How To Store Coffee Beans + Tips For Freezing Them

You’ve got a luscious bag of freshly roasted coffee beans. You’ve nailed the grind, timing, and ratio to brew a delicious cup. How do you enjoy that perfect fresh flavor for as long as possible? You store your coffee beans properly.

Coffee is perishable. It might not go rotten in a way that makes you sick, but it gets stale or rancid in a way that ruins its great taste. Don’t let that happen to you! I’m here to guide you through the best (and worst) ways to keep your coffee fresher longer.

How To Store Your Coffee To Keep It Fresh

We often say that the greatest enemies of fresh coffee are oxygen, heat, light, and moisture. These facilitate increased oxidation, a chemical reaction that degrades the taste and aroma of your specialty coffee (1). The best way to store coffee beans is to limit their exposure to these conditions.

Store Beans In A Coffee Bag

One readily available solution is an opaque coffee bag with a one-way valve. This is standard retail packaging for most high-quality coffee beans. Coffee bags are designed with a gas-release valve that allows carbon dioxide to escape as the coffee naturally degasses without letting oxygen in.

If your coffee’s original packaging isn’t suitable, you can buy the bags online or in some grocery stores. They are the most affordable storage solution for coffee at home.

When the time comes to store it till the next brew, don’t just close the bag; roll it tightly to remove as much air as possible. If the bag isn’t resealable, wrap an elastic band around it to keep it closed and minimize the air that enters. 

Store the bag somewhere cool and dry, like a cupboard. Avoid cupboards above the stove, espresso machine, toaster, or another heat source.

Level-Up With A Coffee Canister

The U.S. National Coffee Association USA recommends an airtight, opaque container for storing coffee beans (2). This can be as simple as a repurposed cookie tin, but the crop of purpose-built coffee storage containers currently on the market offers a significant step up.

Most coffee canisters have one-way valves. But the best containers are designed with simple pumping mechanisms that allow you to completely remove air from the canister. These vacuum containers, like the popular Fellow Atmos, can dramatically extend the life of your coffee beans. I’ve kept coffee in mine for up to 6 weeks without a noticeable loss of flavor.

Keep your container in a cool, dry place that isn’t exposed to temperature variations.

Can You Freeze Coffee Beans?

Yes, you can freeze your coffee beans. Indeed, the freezer is ideal for long-term storage. But it’s crucial that you do it right to maintain coffee freshness and flavor.

Coffee is hygroscopic (3). That means it easily absorbs moisture from its surroundings. If its surroundings happen to be the lasagna you froze last week, your next brew runs the risk of having notes of ground beef and tomato in the aroma – probably not what you’re after.

The most important thing when storing your beans in your freezer is wrapping them well. The best option is to vacuum seal coffee in small batches, enough for one or two weeks, but this isn’t necessarily practical. A close second is to place the coffee bag inside a Ziploc bag and do your best to suck all the air out of the Ziploc before freezing.

Write the date on the bag so you know when it went in the freezer, and leave it frozen until you need more coffee.

The other key is to only freeze your coffee once. Constantly taking it in and out of the freezer ages the coffee. Thawing coffee in air causes condensation to form on the beans’ surface. If you put them back in the freezer after opening, the condensation leads to that awful freezer-burn flavor.

When you take the coffee beans out of the freezer, let them come to room temperature before opening the bag. That will prevent condensation from forming on the beans, as well as the odors and risk of mold and mildew that come with it.

Does freezing coffee beans change their flavor?

You don’t need to worry that freezing will change your coffee’s flavor. It is actually the best way to preserve the flavor of good-quality coffee fresh from the roaster. However, that assumes you freeze your beans correctly, as outlined above, to avoid absorbing unwanted flavors.

Can you grind frozen coffee beans?

You can grind your coffee beans straight from the freezer without damaging the coffee’s flavor or your grinder. A 2016 research study actually found that grinding frozen beans yielded a more uniform grind size distribution (4). Some specialty shops intentionally freeze their coffee for a few hours before grinding to take advantage of those results.

Should You Store Coffee Beans In The Fridge?

You should never keep your beans in the fridge. Unlike the freezer, the temperature isn’t low enough to preserve the coffee’s freshness. And there is substantially more moisture and aromas in your fridge to seep into your coffee. Plus, the average person opens their fridge about 15 times a day, meaning the temperature inside the fridge fluctuates much more than in the freezer or a cupboard (5).

How To Store Coffee Grounds

Ground coffee loses freshness much faster than whole bean coffee due to its higher surface area. So it’s even more important to protect it from air, light, heat, and moisture. That’s why we generally recommend you buy whole beans and only grind them when you’re ready to brew.

However, there are times when pre-ground is undeniably practical. In this case, keep it in a dedicated coffee storage container and try to buy smaller batches that you can use in one to two weeks.

Should I store ground coffee in the freezer?

Ground coffee can be stored in the freezer. Just as with whole coffee beans, it is the best option for long-term storage. But you’ll need to follow the same rules – even more stringently. Don’t take it in and out of the freezer, and ensure it is well-sealed in an airtight container or bag.

Final Thoughts

The absolute best way to keep beans fresh for up to a month is in an airtight coffee storage canister. Kept in a cool, dry location, it provides the most protection against oxygen, heat, light, and moisture. For longer-term storage, keep coffee beans in the freezer, ensuring they are well-sealed to protect them from unwanted freezer aromas.

Now you know how to store coffee so you’ll never again experience the disappointment of a stale cup of joe. Hooray!