Things to keep in mind when storing coffee

WHAT TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN STORING COFFEE

Storing coffee isn't actually difficult, but it has to be done the right way so your coffee stays as fresh and delicious as possible. Greenfields Coffee shares a few tips for storing coffee, especially in Huế's climate, where the weather swings between rain and sun and humidity is high.

• Preventing oxidation

After roasting, coffee begins to degas (releasing the CO2 trapped in the beans). The longer coffee is exposed to air, especially oxygen, the more its quality declines through oxidation.

When coffee is carefully packaged, its quality is maintained for 1-3 months. At Greenfields Coffee, we vacuum the bag before sealing to remove as much oxygen from it as possible.

After opening a bag of coffee, only take out as much as you need. Don't leave coffee overnight in the bean or grounds hopper of your grinder, as it will oxidize and absorb moisture. Before closing the zipper, press all the air out of the bag - then seal the zipper tightly to slow oxidation as much as possible (avoid pouring a large amount of coffee into a container, as it will oxidize very quickly).

• Moisture and odors

Coffee readily absorbs moisture and adsorbs/picks up odors from its surroundings.

So keep your coffee in a dry, cool place with as little odor as possible.

• Temperature and light

The ideal storage temperature for coffee is 20 – 25 degrees Celsius. If it is kept somewhere too hot, the oils in the coffee escape easily and the flavor gradually fades.

• Packaging material

The outer layer of the packaging can be any material, such as paper or plastic, but it must have a middle layer of MPET (metallized plastic film) that is completely impermeable, so the coffee doesn't pick up odors and keeps its quality longer.

Coffee bags usually have a one-way valve to release some of the CO2 from degassing if the coffee hasn't fully degassed in the silo. The one-way valve keeps oxygen and moisture from entering the bag and making the coffee stale. Its drawback, however, is that it lets the coffee aroma escape.

        At Greenfields Coffee, our coffee bags have no one-way valve, yet when you open a bag the coffee's aroma is still wonderfully intact. Our coffee uses vacuum and deoxygenation technology (removing almost all the oxygen from the coffee) to prevent oxidation, keeping the flavor at its best for up to 3 months.