Keeping It Fresh

Start with quality, fresh roasted coffee beans.  It’s not enough just to buy whole coffee beans and put them in an air-tight container. If the coffee is not fresh…..it’s all for naught. We highly recommend that you start with coffee you know was truly fresh roasted, like Café del Mundo.  Purchase only what you are going to use within 10 days….the less time you keep it, the better.

A note on freezing;  I realize there are many people out there that think freezing is the best way to store coffee…..not me!!  Let me ask you, if you are having friends from outside Alaska over for a nice summer barbeque and you are want to impress them with an Alaska King Salmon or maybe a Copper River Red…are you going to buy it fresh or frozen?  How about blueberries or strawberries, fresh or frozen? Why should coffee be any different??  Think about it, you have a choice….you can buy smaller amounts of coffee, spend less money and have a fresh cup of coffee every time.

Below are the opinions of what others have to say on the subject;

National Coffee Association (USA): http://www.ncausa.org It is important not to refrigerate or freeze your daily supply of coffee because contact with moisture will cause it to deteriorate.  Instead, store coffee in air-tight glass or ceramic containers and keep it in a convenient, but dark and cool, location.

Bellissimo Coffee Info Group: http://espresso101.com We do not recommend refrigerating or freezing coffee. We think cold storage is not advisable for several good reasons:  First, after coffee is roasted, it needs to de-gas and age naturally. While freezing and refrigeration will make the coffees last longer, this type of storage will alter the natural aging of the coffee and change its chemistry.

Coffee Universe: http://coffeeuniverse.com We do not recommend storing beans in a refrigerator, because coffee tends to absorb flavors. Freezing coffee beans can also have a damaging effect, and is not recommended, unless the beans must be stored for a prolonged period of time.