Few things smell as sweet, or as nostalgic, as freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Before I drank the drink myself, I fondly remember the aroma that wafted through the house when my father made a bowl of barley in the morning.
Fast forward to today, and now I’m a morning coffee drinker. When I switch off between coffee and tea, when coffee is on the menu, I choose well-sourced beans and grounds for the most delicious drinking experience. And if I have beans on hand, I grind a big batch of them together for a quick and easy cookout the next week on those mornings when I’m half-awake. But with that convenience sometimes comes stale tasting coffee, even though I buy quality beans. In response, I am looking for the best way to store ground coffee.
When I turned to the Internet to solve this problem, I found a variety of opinions on the best storage methods. I decided to turn to the World Coffee Authority for a definitive answer on the best place to store ground coffee. Here’s what Starbucks experts say.
According to Starbucks, the best place to store ground coffee
When it comes to storing most foods, there are three main culprits for spoilage: moisture, light, and oxygen. This rule of thumb also applies to ground coffee. Coffee contains oils that can go bad, but technically the product doesn’t expire. Rancid coffee, for example, will not taste nearly as strong as rancid nuts, so the coffee is still drinkable. Still, it won’t offer the fresh flavor you’d get if you grind it before it’s cooked.
What often happens with ground coffee is that it can go rancid from exposure to oxygen, although light and moisture can also cause stagnation. Thankfully, Starbucks suggests strategies you can use to prevent this from happening.
While many coffee enthusiasts recommend storing coffee in the freezer to keep it fresh for longer, Starbucks disagrees. “Although some people believe that storing coffee grounds in the freezer can help maintain freshness, the opposite is true.” Global coffee retailer. “When you store it in the freezer or refrigerator, the moisture on the coffee can condense and take out the flavor.”