Proper Storage Of Coffee
Coffee will last a good long time if the beans have been roasted. As most people in the United States purchase dry roasted coffee beans, either whole or pre-ground, storage of coffee should be more of a concern of keeping bugs out of the coffee than by keeping it fresh.
There are several methods that you can use to store coffee. Each has its pros and cons. Here are a few popular ways to store coffee in the United States:
Refrigeration
There are some who say that coffee should be refrigerated in order to maintain its freshness. This is not necessary but is rather a matter of preference. It will not harm the coffee to store it in the refrigerator unless the refrigerator is too cold and in which case the coffee will freeze or gather condensation. If water gets into the coffee, which it is most apt to do while in the refrigerator than anywhere else, the coffee can be ruined. For this reason, while many people choose to store coffee in the refrigerator to keep it fresh, others choose alternative methods.
Cupboard
If you purchase pre-ground coffee, as most people in the United States do, then you can keep it in its original can in the cupboard. The cans that the coffee is stored in when you purchase it are sealed with a plastic lid that keeps freshness locked in. Storing your coffee in the can in which it comes in the cupboard is the most common way to store coffee in the United States.
Canister
Years ago, people had canister sets in their kitchens. These were used to store flour, sugar, coffee and tea. Each canister was a different size and the one for the flour was the largest.
Many people do not use canister sets any longer because they do not cook as much as they did in the past, thus not making flour and sugar at countertop disposal necessary. Also, bugs will get in flour if you leave any openings, no matter how clean your house is, so for this reason, canister sets are quickly becoming a thing of the past in the United States.
The canister set that was used to store coffee was not that large. A most coffee in the United States is sold in cans today of about 3 pounds, the canister sets to store coffee would be moot as they would only hold about a pound of coffee. If you purchase whole coffee beans, they will keep in canisters but are better off, for sanitary reasons, to be stored in an air tight container.
Coffee storage is not difficult. You can even store coffee in plastic zip lock bags to keep freshness in. Coffee that is purchased at the supermarket either has whole bean or ground, has a long shelf life of a year.