Storing roasted coffee

[redrocker652002]

How do you all do it? I have been just putting it back in the burlap sack it comes in, but I have a feeling that probably isn't right. I have some tupperware containers too, but they only hold about a half pound and I have been doing pounds at a time. Of course, in half pound batches.

 

[lumpher]

Sealing it airtight, cold, and dark is best to preserve flavor. Put it in those Tupperware containers in the refrigerator on a back shelf after you grind it. Those smaller containers are better because you expose less at a time to the air.

 

[MaxStout]

If you're storing a LOT of roasted beans (and it sounds like you are), you could keep it in coffee bags and put those in a 5 gallon bucket with lid. Store in a cool, dry location.

 

[redrocker652002]

Sealing it airtight, cold, and dark is best to preserve flavor. Put it in those Tupperware containers in the refrigerator on a back shelf after you grind it. Those smaller containers are better because you expose less at a time to the air.

What about before you grind it, but the beans have been roasted? That is where I am right now.

 

[jschein]

I have a cereal Tupperware that holds 2 pounds of beans

 

[MaxStout]

What about before you grind it, but the beans have been roasted? That is where I am right now.

Whole, roasted beans will stay fresh longer than ground. Seal them and store them in containers. Grind only what you need for the next day or so.

 

[lumpher]

What about before you grind it, but the beans have been roasted? That is where I am right now.

An airtight container in a cool dry place works for that.

 

[AZ Maverick]

After roasting, mine go into either pint or quart canning jars with a fermentation cap so the beans can properly de-gas.
I store the jars in my pantry.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I usually don’t roast more than 1 to 1-½ lbs at a time. I put the whole beans in a glass jar with a loose lid for 24 hours or so to let them gas off. Then I tighten the lids.
I have been considering roasting a little bit more at a time and experimenting with vacuum sealing. I could use either glass jars, or the bags.
Anyone else vacuum sealing?

 

[ehall]

Coffee should not be stored in the fridge or freezer. The ideal temperature range for coffee storage is between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which is room temperature. Storing coffee in the fridge can cause condensation to form on the beans and affect their taste. Additionally, the humidity and temperature fluctuations in the fridge can lead to microorganisms and spoilage.

 

[TallDan]

Definitely not burlap sacks. That’s not even good for unroasted coffee. When I get coffee in them, I put the burlap bag into a ziplock bag.

If you’re storing fresh roasted whole bean coffee for a few weeks, you want to minimize oxygen and light exposure and keep it at room temperature.

I use airscape containers and think they’re a pretty good option. I’ve also used mason jars (kept in a closet or cupboard out of the light).

If you’re storing roasted coffee for more than a few weeks, you may want to freeze it to preserve freshness. I’m not convinced that vacuum sealing is good for roasted coffee.

 

[whoaru99]

Anyone else vacuum sealing?

Yes. If I buy roasted beans I usually buy 5lb bags then break it down into 1lb lots, vacuum seal in bags with Food Saver, and freeze it.

When the operating supply is low I take a pound out of the freezer and leave it warm up overnight before opening the vacuum sealed bag.

Never had any condensation issues that way (but you will if you open the cold beans) and the beans stay in good condition.

I recommend that process for storage if one ends up with more roasted beans than they can use in a week or two.

 

[redrocker652002]

Thanks to all. Great info and things to consider. I will update my process for sure.

 

[Fixerman]

I usually don’t roast more than 1 to 1-½ lbs at a time. I put the whole beans in a glass jar with a loose lid for 24 hours or so to let them gas off. Then I tighten the lids.
I have been considering roasting a little bit more at a time and experimenting with vacuum sealing. I could use either glass jars, or the bags.
Anyone else vacuum sealing?

I've been vacuum sealing ground coffee for five years with excellent results. I buy three 2-lb bags of beans, grind them at the store then mix them up at home in a 5-gal food-grade bucket to create my own mix. I then vacuum seal them in bags holding 20 oz. I store them in a cabinet in the basement which stays at around 60 degrees year-round. It's just me drinking it, so by the time I get to the last bag the coffee it's over seven months old yet still remarkably fresh, with the seal as tight as when I bagged them.

I received a very nice grinder for Christmas, so I've started the same approach with whole beans instead of ground. After two and a half months, the bags with whole beans are still as tightly sealed as when I bagged them.

