Should You Freeze Coffee Beans?

There are many different suggested ways to store coffee beans in order to make the most of your bean to cup espresso machine and maintain coffee bean freshness. One method which we often hear is that of putting the Coffee Beans in the freezer So does storing coffee in your freezer actually work Let’s look at the pros and cons.

Freezing is a traditional method used to preserve food and in todays modern kitchen with a fridge or freezer it is easy and convenient Most food types can be frozen Bread, meat, fruits, vegetables and even butter can be successfully stored in your freezer. Unfortunately Coffee does not on the face of it have the characteristics of an item that would be suitable for freezing

Coffee Beans have four main enemies against freshness: air, heat, light and moisture.

At first, freezing doesn’t seem to contain many of the offending enemies. However, appearances can be deceiving.

Coffee beans have been roasted in order to enhance flavor. The beans are also porous. and freezers are full of many strongly flavoured foods, odours and smells. The porous beans take on the flavour of the other foods in the freezer Flavoured coffees can be pleasant, but no one wants to drink seafood or garlic flavored coffee.

Due to their porous nature moisture can also be absorbed by the coffee beans. Moisture attacks the Beans and causes the taste and flavour to be lost The more often you take coffee out of the freezer and put it back in, the more moisture absorption takes place into the bean. If you absolutely need to freeze some coffee because you have a large excess you’d like to keep, only freeze it once. The more you take it in and out of the freezer, the more damage you do.

Once frozen these oils in the beans begin to break down. The oils contribute to the flavour of the coffee. As the oils are broken down the coffee loses its flavour and the distinctive taste of the coffee is lost.

When it comes down to it, freezing is not the best way to store your coffee. Keep coffee stored in a cool, dry, airtight container away from light. So although Coffee can be frozen it is best only to freeze it the once. The resulting loss of flavour and quality from repetitive freezing makes it a method of storage to stay away from.

Your best bet is to purchase only enough beans or ground coffee to supply you for 1-2 weeks. That way you will enjoy Coffee from your Expresso Coffee Maker or Coffee machine at its freshiest and best.