Few things are worse than pouring yourself an espresso of coffee, taking a sip, and realising the coffee isn’t right. Even so, it doesn’t necessarily taste unpleasant.
But the flavor’s intensity has diminished. You’re left with a meagre cup of coffee with no alternative.
How long do ground or whole coffee beans stay fresh in a sealed by vacuum bag? How long do coffee seeds keep fresh in general?
Factors That Affect How Fresh Coffee Remains
Whole coffee seeds have a fairly lengthy shelf life when packaged and stored properly, but a few things affect how long the beans will remain fresh.
Let’s look at a few of the factors that affect how fresh your coffee is.
Beans, whole or ground
Compared to already ground coffee beans, whole beans will remain fresh longer. More surface area is exposed to air when the beans are ground.
The bean deteriorates when exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere because soluble components start to oxidise.
If you’ve ever ground your own coffee and observed that the aroma is much stronger after grinding, you’ve actually experienced this oxygen exposure. Yes, that smell is amazing, but it’s also fleeting, and it will soon disappear.
If at all possible, we advise buying whole beans, especially if you intend to store them for a long time.
Technique for Packaging
Sadly, you have little influence over how a coffee company seals and packages the beans. However, you do have a choice in who you buy from, so let’s examine the various strategies.
Commercial packaging Between roasting and packaging, industrially processed beans can spend a lot of time in big storage containers.
Before you take them home, they frequently sit on the shelves of grocery stores and warehouses for weeks or even months.
Although nitrogen flushing and vacuum sealing are effective industrial packing techniques, they are only required because of how long it takes for beans to get out of the roaster to you.
Packing by hand — Speciality and small-batch roasters of coffee employ this technique. The beans are bagged and wrapped as soon as they are finished roasting to keep them protected from the elements.
Although each roaster may adhere to slightly different procedures, the newly roasted coffee is always put into the bag as soon as is practical.
Method of storage
The fundamentals of storing coffee beans are:
- Maintain airtight sealing to keep oxygen out.
- Keep it in a cool, dark location.
Since the one factor you can control is how the coffee is stored, we suggest reading our article on the Most Effective Ways to Store Coffee At Home for a thorough explanation of how to extend the shelf life of your newly roasted beans.
Does ground coffee last longer than roasted coffee beans?
The short answer to this excellent question is that, yes, coffee beans last longer then ground coffee.
This is because coffee loses freshness more quickly after being ground because it has a bigger surface area that is open to the air.
Coffee beans: When kept in a cold, dark, dry location, a bag of whole coffee beans can be stored for up to twelve months, but an opened bag is only good for one week.
Unopened ground coffee packages can be kept in the pantry for between three and five months.
The smells and aromas quickly deteriorate once they are opened. After opening, we advise using the coffee grinds within a few days.
How many uses can coffee bags have?
Coffee grinds in a paper bag are what constitute coffee bags. As a result, you can anticipate a similar lifespan.
We publish the ‘Best Before’ dates on the front of the package for our Smooth Italian Coffee Bags.
Even better, each pack can be resealed. You won’t have to worry about using airtight containers, but you won’t enjoy the same longevity as a vacuum-sealed pack.
Just sure to press all of the air out of the bag after you’ve closed it.
Will coffee beans stay longer if they are frozen?
Coffee will retain its flavour for a lot longer in the freezer, just like other foods do. Coffee’s flavours are preserved when frozen, and ageing is significantly slowed down.
Conclusion
A perfect cup of coffee must be fresh, as any coffee enthusiast knows. As soon as they are baked coffee beans start to lose their flavour and scent, thus it is crucial to buy from a reliable supplier who takes careful care to deliver you fresh coffee beans whenever you need a restock.
The goal of Veneziano Coffee Roasters is to offer the best-possible freshness of coffee beans. To guarantee that they are always fresh, we get our beans from every corner of the world and roast them in tiny quantities.
Each batch is expertly roasted by our team of skilled roasters, who closely oversee the roasting process.