 

[MaxStout]

I've never had luck vac-sealing roasted coffee, whole bean or ground, as the outgassing swells up the bags. I just store them in plastic jars like this. The lids aren't airtight, so the gas won't build up.

 

[Fixerman]

I've never had luck vac-sealing roasted coffee, whole bean or ground, as the outgassing swells up the bags.

I don't doubt your experience, but it's odd. I've stored dozens of bags over five years and never had one swell up. Even seven months later they're still like bricks of coffee. Maybe because it was ground coffee, but then two months ago I vacuum sealed a couple of bags containing Starbucks Pike Place whole beans. I just checked them and there's no swelling whatsoever.

 

[MaxStout]

Store-bought beans were roasted weeks, if not months, before you buy them. They are way past the outgassing stage by then. The problem occurs when I would vac-seal beans I just roasted.

I only roast a pound or two each time and I go through them fairly quick. Gives me a reason to roast more often.

 

[whoaru99]

...duplicate reply removed...

 

[whoaru99]

Store-bought beans were roasted weeks, if not months, before you buy them. They are way past the outgassing stage by then.

The beans I've been getting have been roasted the same week I get them, some as recent as 3 days.

The do not outgas enough to soften the vac pak until I take them out of the freezer and they warm up for a day or two.

 

[govner1]

I buy whole bean coffee from Lavazza in 1 kilo bags. My wife found a special container from Airscape that holds a kilo and seals very nicely.

 

[Witherby]

I’m the only one drinking coffee in my house and only on the weekends or when I’m working from home but I still roast every other week, usually two different kinds and just a quarter pound of each. Like @Closet Fermenter I put the whole beans in a glass jar with a loose lid for 24 hours to let them gas off, then I tighten the lids. I’ll unseal them every few days just to get a blast of that beautiful aroma. I roast on the darker side and I find that they need a few days to before they are ready. But I am constantly roasting and drinking super fresh coffee. I can’t even buy beans from my local roaster anymore. Everything just seems like old coffee if it is more than a few weeks old.

This seems to follow the guidance from Sweet Maria’s, where I buy all my beans.

https://library.sweetmarias.com/storing-your-roasted-coffee/

 

[marc1]

The beans I've been getting have been roasted the same week I get them, some as recent as 3 days.

The do not outgas enough to soften the vac pak until I take them out of the freezer and they warm up for a day or two.

That's strange. When I roasted coffee, it would always off-gas. I'd let it breathe the night after roasting, and then put into mason jars with the lid screwed on. I'd have to burp them periodically or they would get pressurized. I've had the lid pop off with some force when opening if I had left it too long.
On a few occasions I would vacuum seal them, and the bags would swell up some over time.

 

[whoaru99]

On a few occasions I would vacuum seal them, and the bags would swell up some over time.

Mine will too, at room temp, but not while in the freezer. At least, anyway, not in the time I typically have them in the freezer.

Here's a two or three days after roasting light roast Rwanda. This pack has been in the freezer for 3-4 weeks. You can see it's "tight".

When I'm ready to use this pack I will let it warm to room temp. Overnight the bag will already have started to loosen up/puff up.

Personally, I find hard beans like Rwanda at light roast can take a long time to fully settle down/mature after roasting. To the point I sometimes hold off on freezing the bulk until I feel it's approaching peak tastiness, then freeze it then so when thawed out for use it's coming on peak.

 

[marc1]

Mine will too, at room temp, but not while in the freezer. At least, anyway, not in the time I typically have them in the freezer.

Here's a two or three days after roasting light roast Rwanda. This pack has been in the freezer for 3-4 weeks. You can see it's "tight".

When I'm ready to use this pack I will let it warm to room temp. Overnight the bag will already have started to loosen up/puff up.

Personally, I find hard beans like Rwanda at light roast can take a long time to fully settle down/mature after roasting. To the point I sometimes hold off on freezing the bulk until I feel it's approaching peak tastiness, then freeze it then so when thawed out for use it's coming on peak.

Neat! I wonder if it is a function of gas contracting from the cold temperatures or from slowing the off gassing reaction, or both?

 

[whoaru99]

I presume it's the cold slowing down the chemical reactions/processes.