Do This to Keep Your Extra Coffee Fresh for Longer, According to Pros

As it turns out, it’s not sustainable for me as an adult to crush four to six cups of coffee a day like I used to. That’s why my current routine involves a simple, thoughtful pour-over brew when I wake up. But while it’s good to consume coffee in moderation, that can mean it takes longer to get through bags of coffee beans, which raises the issue of what to do when you wind up with more excellent, fresh coffee than you can drink within its window of maximum freshness.

Whether you’re bringing back terrific beans from Copenhagen or just wanting to save a special single-origin roast from your weekly subscription for another time, freezing coffee beans can be an excellent way to go — and I’ve noticed a lot of people doing it lately. (We even conducted a deep dive recently into the topic.) Since I often find myself having too many bags of great beans — I’m a Counter Culture subscriber and frequent Onyx Coffee Lab orderer, and I love trying new beans when I travel — I decided to see whether getting into freezing beans was for me. So I talked to some experts and found that, after getting the right tools, it’s something I can master.

For tips on freezing coffee, I talked to a couple of professionals. First, I connected with World Barista Championship winner Heather Perry, the CEO of Klatch Coffee and former chair of the Barista Guild of America. “Freezing coffee is a good short-term solution for preserving small quantities of your specialty coffee,” she said. “Specialty coffee isn’t always the most affordable, so of course you want your coffee to last. With oxidation as a fact of life, you need to take preventative measures to ensure your coffee can last longer.” 

Indeed, oxidation is what causes coffee to begin drying out and dialing back its finer qualities (like flavor and aroma). That process starts as soon as coffee is exposed to oxygen. That’s why if you’re not planning to consume your coffee within a few weeks, you should find a way to stop its exposure to oxygen. This is where vacuum sealers come in — and one from our favorite brand is currently on sale.

Inkbird Vacuum Sealer Machine with 4 Vacuum Sealer Rolls

According to Perry, by using a vacuum sealer, you can store your beans in a bag with no oxygen and place them in a temperature-controlled area that will keep things from going bad too quickly, at least for several months. 

However, vacuum-sealing beans isn’t a guaranteed method, and you should still be careful about handling the beans before putting them through the coffee grinder. “Vacuum sealing only works until the seal is broken, and freezing works in the same way — once the coffee defrosts, it should be used quickly,” says Stephen Welch, buyer and Coffee Development Manager at Pret a Manger. According to Welch, refreezing your coffee after removing it from the cold can lead to cellular damage and extra moisture, which detract from the coffee’s ultimate flavor. “Feel free to freeze or seal your coffee, but treat it more like a wine cellar,” he says. “These are the coffees you’re saving for a special occasion to break out when the time is right.”

Perry explained further that when beans revert to a warm state, they absorb the built-up condensation. “Moisture will ruin the important oils in your beans that keep the flavor of your coffee. And, if you leave your now defrosted coffee outside of this cold environment, you are now allowing the possibility of mold to build up!” she says. Therefore, she recommends either using all of the coffee quickly once it’s taken out of the freezer or storing larger batches by pre-portioning the beans before freezing.

In the end, there are a lot of variables with coffee that make it challenging (but totally worth it) to brew that perfect cup. But if you have too much of the good stuff and want to enjoy it while it’s fresh, using a high-quality vacuum sealer and then freezing it is a good way to extend its life.

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