Freshness is the key to coffee’s full and robust taste. As soon as coffee beans are roasted, ground and packaged there is a window of time in which you can enjoy the brew’s full flavour profile. At Corporate Coffee Solutions, we believe life is too short to put up with a bad cup of coffee, so we’ve put together some tips and tricks to help protect the freshness and flavour of your coffee. Keep reading to find out more!
How long does coffee actually last?
Once they are cracked, ground and brewed, it is crucial that you drink your coffee within two weeks. If you’re drinking a certain type of coffee on a regular basis, it is best to buy enough for two weeks’ worth at one time in order to prevent any staleness. Ground beans lose flavour and aroma at an accelerated rate. The longer you store them the less flavourful they will become.
How to keep coffee fresh
Here are a few ways that you can make sure your coffee is as fresh as possible:
- Keep them in an airtight container
The best place to keep coffee is in an airtight container, which keeps the beans at the ideal temperature of 6-12°C, which helps ensure they stay fresh for about five to six weeks.
- Keep spare beans in their packaging
If you find yourself buying more than one bag of coffee at a time, it’s handy to store them in their original packaging so that they maintain their aroma. Coffee bags with one zipper style seal are best for keeping the freshness in.
- Store them in the freezer
You can also keep your coffee in the freezer, although it needs to be wrapped to prevent freezer burn. When you need to take some out, just remove it from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for an hour before brewing. - Use a vacuum sealer
If you don’t have any good-quality airtight containers on hand, another option is to try vacuum sealing your coffee. This is a great option for long-term storage, and it can keep your coffee fresh for up to a year. However, be sure to keep your vacuum sealed coffee in the packaging you received it in so that it maintains as much of its flavour and aroma as possible.
In short, the key to extending the shelf life of your coffee is to keep it in a sealed container and away from food and moisture.
What to do if my coffee has gone stale?
If you’re worried your coffee may have gone stale, there’s no need to panic – there are things you can do to boost its freshness. First of all, don’t reheat your coffee with boiling water as the heat can burn the grounds and tarnish the flavour even more – you need to introduce heat slowly. Instead, try microwaving it in short 25-second increments to help prevent the grounds from burning.
So there you have it, a few simple tips on how to keep your coffee fresh and flavourful for longer! If you don’t settle for anything less than the best beans, make sure you check our coffee range through our online store, and don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more updates from Corporate Coffee Solutions.