3 surprising reasons why you should freeze coffee at home

Freezing coffee beans is not a sin. In this video, we look at why you should probably do it as well.

(One thing I didn't mention in this video is that coffee also grinds to a more uniform size when cold. This is also an exciting side-benefit but not the primary argument for freezing, IMO)

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[shaheerrahman]

You're a blessing to the coffee community

[montagdp]

I do something similar, but I don't take individual doses from the bag in the freezer and then put it back. I divide my coffee into ~150g doses, sealed in Ziploc bags with as much air removed as possible. Then I use them one at a time, storing only the current one in the cupboard while the rest stay in the freezer. I go through a bag in a week or two, depending on how many different coffees are in the rotation at a time. This way I can keep a lot of coffee fresh without having to worry about freezer burn from repeatedly opening the frozen bag.

[ajd]

Thank you for what is the most thorough analysis of cold storage for coffee beans that I've seen! I've been storing my beans in the freezer for seven or eight years now after conducting my own taste experiment storing two pounds of beans: 1/3 in an airtight opaque container at room temp (~68°F), 1/3 in original bag inside ziploc in freezer, and 1/3 in resealable vacuum bag in freezer. I tasted a cup of manual brew rotating through each of the three storage groups, one per day. Room temp storage staled much quicker than either method of freezer storage, and the beans in the reusable vacuum bag stayed fresh the longest. After a time I gave up on vacuum bags, however, due to expense and valve seal failures, since they are not designed for freezer temps. I currently store in coffee bags sealed tightly in the freezer inside ziplocs, and will try taping off the degassing valve and see if that improves longevity. [FYI, I do start my pours at 1-2°F warmer to compensate for the colder grounds.]

[RenatusChristoph]

Tak for det, kaffemester Asser, du har sparet mig en masse besvær...

[alexanderherp]

I just started freezing my coffee over the last couple of months and it has made a huge difference. It used to start tasting stale after the first week or so but now it tastes fresh for the whole month. I have begun buying 2 lb bags now instead of 10-12oz bags, then portioning it out into 1 week portions. I put each week into one of my old coffee bags (cut down on waste instead of using a bunch of freezer bags) and then put all 5-6 portions into a big, one gallon freezer bag. Once a week I pull a new portion out and now they always taste fresh! Great video, it's nice to hear someone who is very respected in the coffee community trying to come up with ways to improve coffee for people at home in easy to accomplish ways.

[sunsetsam]

I've been vacuum freezing coffee at 0 deg for over a decade. It allows me to order large volumes online from roasters around the country and get free shipping. Typically order 5-7 lbs every couple of months, freeze them, and take out a lb the night before I'll need it. The quality is always excellent, same as fresh. Highly recommended.

[edwardshurla]

Hi Just wanted to add something to the conversation (Oh and thanks as always for al the great and helpful info! ) So I have started freezing my coffee bags from the roaster So to get the air out prior to freezing I squeeze the bag into a Fellow Atmos ‎Vacuum Canister and extract the air out, ,then release the button to open, and the bag is extracted of air very close to vacuum sealed, then quickly add tape over the vent hole and freeze. It's a fast easy vacuum seal ! for freezing

[rommel.tom]

It's been 1 years since I put my coffee beans on the fridge and the result is amazing, can keep flavor & aroma much more longer. I live in Indonesia so this method very helpful. Thanks for the scientific explanation

[topjets]

The Late Michael Sivetz (passed away 2012) invertor of the fluid bed air roasting machine was an advocate of freezing coffee and at - 40 degrees coffee stops degassing and thought in the future coffee would be in the freezer section of stores.

[kChandler]

For many years, I've bought coffee beans in bulk, then divided it into 16 oz glass canning jars for freezing. I let each jar come to room temperature before opening. I don't freeze again. I keep the jar in a cabinet until finished.

