Coffee And Toffee

Coffee storage myths - Freezing your fresh roasted coffee and other popular misconceptions.

Once your favorite coffee was just right and then it started tasting like mud, no matter how you fixed it. Something went wrong with it. Even bought fresh it just doesn’t have the good strong crisp flavor anymore. What went wrong? It is the coffee and how you store it is the major factor.

To buy canned coffee at the supermarket will cost an arm and a leg these days and it is still nasty. So you think it is time for that fancy coffee maker and a good coffee grinder. Some of those coffee makers already have the grinder built into it. Along with that fancy coffee maker you buy a couple pounds of the best Arabica coffee beans in the world.

You get that fancy coffee maker all set up and open the coffee beans. The wonderful aroma waffles up to your nostrils and you feel like you’re in coffee heaven. The next thing you do is put some coffee beans into the grinder. The mad scientist will come out of you as you play with every bell and whistle there is. Finally you get to sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Smooth and strong, just the way it should be. No more standing in long lines and paying a ton of money for a good cup of Joe.

All that coffee you ground will go into a good holder and pop it in the freezer or refrigerator just like mom told you to do. This is the biggest mistake you can make with those coffee beans and freshly ground coffee.

You might as well go back to the supermarket and buy that old yucky coffee they sell. Even the top brands of coffee do not taste right any more. So you have wasted all that time not to say money. If coffee beans are not treated well and kindly, they will ‘spoil’. Storing the coffee in a dry, dark place is the best place. Store it away from heat is good as well. Moisture will ruin the coffee beans or freshly ground coffee in a heart beat.

Let’s get a few things straight, coffee is porous. If put in the freezer; it will absorb all of the smells and moisture in your freezer. No matter what kind of container it is in. the moisture will rob the coffee of the entire flavor. So do not put coffee in the freezer. When good coffee is roasted, the oils and essences are released; that is why the beans are so shiny. Freezing coffee beans will break down the oils and then again, it will taste like your freezer. Not good.

Just buy good quality fresh roasted whole bean coffee directly from the coffee people if possible. Look for those valve-sealed bags, not vacuum sealed. Store in a dark place and grind just enough beans for one pot of coffee. Brew, drink and savor it.