Tips for Storing Ground Coffee (Eleven in All)

Café-bought joe has a distinct advantage over home brew because it's typically freshly ground. But if you value the rich flavor of freshly ground beans, you know how important it is to store your coffee in an airtight container at home.

You may not want to invest in a coffee grinder and subject yourself to the extra morning ritual of grinding your own coffee beans unless you're a dedicated coffee drinker. The good news is that with proper storage, even pre-ground coffee (the next best thing to grinding the beans yourself) can retain its awesome fresh flavor.

But how should ground coffee be stored? Keeping ground coffee fresh for an extended period of time is an important topic, and one that we'll discuss in this article.

Here Are Eleven Ways to Keep Your Ground Coffee Fresh

Be sure to check the roast date and expiration on the packaging of your coffee grounds before storing them. You can use this information to determine how long the coffee will keep.

Keep in mind that every bag of coffee grounds has an end date (or "expiration date"), after which they lose their freshness and must be discarded. About four to five months prior to the due date is typical.

You can even put the used coffee grounds in the freezer. The coffee grounds can be stored in the freezer without worrying about mold growth, unlike in the refrigerator. If you do freeze them, put them in bags with a date on them and a vacuum sealer.

Coffee grounds stored in a vacuum can stay fresh for 18 months to 2 years, while those stored in airtight containers will only be good for about 5 or 6 months. If you want to store the coffee grounds in the freezer, you should do so in an opaque plastic bag such as a Ziploc.

Make sure the bag is airtight by squeezing out as much air as you can before sealing it. Coffee beans will retain their original flavor and won't pick up any freezer burn if you follow this tip. Double-bagging the grounds is an extra precaution that can help avoid freezer burn. It's important to keep in mind that the beans' flavor and aroma may suffer a bit if frozen, especially if they're kept for a long period of time.

Photo by Cong Wang, used with permission from Unsplash.

We definitely rely on the fridge to preserve the quality and flavor of our food and drink. However, this is not always applicable when dealing with coffee grounds. Coffee grounds benefit greatly from being kept dry, and since refrigerators contain moisture, this is not the best place to store them. Moles can form on the coffee grounds in damp environments like refrigerators, leaving you with stale, foul-tasting coffee.

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You can store used coffee grounds in the pantry if you're a regular coffee drinker and expect to use them up within a few weeks. A vacuum-sealed container or the product's original packaging, assuming it has a secure seal, is ideal.

The alternative is to store them in an airtight container, such as a canister, bag, or even a mason jar. It's recommended to use metal or tinted glass storage containers to protect the grounds from light if you're keeping them for an extended period of time in plastic. Doing so will discourage coffee-loving insects like spiders and ants from discovering your grounds and stealing them.

Photo by melei5, courtesy of Shutterstock

Use your grounds within three to four weeks if you plan to store them in the kitchen or pantry. However well you seal the container, the grounds will still spoil. To get the most flavor from the soil, give it a month to sit before using it, and if you can use it within a week or two, that's even better.

So, before you go out and buy a whole lot of coffee, calculate how much you drink in a week. You won't waste any coffee if you use this method.

Dry coffee grounds can be kept in a container in the kitchen even if you don't have a pantry. As long as the kitchen is not more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit and has normal humidity levels, you should be fine. Ground beans won't last long in the oven or when exposed to high heat and humidity. Take care that the average humidity in the storage area is below 55%. To be extra sure, you can also purchase a hygrometer.

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People frequently reuse the packaging they bought their ground coffee beans in. Additionally, there are times when they prefer to use their own containers for the grounds. Make sure your new container for storing your grounds is made of a nonreactive material before you bring it in.

Materials that are non-reactive are ones that are inert to acids or are coated with an inert substance. Glass, stainless steel, tin, and ceramic are some of the better materials to use. Is it possible to keep coffee grounds in a mason jar? You can do that, without a doubt Because of their airtight seal, mason jars are perfect for preserving your coffee's freshness.

Don't freeze or dehydrate more than a few handfuls of grounds at a time. Keep in mind that the more often the package or container is opened and closed, especially if it is large, the more air the grounds are exposed to.

For this reason, the beans' flavor and intensity will diminish more rapidly than it would if the container was opened less frequently. Avoid over-exposure to oxygen by dividing large batches into smaller ones.

In addition, oxygen-absorbing packets can be added to your coffee grounds at any time. Iron in these packets effectively absorbs any oxygen present in the bag. As a result, your ground coffee will retain its freshness and last longer.

You can buy a pack of 20 or more of these packets for around $12 on Amazon or at most grocery stores. Not only that, but oxygen absorbers can be purchased separately and placed inside opaque mylar bags. These, also sold on Amazon, are great for preserving dry goods like ground coffee for as long as possible.

As an additional option, you can purchase fertile soil that has been treated with nitrogen. Nitrogen is used as a preservative by flushing and removing oxygen from the coffee bean packaging. The use of this technique helps many premium coffee brands keep their blends as fresh as possible until they are ready to be consumed. Coffee that has been processed with nitrogen flushing is typically labeled as such.

Glevalex/Shutterstock for the featured image.

As with air and heat, light is detrimental to freshly ground coffee. No matter how fresh they are, it can ruin them in a matter of weeks. Ground coffee should never be kept in direct sunlight, and a fully opaque shade or curtain is required if storage is to be near a window. You should also know that putting coffee in a spot near a window at midday or night can cause it to overheat and spoil.

As a Conclusion

Ground coffee is preferred by many coffee connoisseurs because it is convenient to store and easier to work with than whole coffee beans. For optimal flavor retention and freshness, pre-ground coffee should be stored properly after purchase. Keep your ground coffee fresh for as long as possible by storing it in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dry place.

Keep track of when you bought the coffee grounds and how long you've been storing them. Never refrigerate coffee grounds, and if freezing them, use a freezer-safe container that completely seals the crowns.

• https://www ncausa org/about-coffee/how-to-store-coffee
• https://coffeetec com/blogs/news/nitrogen-flushing-killing-oxygen-creating-fresh-coffee-and-other-facts
• https://www bonappetit com/drinks/non-alcoholic/article/storing-coffee
• https://80stonecoffeeroasters co uk/store-ground-coffee/