When it comes to buying beans, it’s important to have a few measures in place to ensure the longevity of your coffee, so you can enjoy it for longer (and justify expanding your collection to a few different options…). Whether it’s your favourite everyday espresso blend, or a limited edition, avant-garde processed single origin that you save for special occasions, you can make a few easy upgrades to optimise your home brewing experience. 

Where should you store your freshly roasted beans?

Making a few inexpensive adjustments at home can make your beans not only last longer, but taste better. The taste of your beans will drastically change over time after being roasted; freshly roasted coffee will contain a higher quantity of CO2, which will naturally disperse a few days later. Whilst some gas remaining in the beans will keep the flavour full and the coffee shelf stable, grinding and then using these whole beans right away may create small bubbles whilst brewing, thus causing unpredictable variables during extraction and an unpleasant tasting coffee.

It’s best to allow your freshly roasted coffee to rest in the bag you bought it in for at least a week post roast, as usually the bag will have been made with a gas releasing valve that is suitable for not just letting those beans degas gradually, but also not allowing any air in, thus preserving their taste. Whilst this is incredibly effective to facilitate the resting period, once the bag has been opened, the punchiest taste notes of your coffee may start to diminish; coffee is porous, and will try and absorb any moisture or scent around it, so how do we avoid that? 

Airtight, always

The most efficient way of getting the most out of your beans for longer is storing them inside an opaque, airtight container at room temperature. Say you’re using a home machine with a built-in hopper; if you aren’t getting through that full hopper within a few days, I would recommend manually dosing the weight of your beans, as keeping them in the hopper will influx too much air and light, making the beans very stale, very quickly.

Direct sunlight will kill your coffee, as too much exposure to light can lead to a break down in the chemical composition of the beans, further oxidization and generally degrading the condition of the coffee. To avoid this, I would recommend an opaque container, and should you not find one, prioritise an airtight latched container, whether it's ceramic, glass, plastic or metal. Keeping your tub at the back of a dark cupboard will at least protect excessive light exposure, preserving the quality of your coffee for longer.

Here at Wogan, you’re welcome to bring in your own container and we’ll be happy to fill up how much you need and give you a little discount. So, you’ll not only be keeping your beans the best way and saving some plastic from being used, you’ll also be saving some money! 

Freezer vs Cupboard

Some say that keeping your beans in the freezer is the best way to store them, whereas some say that it’s the worst way. There are pros and cons to both arguments; the nature of freezing something perishable can obviously be positive, and I would recommend this with ground coffee; if you’re buying your coffee pre-ground, unfortunately the taste is going to be affected much quicker as that aggressive release of CO2 from grinding is going to start diminishing the taste of your coffee. Dosing your coffee this way and using it straight away is a convenient and effective way of brewing your coffee, especially if you have multiple different bags.

However, I would argue this is only ideal if you plan on using the whole amount of coffee in 3-4 weeks, any longer you risk too much moisture absorbing into the coffee and leaving it stale and unpleasant to drink. Regarding whole beans, again it comes down to the risk of interacting with water; as soon as you remove the beans from the freezer, they will produce condensation, which will eventually influence the extraction of your brew. Generally, it’s advisable to keep your coffee dry, at room temp and settled. 

Look after your beans

Specialty coffee is special, and to reduce waste and celebrate it, it’s smart to look after the beans you choose buy. If you’re not getting through your supply so quickly or want to have a few options at home, you can always vary the size of bag you buy. Make sure to enjoy your coffee quickly, as shortly after it’s been rested it will start to lose its abundant flavour and aroma. At the end of the day, it is there to be enjoyed, so enjoy it! (And don’t forget, if you bring your own container to our shop, you can save 20p on each purchase, so investing in airtight containers is a win-win!)

Blog written by Megan from the Wogan Brew Bar.