Freezer Burn: Don’t Do What Johnny Don’t Does

Here’s a question I actually get asked quite a bit: How should I store coffee beans? If we are talking about fresh coffee that will be used up quickly, ie within a week or two, then no special measures are really needed. Because freshly roasted coffee slowly releases CO2 over the first couple of weeks, it does a pretty good job of protecting itself against oxidation, the main culprit of staling. Keep it out of the sun and away from sources of heat and you should be good.

Glass canning jars are an economical and easy way to keep your coffee from being exposed to the staling effects of oxygen.

In regard to freezing, I generally recommend against it. I have yet to see any evidence or explanation about how freezing coffee would delay staling of the coffee. In addition, it creates the risk of condensation on the beans. If you go through your coffee slowly, say only drinking on weekends, I generally advise the use of mason jars, which are relatively cheap, air tight and easy to clean. The smaller the jar the better. I have found the half-pint jar hold just enough coffee for a medium-sized pot of coffee.

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