コーヒはフレッシュなものが一番です。風味を保つ方法を知ることで、コーヒー一杯一杯の価値をより高めることができます。
キッチンにある他の食品と同じように、コーヒーにも寿命があります。お気に入りのブレンドやシングルオリジンの風味や味わいを最大限に楽しめる時間は限られているため、正しい保存方法を知っているかどうかでコーヒーのフレーバーは大きく変わってきます。
Why is fresh-ground coffee better?
酸化は風味に悪影響を及ぼします。また、焙煎されたコーヒー豆は時間が経つごとに多くの酸素にさらされることで品質が劣化していきます。コーヒーを挽くと豆の表面積が広がって焙煎時に発生したガスやオイルが内部に放出されるため、酸化がさらに加速されるのです。
焙煎したてのコーヒーや挽きたてのコーヒーの素晴らしいアロマは、このガスやオイルによってもたらされます。挽きたてのコーヒーと数時間前に挽いた豆を比べると、その差は歴然です。コーヒーは長い旅を経てあなたのもとにたどり着いているので、その味わいを正しく楽しむためにも、抽出するまではなるべく挽かないようにしましょう。
How long does coffee stay fresh?
密閉容器で正しく保管すれば、豆のままの方が挽いたコーヒーよりもはるかに長く（最大3～4週間）風味を保つことができます。時間が経って二酸化炭素が自然に放出されるとアロマが失われ、抽出時のフレーバーが鈍くなっていきます。
挽いたコーヒーは表面積が広いために酸化が進み、おいしい風味が徐々に損なわれてしまいます。コーヒーを挽いたあとの寿命は短く、およそ1～2週間程度です。そこでこの記事では、コーヒーのおいしさを長持ちさせるためにいくつかのポイントをご紹介していきます。
What’s so special about coffee packaging?
It’s nothing short of a miracle that we can get coffee fresh from our roasteries, into the hands of our avid coffee drinkers tasting delicious. If you didn’t already know, there is A new home for your coffee than just sitting pretty on the shelf. Our Putting an end to landfill are lined with an innovative coating that keeps oxygen out of the bags and away from your coffee as efficient as metal foil or plastic. The longer the oxygen is kept away, the more flavour will be retained in the coffee you just bought. Our roasteries heat seal our 250g retail bags to ensure nothing gets in to taint the flavour of the coffee. These bags are also equipped with a one-way valve that allows excess carbon dioxide to escape the bag.
This is all well and good until you open those bags to get stuck into your favourite brew, from there you’ll need something extra to hold on to that flavour for as long as possible.
How to store coffee once it’s open
Once you’ve opened a heat-sealed bag, an airtight container is what’s needed to preserve the flavour experience. Airtight containers are the most effective means of replicating our heat-sealing method at home, slowing the oxidation taking place.
Also need to keep in mind; coffee is porous. This means that it’s not only oxygen that’s being sucked in affecting flavour. Your coffee will pull in flavour from anything that’s around it, like onions in the pantry or heat on the kitchen bench - you don’t want these things mixing with coffee. Airtight containers do the best job of just keeping coffee by itself, insulated from anything that may give you a negative experience in the cup.
Where to Store Coffee at Home
The best way to store your coffee is in your airtight container in the pantry, away from anything too pungent.
Keeping your coffee in a cool, dry space will preserve the freshness of your coffee by letting it age steadily. Too much exposure to light and heat will make your coffee sweat out oils which not only impact the lifespan of the bag you’ve just bought but also what it tastes like in the cup once it’s ground and brewed.
Any foreign smells, aromas, heat, sunlight or moisture will work their way into your coffee and compromise the flavour in the cup. It doesn’t matter how carefully you try to brew, if your coffee hasn’t been stored properly, it won’t bring out the best flavour.
Leave your coffee with coffee, away from other things.
Is it Better to Store Coffee in the Fridge or Freezer?
Storing coffee in the fridge is not your friend! While the cold is good for preserving food, cold environments will dry your coffee out; removing the oils and gasses which give you delicious flavour will actually get you stale coffee quicker.
The same goes for the freezer to an extent. Storing coffee in the freezer is only suitable if you vacuum seal your coffee first and remove all the oxygen from the bag before you freeze it. While this method is interesting, it’s only suitable for long-term storage as things will get complicated when you’re looking to make a delicious morning brew every day.
Should I avoid buying pre-ground coffee?
Buying pre-ground coffee is not bad, but there is a reason why people think it is. We always recommend buying little and often, making sure you’re only getting enough to last a week or two and constantly topping up with a fresh roast. Our coffee is roasted, ground, packed and dispatched the same day to ensure your coffee makes it to your door fresh. As soon as you break that bag seal though, your coffee gets hit with oxygen, moisture, CO2 depletion and potential contamination, all of which affect flavour and freshness. This is particularly noticeable with the increased surface area that comes with ground coffee.
These factors can all be reduced with proper storage but if you’re a real stickler for getting the best flavour out of your brews, the safest bet is to invest in a grinder for home and stick to whole beans.
At the end of the day, the best way to keep your coffee fresh for as long as possible is to buy little amounts of fresh coffee, often and to have your airtight container ready to store your coffee in once you’ve opened the bag.
