Kona at Home: How to Store This Year’s Winning Kona Blend

As every coffee drinker knows, maintaining the freshness of beans or grounds is essential. People are always sharing with me their methods for storing coffee, and I am often asked for my recommendations for storing coffee. And I always give the same advice: it is necessary to maintain optimal temperature and air conditions.

As any coffee drinker can tell you, there is nothing worse than the taste of coffee brewed from stale beans or grounds. In our tasting setting in Gävle, David and I are very careful to maintain an agreeable temperature. Even though beans are hard to the touch, they are as sensitive in their response to adverse temperature conditions as a painting or an instrument. So, we must always keep coffee at temperatures that ensure the best aroma, color and taste.

As I have shared previously, the ideal temperature for cupping is 62-65°C (144-149°F), and we strictly adhere to this guideline every day at Gevalia, since we know that doing otherwise would impact our taste experience. When it comes to storing coffee, temperature also remains paramount. It is my recommendation that coffee be stored at 8°C (46°F). This is on the colder side for a refrigerator, but, in my experience, this storage temperature guarantees optimal results for bean color and aroma as well as the perfect brewed cup down the road.

The other important factor to consider while storing is air. As with fruits, which become overripe when left to out of refrigeration for too long, or breads, which harden with too much exposure to the air, coffee can also be adversely affected by air. As such, I recommend storing coffee beans and grounds in an airtight container to maintain freshness and guarantee later enjoyment. If temperature and airtight conditions are met, one will be guaranteed a lovely cup of brewed coffee when the time is right.

If you follow these guidelines, you will always have a fresh cup of coffee, no matter how long your beans or grounds have been in refrigeration. Combined with a tight seal, you are guaranteed success – no matter what the bean or the blend.