Storing Green Coffee Beans

Coffee must be stored in dry and cool conditions. Exposure to the sun or moisture will rapidly deteriorate the coffee. Storage in pergamino until right before the shipping time will help preserve the coffee. Burlap bas are often used for coffee bean storage because they allow air flow. They also preserve the coffee longer than plastic or paper bags. Burlap bags should be aired on the patios before storing coffee to prevent a baggy flavor or burlap scent from being imparted to the coffee.

Coffee Seedlings Storage

Research in Kenya has shown that coffee seeds are useful for over two years if stored at 15°C at 41% moisture content in an airtight polythene bag (Mitchell, 45 and Van der Vossen).

Roasted Coffee Storage

Whole bean coffee maintains its freshness the longest. The freshness of ground coffee will be lost in a matter of minutes since its protective cellular structure has been broken and the volatiles have been exposed to the environment to undergo oxidation. An inert gas such as nitrogen can be used to help preserve the whole beans for an extended time. Some people claim that nitrogen could preserve coffee for up to two years, but after a few weeks the coffee no longer acts, tastes, nor smells like freshly roasted coffee. Whole bean coffee that has been opened and exposed to the environment should be kept for no longer than a week even if a vacuum seal is in place. Coffee that has been roasted very darkly is even more susceptible to oxidation and should be kept for an even shorter period of time. Finally, there is a significant loss in crema development for espresso coffee four days after roasting. Espresso coffee should be purchased immediately after roasting and consumed within a couple of days.

Related Articles:

Harvesting Coffee

Processing Coffee

Coffee Drying

Color Sorting Coffee

Density Sorting Coffee

Flavor Characteristics Due to Processing