Whether or not to freeze coffee beans to retain their freshness is a frequent topic of discussion. The quick answer to this question is: Buy only what you will use within 10 days of the coffee’s roast date. (The quality of the flavor really takes a dive after 10 days.) Store coffee at room temperature in an airtight, opaque container, away from heat, light, humidity or moisture (e.g., away from the dishwasher). Grind only what you will need for each brewing cycle. If you take these steps you will retain the coffee’s freshness, and you won’t need to worry about freezing or refrigerating the coffee.

So why not freeze the coffee? Each time you take the coffee out of the freezer to make your morning cup, a thin layer of condensation forms on the beans. After returning the coffee to the freezer, the condensation freezes, creating tiny fractures on the surface of the beans. This freeze/thaw process happens every time the coffee is removed from and returned to the freezer, and those tiny fractures get larger, allowing more moisture to seep deeper into the bean. Moisture really speeds up the staling of coffee, so this is the main reason not to freeze it.

Refrigerating coffee risks the same condensation exposure problem (minus the freezing) discussed above, as well as putting the coffee at risk of absorbing odors from other foods in the refrigerator. Mmm, tuna-onion surprise! No benefits here!

Buy it fresh, store it at room temperature. Protect it from its enemies – heat, light, moisture, oxygen. Grind it only as needed. Use it up within 10 days of its roast date. And enjoy!