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To enjoy delicious aromatic coffee every day, it is not enough to buy an expensive variety. It must also be properly stored. After all, even the best coffee can be spoiled if you put it in inappropriate conditions.
Gone are the days when coffee could only be received in the form of a present or bought, having stood in a huge queue. Now on the store shelves in abundance there is a mediocre instant coffee, and expensive - in beans.
Many people do not buy coffee beans, considering their waste of time to grind, preferring ready-made ground coffee, and even instant coffee.
True connoisseurs of this noble drink know that excellent quality coffee can only be in beans. After all, they can be stored for quite a long time without losing flavor and taste. Unless, of course, all the rules for their storage have been observed.
How to store coffee beans
Coffee beans are very sensitive to the environment. They are affected by air, light, temperature, humidity.
They are hygroscopic. And if there are foreign smells in the storage place, then the coffee is very well absorbed by them. And then a great drink can turn into ordinary, unremarkable coffee.
Also grains do not withstand high temperature and high humidity. They deteriorate quickly, and they get an unpleasant, musty smell, even the color changes. The quality of grains is influenced by light. No matter whether it is solar or electric. Therefore, to eliminate the harmful effects of air on the grain, they are stored in an airtight container, which, moreover, should not transmit light.
The optimal storage conditions for coffee beans - a cool dark room with a humidity of not more than 70-75%.
A sealed package protects the grain from oxidation, which means damage.
Such a place can provide a kitchen cabinet with doors that do not allow light, which is located away from the stove or radiator.
If it is still not possible to completely eliminate the light, then you need to choose the optimal container for storage. This may be a glass jar with a tightly screwed lid, placed in an opaque package.
Coffee beans are also stored in foil or polyethylene bags, which can be closed well with a zip-fastener or flap.
Soft packaging makes it easy to squeeze the air out of the bag, creating a vacuum in it.
Packages with a special valve are especially good, thanks to which the gas emitted by the grains easily goes outside, but the outside air does not get inside.
Some believe that the grains can be stored in the refrigerator, because it is cool there. But they do not take into account the fact that there are many smells that are easily absorbed by the coffee beans, and there is a constant temperature drop due to the frequent opening of the door.
How to store coffee beans in the freezer
At room temperature, coffee beans can be stored for a short time — two or three weeks. Therefore, they are ground for daily coffee brewing.
But if coffee beans are reserved for future use or coffee is brewed very rarely, they are recommended to be stored in a freezer.
But since they are contraindicated in frequent temperature changes, a large batch is immediately divided into small portions that can be used during the week.
Grains are packed in special packages for freezing, they completely release air from them, and seal them tightly. In this package they can be stored in the freezer for a year.
If you need to grind the grains for brewing coffee, take out one bag, take the desired portion and immediately grind in a coffee grinder. It is believed that frozen grains are less solid and easier to grind.
The grains remaining in the package are stored at room temperature, pre-dried to avoid condensation. Place them in an airtight container and keep at room temperature in a dark dry place for no more than a week.
How to store ground coffee
Ground coffee is exhausted very quickly, so you should not keep it for a long time. After a few days, its aroma becomes weaker, and the taste of the finished coffee is significantly different from just ground. But if you still need to keep it, then it is kept under the same conditions as the coffee bean: in a dark cool dry place in a well-closed bag or can with a screw cap.
How to store instant coffee
Instant coffee tastes much different from ground.
This coffee is sold in hermetically sealed glass or tin jars, the opening of which is covered with a membrane made of foil or thick paper. Until the coffee is opened, it is not exhaled.
But after removing the membrane, it becomes less fragrant every day. Therefore, acquiring instant coffee, you need to consider the frequency of its use. Proceeding from this, they either buy a small jar or a larger container.
Instant coffee is stored in a dark dry place with a humidity of not more than 75%. The temperature in the room should be no more than 20 °.
If you follow all the rules of storage from any coffee you can get a delicious and fragrant drink.