The Best Way to Store Coffee To Keep It Fresh

The best way to store coffee is in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard, as whole beans if you can. Keep it away from air, moisture, light and heat, and don't keep the coffee you're using every day in the fridge.

The four things that make coffee stale

• Air: oxygen slowly dulls the flavour. It's the main reason coffee goes stale.
• Moisture: damp spoils beans and grounds, and can make them taste musty.
• Light: sunlight speeds up the loss of flavour.
• Heat: warmth, like a spot next to the hob or kettle, does the same.

Use an airtight container

A container with a good seal is the single biggest help. Ceramic, stainless steel or tinted glass all work well, as long as the seal is tight. Some canisters have a one-way valve or a plunger that pushes out the air, which is even better.

Our coffee bags reseal and have a special one-way coffee valve, which lets gas from the freshly roasted beans escape without letting air back in. So the bag itself is a good place to keep your coffee: squeeze out the air and seal it each time. Keep it in a cupboard rather than on the worktop.

Whole beans stay fresh longer

Coffee starts losing aroma as soon as it's ground, because far more of it is exposed to the air. If you can, buy whole beans and grind just before you brew. If you prefer ground coffee, buy smaller amounts more often. Here's more on choosing beans or ground coffee.

Should you freeze coffee?

Freezing works well for beans you won't use for a while, if you do it carefully:

• Split the beans into small, truly airtight portions, each enough for a few days.
• Take out one portion at a time and don't put it back. Condensation forms each time frozen coffee meets warm air.
• Use frozen beans within a few months.

Don't keep your everyday coffee in the fridge or freezer. Taking it in and out lets moisture in, and coffee picks up fridge smells.

How long does coffee stay fresh?

Freshly roasted beans usually taste their best from a few days to a few weeks after the roast date, and ground coffee is best used within a week or two of grinding. Look for a roast date rather than just a best before date. Here's more on the shelf life of fresh coffee.

And finally

The simplest way to always have fresh coffee is to buy little and often. A subscription does that for you, with freshly roasted coffee arriving just as you need it.