Hello all, How do you store coffee benas after opening the bag while using it? I drink only espresso and i try to divide the 250gr bag in a daily dose of 50gr (my daily use) in 5 glass jard with lives. But the decay afer the second 50gr dose is very quickly, the aromatic is decidelly smalled. You have tried any solution? What do you use? Thanks and regards

I freeze 200g portions in coffee bags in the freezer and I take it straight out of the bag when I use them. Some people might say you increase the chance of condensation on the beans, but should be ok if you put them back in the freezer fast enough and take the air out of the bag before you put them back in (roll out the air then seal). To me they don't seem to decline at all by the time I use up the 200g.

Vac pack my beans in 100grms bags. Beans on the go are stored in Airscape containers.

I just keep them in the resealable bag and haven't noticed any negative effects while opening twice daily. Not saying there isn't a negative, just that my taste buds don't notice it. I recently finished a 1kg bag that I just folded over and put a clip on it. I'm glad I'm not an aficionado as saving me investing further in storage and arguing over counter space with the wife haha.

@"Sham"#p15155 Yes. but now i ask about the beans in use, not for stock. > @"Systemic"#p15156 stored in Airscape container I do not know, now i surf on the web for inforamtion, Thanks!

@"darkstefano"#p15172 My comment was about the beans I use. I use the frozen beans straight away. No need to defrost really.

@"Sham"#p15173 ah, is interesting this. Thanks for thought.

> @"darkstefano"#p15172 I do not know, now i surf on the web for inforamtion, Thanks! Quite a few retailers sell Airscape containers - Bella Barista being one. BB also have other vac container options which are cheaper than Airscapes.

@"darkstefano"#p15152 I store the coffee in the bag it comes in. If it has a valve I seal it with tape. The flavours change but the coffee doesn't deteriorate for over a month. If the flavour isn't particularly complex to begin with maybe it'll be flat and dull much faster. When I roast my own I store it in two 500g bags. They're fine for a month or two, with the first signs of rancidity after about 4 months.

I have a three step system. Step One: I use the normal zip lock one way valve bag so long as I am going to get through the bag within 10 days of opening. Otherwise I go to Step Two. Step Two: I vacuum seal 18g doses into recyclable pouches once the beans are at peak flavor (10 to 21 days post roast, depending on the roast depth) see https://youtu.be/qiEBU36bHOY Step Three; If I can't use the packets from Step Two within 4 weeks I freeze them where they will stay good for up to five months. If I use a frozen vacuum sealed pouch then I grind frozen because that produces a far superior espresso to grinding a defrosted bean.

The problem with zip lock bags or airscape type containers is that every time they are opened, fresh air goes in and that's one of the two biggest enemies of freshness, the other being light. Not to say they should not be used but if you want fresh beans beyond ten days then it's probably best to store your beans in smaller bags or containers so they are used within ten days of opening for the first time.

How to store the coffee beans during usage?

Norvin

I have five ziplock bags (with a one way valve) of roasted beans at any one time. The daily use beans are kept in an Airscape. When the Airscape is empty, the bag at the front of the cupboard is emptied into it. I then roast 250g of green beans in the Gene Cafe, this produces about 210g of roast beans, which then go in the bag, which is then put to the back of the stack. The front one is always used to restock the Airscape. The rotation ensures that it takes about 10 days from roasting to when the bag is used. We use about 100g per day so the beans are never in the Airscape for more than two days. If I wanted to increase the resting time I could use more bags, fewer bags for a shorter time. The bags last a very long time, I bought about 25 of them years ago an still have a lot left.

I have used this system for a few years now, it ensures that the beans have been rested about 10 days before use.

darkstefano

it’s all very interesting.

@LMSC what is your experience?

LMSC

I am still freezing in the bags they get delivered. Two weeks of rest, seal the one-way valve, and it is good for 3 - 4 months. After 3 months, the coffee is still good; but, we need to grind really finer;
otherwise, It may still pour faster or may channel. Say, 3 months is the max if we store in the coffee bag.

We have an airscape. We don’t use them; it is useless as we open the container at least 4-6 times a day. We are therefore splitting 500g at a time to freeze 100g each in an airtight jam jar. This lasts for 1.5 days for 6 cups. We alway draw a dose from this jar, put the jar back in the freezer and grind straight frozen. The decaf is also stored frozen. The 100g decaf jar will last 3 days for 6 cups.

I haven’t gone down the vac route yet! Thx

simonc

I am sure I should know this but…. I’ve frozen unopened bags and let them defrost over night before opening. I have my decaf in the freezer that I grind from frozen.

I recently got an over supply of beans and had to put an open bag in the freezer. Can I get that out and defrost over night or does that risk moisture? Should I just leave in the freezer?

thanks all

LMSC

simonc I recently got an over supply of beans and had to put an open bag in the freezer. Can I get that out and defrost over night or does that risk moisture? Should I just leave in the freezer?

