For many years, coffee has been considered one of the most popular drinks around the world. However, in order to make the perfect cup of coffee with an exquisite taste and invigorating aroma, it is very important to use only high-quality natural grains. That is why it is important for drink lovers to know how to store coffee beans at home in order to prevent loss of taste and aroma. Often, it is precisely the non-observance of the temperature regime and humidity level that leads to the fact that coffee simply loses all its taste, which forces it to throw an expensive product into the trash can. This article will talk about how to store coffee beans after opening the package so that the drink obtained from them delights for a long time.
Storage time
Before you begin to consider the question of how to store coffee beans, you should find out what is the maximum shelf life for this product. Most often in Russia, grain coffee is sold in closed factory packaging, so it’s easy to find out their expiration date, because it is indicated on the back. Typically, you can use a similar product for 2-4 years, since it is in a clogged form. But after the pack was opened, most manufacturers do not recommend using grains to make a drink for longer than one month. Although if there is a check valve on the package, then the period may stretch for a couple of months.
Storage Features
Those who are interested in how to properly store coffee beans should know that it is absolutely forbidden to leave it in open or poorly closed packaging. In this case, the grains will deteriorate very quickly, and there will be no possibility to use them further. That is why the best option would be to cut a small corner of the packaging with scissors. Thus, after pouring the right amount of grain, you can easily wrap the pack back. By the way, before you start wrapping it, it is best to first release all the air from the package, since the vacuum environment will increase the shelf life.
However, the best option for storing coffee grains at home is to pour them into an airtight jar. It can be from any material - plastic, wood, glass. The main thing is the presence of a sealed cover that will not allow air to pass through.
The best packaging
On the question of how to store coffee beans at home, an important place is given to storage tanks, since it is the wrong choice of containers that causes the beans to spoil very quickly. Therefore, if you are a coffee lover, then before buying, be sure to inspect the entire range of the store and make a decision taking into account the available cash. In this case, be sure to pay attention to the presence of a rubber or silicone ring on the lid, since it prevents the escape of aroma and air.
Types of tanks
Now in stores you can find many different cute jars that will not only allow you to properly store grain coffee, but also decorate the interior. The most successful packaging options are:
- Glass jars are a good and relatively cheap option for storing coffee. Their tightness does not allow moisture to penetrate into the container, which allows the grains to be stored for a long time.
- A metal container will not be the most successful option, since it has a low tightness. At the same time, beans will easily absorb extraneous odors, which are very many in the kitchen. As a result, the taste of the drink will be greatly spoiled.
- It is also best to refuse plastic cans for those who are interested in how to store coffee beans, since it easily absorbs the specific smell of plastic. And the complete lack of tightness leads to the fact that other aromas, moisture and even air penetrate into the coffee beans.
- Ceramic container, in turn, will be an excellent option in order to properly store coffee. In addition, they have a very beautiful aesthetic appearance. The only negative here is that it is very difficult to find a ceramic product with a sealed lid, and if you find it, then such a jar will be expensive.
- Wooden boxes can only be used as a decorative element; for long-term storage of coffee beans, they are simply impractical, because they easily get air and moisture due to low tightness.
Storage locations
It is very important to store coffee beans not only in the right capacity, but also in an ideal place. Especially in cases where the jar is transparent, because in this case, sunlight can lead to a change in the structure of beans and a deterioration in their taste. So coffee can only be stored on open shelves when grains are placed on them in opaque ceramic and glass jars. But even in this case, the best option would be to use closed kitchen cabinets away from windows, stoves or sinks. In addition, it is best to keep the jar away from other products, especially if they also have a strong aroma, as this can lead to a mixture of aromas.
Useful Tips
It is very important to follow some rules in how to store coffee beans to prevent loss of taste and increase shelf life. Here are a few of them:
- Separate coffee into different containers. Now there really is a huge number of species and varieties of coffee beans from different countries, and they vary greatly in taste and aroma. It is in order that the aromas do not mix and do not spoil the authentic taste, it is required to fill each type of coffee in a separate jar and keep it tightly closed.
- Keep your coffee storage area away from direct ultraviolet rays, steam, temperature and humidity. In this situation, storing grains away from the sink, windowsill, or batteries will be the best solution. The most optimal place will be where there is natural ventilation.
The consequences of improper storage
In fact, it is very important for drink lovers to know how to store coffee beans. If you violate the above rules, various factors may appear that affect the quality of the product and worsen the taste of the drink:
- In contact with air, the oxidation of grains begins: the oily fractions responsible for the taste of the drink are split.
- The gradual disappearance of aroma over time leads to the fact that the taste of coffee becomes musty and tasteless.
- When absorbing excess moisture, mold forms on the grains, which is no longer possible to get rid of. All this provokes further decomposition of beans.
- Over time, if stored improperly, coffee grains become more dense. After the preparation of the drink, it acquires an acidic aroma, and a disgusting taste forms on the surface of the foam.
Conclusion
In those cases, if you want to pamper yourself with excellent coffee regularly, it is very important to store it correctly. Carefully select the appropriate storage container and place it in the right place to prevent mixing or volatilization of aromas. Coffee is a very moody drink, so spoiling the grains is quite easy, violating at least one of the rules, and the consequences will be very serious and will lead to the need to throw away the entire supply of grains.