oxidation of coffee beans. Of course, you can avoid it if you place it in a place that is away from sunlight.
So if you have a bean grinder at home, can you grind it into powder first and then store it? After grinding into powder, the contact area between coffee particles and air increases, and carbon dioxide is lost faster, accelerating the dissipation of coffee flavor substances. After going home and brewing, the flavor will become lighter, and there may not be the fragrance or flavor that was tasted for the first time.
So, when purchasing coffee powder, it is still advisable to purchase it in small quantities and place it in a cool and dry place to drink as soon as possible. It is not recommended to store in the refrigerator. When taken out for use after cooling, there may be condensation due to room temperature, which can affect the quality and taste.
In summary, if friends only purchase a small amount of coffee beans, it is recommended to keep them directly in the packaging bag. If the purchase quantity is large, it is recommended to purchase bean cans for storage.
Post time: Dec-11-2023