[CharleyAnderson-edjg]

Your presentation, sounds perfectly valid to me. I can’t think of a way to improve your suggested technique , at least without much more fuss!
Thank you!
Charley

[coffeecove]

I just completed my own experiment with freezing coffee. I used 2 methods: 1) I kept it in the same bag the coffee came in, and stored in a ziplock freezer bag (getting out all the air I could). I didn't think to tape shut the valve as you mentioned and sure it would be important to do if using this method. I pulled some coffee out after 3 months and it still was good. Not so much at 41/2 months. It seemed to take in the smell of the bag and freezer odor. The coffee also diminished in quality enough to stop that experiment. For my freezer, have it out by 4 months. 2) I vacuumed sealed and froze in individual portions brewed in. That method seems to be better. There is a little decline in quality, but not bad enough that I left some in to continue it for another month or until it gets too bad. 3) I also vacuumed sealed individual portions and put in a plastic bin room temperature. This came out the best thus far (after 41/2months) than freezing, and I prefer this method.

[braxtonjens]

I started with Vac sealing single dosing.
Then life changed a bit and I went this method of freeze in the bag with the seal taped over. I haven’t looked back. Over many months and lots of coffees I didn’t notice any drip in quality or flavor.

[ramblr]

Specialty coffee on my side of the world is a very pricy luxury, so I've been experimenting with freezing for about a month now and its definitely been much much lighter on my wallet, because now I can buy a month or two supply when I have a bit of disposable income, keep it frozen and then just top up a bag at a time every month to keep stocked and not have to worry about wasting X amount of money on beans that will go stale before I finish the first bag.

The method I use is honestly even simpler, as I just throw the bag into the freezer as is, finish the bag I'm currently using, take the new bag out, let it defrost while still sealed overnight and then open it the next morning, minimizing the chances of condensation forming on the beans themselves. Haven't noticed any off flavours that have managed to bypass the CO2 valve yet. I've been considering pressing out oxygen and taping up the valve, to prevent problems in case of a valve failure, but I haven't run into problems thus far.

[thebirofunk]

Froze a dose of an expensive Anaerobic natural a couple of months ago. I stuck 15g in a resalable zip lock bag from IKEA. Took it out the other day, ground it straight away and had the most delicious cup from it. Even better than it was a week off roast. I was blown away.

[roberthenrypoet]

@ The Coffee Chronicler I've been storing coffee beans in my freezer for about a year now, and have had pretty good results. It was a little tricky at first ( especially with darker roasts ) but I think I've gotten the hang of it. Funny you bring up putting the whole bag of coffee in the freezer:
I've thought about trying that, but I've only got so much room in the freezer. I use tightly sealed Ziploc bags, and a few mini mason jars. Good video! :)

[finophile]

I've done this (freezing coffee beans) for decades and caught a lot of flack for it from (in my view) people who have no clue. Every point you've made I made in my justification. I did my undergrad degree 30 years back in biochemistry (which of course comes under the category of organic chemistry). Apparently people who don't even know what a volatile organic compound means know more than me.
With respect to usage I pour my needs into an airtight bag and so it thaws without condensation before I put it in my grinder. If you wanted to test the level of condensation you could use a scale and measure the weight over time because the water will add mass to the beans (or not if it doesn't)

[hungryblackbear]

I have stored my coffee beans in the freezer for decades and it does preserve the coffee. I do however bring my coffee up to room temperature before I grind and brew. The taste of brewed frozen beans is different, milder and the beans do grind more evenly but I like the origin taste which returns when you thaw your beans.

[oggy]

thank you, i just got decaf beans and they stale much faster than regular coffee but i could NOT be bothered with individual bags and test tubes so i'm grateful you've done the work and let us know!

[seanbordelon]

Thank you for this video! I’ve watched many before advocating for freezing your beans, but hadn’t been convinced. Your easy method though I think makes perfect sense. So far I’ve noticed no drawbacks, and I can store more different types of coffee for longer