|
Now that you know almost everything about coffee, you'd love to know for sure how you can store that wonderfully smelling bean you have just purchased from a local store. May be, in its original pack? In a tin, jar, ceramic or glass container? In a cupboard, in the freezer or fridge? Or may be even in the basement? (But that was just a joke, don't take it serious!). Be patient, you'll know very soon! Just don't make the fatal error which many do when see a coffee sale: don't buy coffee more than you're able to drink during 2 weeks. If you've already bought it, share it with anyone else who actually needs coffee more than you – family, friends or foes, neighbors or your colleagues. Remember that green beans store better and longer. But I doubt everyone is able or willing to buy such beans and even roast and grind them afterwards. They are also hard to find, that's why let's move to another option. Roasted beans. These are easy to find in every store and can be stored in such places as cupboards and freezers in vacuum pack, glass or ceramic containers (no tin or plastic which are able to damage your coffee beans by reacting with them). Tip #1: Do not store in a clear glass jar if don't have a dark place for that jar. Sun or light are one the coffee's worst enemies! Storing coffee in a glass container is possible only in the darkest cupboard available at your home. Tip #2: Don't buy more coffee supply than for 2 weeks only. If you see that this period has gone and you still have some coffee reserve, move it to the freezer. Tip #3: Remember that once you have put your coffee in the freezer, there's no such thing as defrosting anymore. If you decided to grind the freeze beans, grind them all and brew immediately. Their repeated freezing will result in a stale coffee anyway. Tip #4: Don't forget to pack your beans in an airtight bag or a ceramic container wrapped in several layers of some pellicle. It won't allow the outside flavors penetrate coffee and mix with its fragrance. Tip #5: Please remember that your fridge, in contrast to the freezer, is the worst coffee depot. It cannot provide such a cold as the freezer does and is much moister. And the moist is one of the worst enemies to your coffee beans, along with air, sun and heat. Tip #6: Don't even try to freeze ground coffee; it will go stale even quicker than the roasted bean because it as more surface area. And the last: Remember that coffee, as any natural product, has it expiration date and loses its fragrances and flavors much quicker when already roasted. So don't think that the expiration date specified by the manufacturer will solve the problem. It starts losing its fragrances soon after roasting. The best way to store your coffee is buying green beans and keeping them in the darkest place possible in a ceramic container. They can be kept there for almost a year, and you can always enjoy them, roasting and grinding at home. But taking into account that green beans are not always at hand as well as roasting at home is not always possible, just keep to the golden mean – buy and drink immediately!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coffee Storage
Coffee Storage
