Whether you’re a coffee lover who likes to bulk buy or someone who rarely drinks coffee and hates waste, there’s an important question you might be asking.
Can You Keep Coffee Beans In The Freezer?
No. Not if you want to retain the flavour, texture, and quality of the brand you’ve bought.
Although some people (wrongfully) recommend storing coffee beans in the freezer, in reality, it can really affect the overall enjoyment of your beloved drink.
In short, it’s not an effective preservation method.
The Science of Storing Coffee Beans in the Freezer
A freezer works by slowing the movement of molecules in foods. This means perishables degrade at a much slower rate.
When it comes to storing coffee beans in the freezer, ice crystals often form within the beans themselves - which can actively harm their structure, drying them out beyond use.
Effects on Flavour and Aroma
When coffee beans go in the freezer, damage is done to the essential oils of the beans which ruins the overall flavour and aroma.
This is a nightmare for caffeine lovers.
Even if you’ve tried storing coffee beans in the freezer before and served yourself a “reasonable” drink, it will have been much lower in quality than a coffee brewed from coffee beans straight from the shelf or that have been stored correctly.
Freezing and Degassing
We all know by now how coffee beans work, right?
Preferably your coffee beans are freshly ground right before the brewing process, so the quality of your coffee bean and how the flavour seeps into your coffee cup is an important step.
However, there’s a little more behind the entire process.
See, coffee beans naturally contain high levels of carbon dioxide. The majority of this is lost during the roasting process, but some gas also continues to release over time.
When you freeze the beans, you stop this routine from happening - transforming the flavour of your drink (not in a good way).
The Impact of Thawing
If that isn’t enough to warn you against storing coffee beans in the freezer, let’s take a look at the thawing process you must go through.
Before your beans can be used or ground, they need to be brought back to room temperature.
The moisture that was applied during freezing is now going to melt, taking a lot of the coffee’s previously delicious taste with it.
Alternatives to Storing Coffee Beans in the Freezer
Instead of storing your coffee beans in the freezer, you should consider investing in an airtight container that can be put in a cool, dry place (like a cupboard or pantry).
Then, when you buy fresh beans at the market or through Di Stefano, you can rest assured that you are maximising its shelf life and will have enjoyable coffee long into the future.
Don’t Put Coffee Beans in the Freezer
If coffee beans were meant to be stored in the freezer, wouldn’t your favourite supermarkets take advantage of that? Have you ever seen coffee beans in the freezer at Woolworths or Coles?
We haven’t either and it's so important that we recognise and understand that putting coffee beans in the freezer is a guaranteed way of ruining Australia’s beloved drink.
