There’s no worse feeling than after splurging on a kilo of your favourite coffee beans only to find when making a cup and discover it to be stale.

Fortunately, you can prevent this.

Coffee beans contain oils that imparts a distinctive aroma and flavour. When these oils break down, the freshness is compromised.

Four Key Factors That Age Coffee Beans

Air: Exposure to oxygen causes the oils in the coffee beans to oxidize quickly, which makes the bean quickly lose their flavours, aromas, and taste.

Light: Exposing beans to light or sunlight will cause the surface oils to spoil.

Moisture: coffee beans, whether roasted or green, are hygroscopic, which means that they will absorb moisture from the air or anything else around them. Most of the flavours and the caffeine in roasted coffee are soluble in water, so exposure to moisture will degrade the quality of your espresso.

Heat: Temperatures above 25 degrees will speed up the ageing process of coffee, bringing the oils to the surface quicker and escalates the release rate of carbon dioxide.

Now you know these 4 foes that attack the freshness of your beans, let's look at how best to attack them head on.

Ground coffee begins to lose its aromatics and flavour in as little as one day without storing it correctly.

Whole beans start to lose flavour in as few as ten days to two weeks.
Use your coffee beans within 4-6 weeks after the day they have been roasted. Or within the first 2 weeks if you purchase ground coffee.

Buy small quantities regularly. Purchase what you would use in 2-4 weeks to ensure your beans are fresh and you are producing flavourful coffee.

The fridge is not a good place for coffee storage

Many people think that storing beans in the refrigerator will keep them nice and fresh.

The refrigerator does not offer the correct humidity for your coffee.
Coffee beans are porous, meaning they absorb smells, so they can take on odours from your fridge.

Both of these conditions will ruin the taste of your product.

Not in the Freezer either

The last thing we want is moisture in our coffee beans, as this will destroy the flavour.

Don't store your beans in a clear canister or container

Clear containers being displayed with your coffee beans may look good, however light of any sort is your enemy for your coffee beans.

Select an airtight container and one with a CO2 release valve

Choose a canister with a lid that seals tightly to keep out any air leaks. This will help keep your beans fresh for an extended period of time

Fresh coffee beans release carbon dioxide after roasting. The accumulation of CO2 can fundamentally affect brewing, making it challenging to get enjoyable coffee. To appreciate the maximum flavour of freshly roasted coffee, one needs to conserve the coffee's aroma and allow the discharge of carbon dioxide from the beans. Our coffee canisters are fitted with one one-way CO2 release valve, letting the C02 escape.

You will find many coffee bags that you buy from your grocery store or a coffee roaster will have these valves in the bags.

Store your coffee at room temperature

The best place for your beans to be stored is in the pantry in an airtight container.

Purchase whole beans, not ground coffee

Purchase whole beans and not pre-ground coffee for maximum freshness. Don’t pre-grind for long-term coffee storage. Grind it as you use it for maximum flavour.

Top up your hopper regularly. Most hoppers on grinders are not airtight, so keep your beans stored correctly and top up your hopper each day.

Check the Roasted date or best before date

Your coffee should have a “brew by” or “use by” or "best before" date stamped on the back or bottom. Check that before you leave the store, and abide by it. Check the grocer’s shelf to find a date with the furthest-away brew by date.

The Barista House range of Coffee Canisters ticks all the boxes to keep your Coffee fresh.