How to Store Coffee Beans So They Last for Months, According to Experts

Whether you rely on a morning dark roast to lure you out of bed or can't get past 3 p.m. without a pour-over pick-me-up, coffee is an essential part of many daily routines. And while buying whole coffee beans instead of ground is a simple way to elevate your at-home brew, the final result is affected by how fresh your beans are. To ensure a perfect cup every time, we spoke to experts who shared their tips for storing coffee beans the right way. 

Benefits of Storing Coffee Grounds vs. Coffee Beans

After coffee beans are roasted, they immediately begin to de-gas and give off carbon dioxide, says Katie Thomas, senior manager of cafe culture and education for La Colombe. The faster your coffee releases its carbon dioxide, the faster it goes stale. "Storing coffee grounds as opposed to whole beans is a matter of surface area for the carbon dioxide to release. If you break a bean up into thousands of pieces, there will be that much more surface area for the carbon dioxide to escape, which means the luster of that coffee's flavors will fade that much quicker," she says. Once ground, the shelf life of your coffee drastically shortens.

How Long Coffee Beans Last

Coffee lasts about nine months or longer if it's stored properly. However, its shelf life may vary depending on the roast. "Lighter roasted coffee may be more expensive due to the quality of the beans, but it also lasts longer," says Thomas. "A roaster will keep the roast profile light to allow natural sugars to shine through. This helps limit carbon dioxide off-gassing after its roast." Darker roasts are richer and decadent, but the beans are more susceptible to carbon dioxide off-gassing because they were roasted longer.

How to Store Coffee Beans

The freshness of your coffee beans can be diminished by exposure to light, moisture, temperature, and oxygen. Prevent this from happening by storing your coffee beans the right way. 

Decant the Beans

The bag your roaster uses to package the beans is a fine choice for storing them—as long as it's sealed. After you open it to brew your first cup, decant the beans into an airtight container to maintain the overall quality and taste, says Cortez.

Choose the Right Container

The container you store your coffee beans in can affect freshness. An airtight plastic or glass jar is better than a barely-sealed bag but not as good as an opaque container. Ceramic or metal canisters are ideal, according to our experts. 

This is because these materials block out light, which can also affect the quality of your beans. "The beans may slightly decrease in flavor if simply stored in an airtight container because they could still be exposed to light, as opposed to an opaque metal container," says Cortez. However, he adds that this difference in taste and overall quality is minimal. 

Find a Cool, Dark Spot

Keep your beans in a cool, dark cabinet away from excess sunlight. "Storing beans in a window or near the stove with increased temperatures can not only work to degrade the aromatic compounds but add some undesirable aromas to the coffee as well," says Thomas.

Can You Store Coffee Beans in the Freezer?

Storing coffee beans in the freezer can extend the life of your beans. "While storing coffee in the freezer doesn't completely stop the release of carbon dioxide, it can seriously slow it down," says Thomas.

To freeze coffee beans successfully, use an airtight container and guard against light and moisture exposure. "Be sure to avoid any moisture in the freezing and thawing process of the coffee, as water acts as a catalyst for oxidation, which severely ages the coffee," says Thomas.

Cortez also warns against using the freezer to store more beans than you can use in a year. "I would avoid bulk freezing—after a couple of months, the beans lose their flavor," he says.

Can You Store Coffee Beans in the Refrigerator?

Avoid keeping coffee beans in the refrigerator, as they can absorb moisture and odors in the air if not stored properly. If you absolutely have to store them here, keep them in an air-tight container made from metal or ceramic. "I strongly recommend a cool, dark, place over freezing or refrigeration," says Cortez. "At the end of the day, trial and error for your storage preference will teach you best, and you may realize you don't notice a difference, if at all."