What makes coffee beans go bad?
- Direct Sunlight
- Moisture
- Oxygen
- Heat
Sunlight. Moisture. Oxygen. Heat. Four things that the human body cannot survive without. And although we often praise these three elements, they are also major killers of our favorite beverage, coffee!! How do sunlight, moisture, oxygen and heat negatively affect roasted coffee beans? The Roasterie is here to tell you! So listen up, coffee connoisseurs. If you’re looking to store your roasted coffee in a safe place, be sure to provide storage that won’t let these four coffee killers in (and be cautious, you never know when they’re going to attack!).
1. Direct Sunlight Lighting has the most significant effect on coffee directly after roasting. Direct light actually causes roasted coffee beans to go stale. It’s extremely important to store coffee beans in dark areas or in opaque containers (not in clear containers!) so that the coffee does not spoil.
2. Moisture Humidity plays a large role in the overall state of a roasted coffee bean. When a roasted bean is exposed to moisture, the beans can go bad almost instantly. That’s why it’s crucial to store roasted coffee beans in a dry, dark place. Also, keep in mind that refrigerating or freezing coffee beans may not be a good idea! Drastic changes in temperature can cause condensation to form on the roasted beans. This exposure to moisture can once again, make the beans go bad!
3. Oxygen Perhaps the biggest coffee killer of all is oxygen. When roasted beans are exposed to air, they can go bad in just a matter of days. If you’re one who likes to buy coffee beans in bulk, be sure to store them in an air-tight, cool, dark place. When roasted coffee beans oxidize, our favorite cup o’ Joe will taste stale.
4. Heat The fourth biggest killer of coffee is, believe it or not, heat. Roasted coffee beans should be kept away from heat until they are ground and ready to be brewed. Exposure to heat before brewing can cause coffee beans to lose flavor. Coffee is just another food product that requires cool storage for freshness!
The best way to store your coffee beans: in an air-tight container! Here at The Roasterie, we provide our customers with one of the best coffee bean canisters out there--our
Roasterie AirScape Container! This restaurant-grade, 18/8 stainless steel canister can hold up to 64 oz. of coffee beans. It even has a patented valve to force air out. Now
that's fresh coffee!! Learn more about coffee storage tips here.
How do we store our coffee at The Roasterie? Obviously, we keep our coffee beans as far away from the four killers of coffee as possible, but we also don't store them for very long either!! Since we pride ourselves on providing only the best and the freshest coffee beans, we store our
green beans (pre-roasted) in The Annex in Oakland, California. Oakland’s humidity and temperatures provide the perfect environment for storing the best coffee beans in the world. But we certainly won't roast our coffee in California! In order to provide the freshest beans in the world, we do not roast our beans until they have arrived in our Kansas City coffee factory and are ready for purchase.