Every one does it differently. Our orders are always a few KGs each weighing 1 KG. After resting them for 2-3 weeks, they all go in the freezer.

Pierce the bag closer to the one-way valve, , get the air out, put a sticky tape and freeze.
If we need beans, transfer 100g in 3 Jam Jars, re-seal the bag, and keep all of them in the freezer. This approach works very well for us.
You can also buy a vac sealer.

dfk41

I am no scientist, but I thought when you freeze something it is the water within the molecules that freezes. Since there ought to be little or no water within a coffee bean, what exactly are you freezing?

LMSC

dfk41 One needs to be careful when you ask questions like this mate! 😁

I’m no scientist either. Like Vac, which is better, freezing is expected to keep the beans fresher a little longer. I think there are views, which do not recommend freezing for reasons of dampness, smells from other foods or any exposed moisture, if any, causing a surface level hairline fracture on the beans.

It works for some and it may not for others! 😁

dutchy101

I tend to buy beans in kilos. After a week of resting, I split them into 250g bags, squeeze out the air and then sellotape over the valves. I usually through 250g into the Airscape and then 3 × 250g bags go into a plastic zip lock bag which I squeeze out as much air as possible from before sticking in the freezer.

I take a bag out and leave it to defrost overnight in the bag I froze it in before putting into the Airscape. At the moment, the beans seem to have defrosted after a few hours.

Systemic

This might be an interesting read

https://www.home-barista.com/store-coffee-in-freezer-details.html

Note the beans weren’t rested before placing in the freezer. Also note the freezer temp was possibly higher than most domestic freezer ranges minus (10c-15c) as opposed to the test freezer temp of up to circa minus 20c.

Systemic

What the above testing didn’t address is whether frozen beans, once brought back to room temp, age more quickly than non-frozen beans. I have, in the dark recesses of my memory, some nugget that tells me they do. Anyone else able to shed light on this?

Also note, the test period for frozen samples was four to eight weeks max.

dfk41

VAcuum packed beans. I often leave mine 4 weeks before sealing them and leave them upto a couple of months. Initially they are fine but they do age faster

LMSC

A paper published in Nature in 2016. It finds beans ground from cold is better than at room temperature; but, this finding is related to beans stored in liquid nitrogen and ice. There isn’t anything on the frozen beans. Another caveat is the experiment is done just on 4 bags of beans making the outcome statistically unreliable in IMHO.

https://www.nature.com/articles/srep24483.pdf

@MWJB may have already come across this paper.

DavecUK

LMSC A paper published in Nature in 2016. It finds beans ground from cold is better than at room temperature; but, this finding is related to beans stored in liquid nitrogen and ice. There isn’t anything on the frozen beans. Another caveat is the experiment is done just on 4 bags of beans making the outcome statistically unreliable in IMHO.

I remember this from years ago and instead of cold beans being harder to grind, in many cases they were more brittle, although I’m not sure this holds true for very light roasted beans.

My primary concern with anything that comes out of the freezer is condensation/smells…if it’s been completely sealed and then allowed to come up to temperature before opening, then it should be OK..but I’m not 100% sure. I am 100% sure opening the back whilst frozen can cause moisture to condense onto the beans and I assume thaty’s not going to be fantastic for the grinder?

My secondary concerns are around freezing oils and fats altering their structure in the coffee, the effect on volatiles and very cold coffee in the portafilter.

LMSC

DavecUK My primary concern with anything that comes out of the freezer is condensation/smells…

This can be taken care of by sealing it properly and grinding at room temperature. This also alleviates any impact on the grinder.

DavecUK My secondary concerns are around freezing oils and fats altering their structure in the coffee, the effect on volatiles and very cold coffee in the portafilter.

This would be my chief concern as it might impact the taste and flavour. One needs to experiment and measure the yield with and without grinding from frozen. Of course, even if the yield is higher when grinding from frozen, it doesn’t guarantee it will taste better.

The Nature paper finds a more uniform particle size distribution when the beans are ground colder than otherwise. As I wrote before, I don’t trust this experiment for reasons of a severe small sampling bias and not relevant as they did not test the beans when frozen!

DavecUK

LMSC This can be taken care of by sealing it properly and grinding at room temperature. This also alleviates any impact on the grinder.

I agree, although I do worry about some biodegradeable/compostable bags…certain materials don’t form a great barrier.

simonc

Wow that’s all. So I think @DavecUK confirms the moisture condensing is whilst thawing so I’ll let defrost before opening.

As for quality, they won’t last that long and I think my skill is a bigger influence than a few days of slightly faster aging!

LMSC

simonc my skill is a bigger influence than a few days of slightly faster aging!

As long as you don’t buy a few KGs like some of us, I guess! 😂

simonc

LMSC no. I buy a small bag or 2 at a time.

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