Storing Your Coffee Beans

 

Since coffee is a perishable food item, it is important to store your coffee beans properly before using them, if you want to make the best cup of coffee possible with the beans that you have. 

In order to make the highest-quality cup of coffee, it is best to store your beans whole and grind them at home as you need them. Beans purchased in airtight (or vacuum-packed) bags will last for weeks or even months if unopened and stored at room temperature. Once the beans have been exposed to air, they should ideally be used within two weeks. Therefore, it is a good idea to buy your coffee on a regular basis, only as you need it. 

When a bag of beans has been opened (or if the beans were purchased from an open bin at a specialty coffee shop), it should be stored in the freezer in an airtight container. They will remain fresh for a month or more. You can then take two weeks’ worth of beans out of the freezer as you need them. 

These beans should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or at about 60°F. (In warmer climates, they should be stored in the refrigerator.) Ground coffee should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature (or in the refrigerator, depending on the climate), and for maximum freshness, it should be consumed within two weeks. 

There are two basic types of coffee that we will be using in this book: brewed coffee and espresso. Brewed coffee generally involves running hot water through coffee grounds, although it can be made using a coldwater process as well. Most brewed coffee is made with light- or medium-roast coffee, or with a dark roast like Viennese or French. 

Espresso coffee describes not only the darkest roast of coffee bean (which is most often used for making espresso), but also the technique for making this type of coffee. Making espresso generally involves running hot water rapidly through finely ground espresso beans. This produces a small cup (or demitasse) of extremely strong-tasting coffee that usually needs to be sweetened with at least a little bit of sugar.