Can coffee beans be kept fresh for a long time in the refrigerator? How long can it be frozen? Should I defrost the frozen coffee beans?

Although many people know that freshness is the key to a cup of high-quality coffee, they can't resist Qianjie's temptation of "30% off 2 pieces and 30% off 3 pieces". Therefore, every time during the event, Qianjie receives a lot of questions about how to preserve coffee beans: Can you freeze or refrigerate coffee beans if you buy too much coffee beans? How long can you store it like this? Should I defrost the coffee beans first when taken out of the refrigerator? Can it be frozen again after returning to room temperature?

Obviously, the purpose of the friends who asked these questions is to keep the coffee beans delicious for a longer time, so as to have the effect of "keeping fresh". For vegetables and fresh ingredients, low temperatures can indeed be stored for longer and lengthen the consumption period. Is it a good idea to put coffee beans in the refrigerator?

How to freeze coffee beans

The flavor of coffee beans reaches its peak after about 4 to 7 days of bean cultivation after roasting, and then slowly decreases from 30 to 45 days until they are all exhausted. The biggest enemies of freshly roasted coffee beans are air, humidity, high temperature and light. Therefore, without opening, protecting from light, and moisture, lowering the temperature can theoretically allow the coffee beans to be stored for a longer time. The simplest operation is to put it in the refrigerator.

But it should be noted here that low-temperature storage is frozen, not refrigerated! Because the temperature of the refrigerator's refrigerator fluctuates greatly and the humidity is high, it is easy for the coffee beans to smell and get damp. Freezing treatment can greatly reduce the oxidation and metabolism speed of coffee beans, and can effectively better "lock" flavor substances in the body of coffee beans. Research has shown that the flavor of coffee beans can remain good for 2-3 months when frozen.

In order to find out the difference, Qianjie put a pack of 16g of Qianjie Kafa Forest in the freezer of the refrigerator two months ago and compared it with freshly baked beans (beans raised for 7 days). The parameters were all set to 16g coffee powder, powder to water ratio of 1:15, water temperature of 92 ° C, fine sugar grinding (80% sieving rate on No. 20 sieve), and three-stage water injection. Finally, in terms of aroma, the freshly baked Qianjie Kafa Forest has the tonality of coffee flowers, sweet oranges, blueberries, and cream nuts, while the frozen Kafa Forest mainly has berry and nut flavors. The former is significantly higher in intensity and more lively in acidity and aroma.

It can be seen that although freezing can stabilize most of the aroma substances of coffee, the beans are in a "pseudo-fresh" state. No matter how close the flavor is, it will definitely not be as good as it is after a few days of freshly roasted. Therefore, if you want to feel the best of coffee, don't always have the mentality of buying more and storing it in the refrigerator every time.

How is the best way to freeze coffee beans?

Although frozen coffee beans are easy to understand, we still need to gain some experience before putting them in the refrigerator.

① Cultivate coffee beans and then freeze them

The best taste period for most coffee beans is 4-45 days after roasting is completed. Why 4 days after baking is completed? The freshly roasted coffee beans not only produce a large amount of carbon dioxide, but also have a strong smoke smell. In the first 4 days, the coffee beans will rapidly release carbon dioxide through the one-way exhaust valve, and the carbon dioxide will carry the smoke. The choking smell is discharged together. This time period is what we often call the bean raising period. Of course, depending on the degree of roasting and roasting ideas, the time for raising coffee beans varies, and 4 days is the "guaranteed" time for raising beans.

But if you throw coffee beans that have been roasted for less than two days directly into the freezer, it will be difficult to expel the active gases and leave the flavor in an uncultivated stage. When the gas is no longer active after a long period of freezing, the aroma may not be exerted.

② Sealed packaging

Frozen coffee beans don't just throw them in the refrigerator, they also seal them. Since the refrigerator in our home may contain other foods, in order to prevent the coffee beans from absorbing other odors and to prevent the coffee from getting damp and accelerating the loss of aroma, it must be sealed before freezing, and it is best to store it in a separate compartment.

If you have the conditions, you can first sub-pack the coffee beans in a single brew, or vacuum them, and then write the baking/freezing date. This will be more convenient to take and reduce the problem of condensed water. Regarding the time limit for freezing coffee beans, the longest experimental parameter for Qianjie is 3 months, and the flavor is relatively stable. For food safety reasons, it is recommended not to store them for more than half a year.

If you plan to keep the coffee beans longer and are too lazy to split them, you can also put a sealed bag directly on the original packaging (pay attention to squeeze out the air as much as possible), open it when you need to use it, and seal it immediately after removal. Put it in place, remember to move quickly and minimize the contact time between the coffee beans and the air. Once the frozen coffee beans are taken out and thawed, they cannot be frozen for a second time.

③ Coffee beans are thawed VS not thawed

If we are not in a hurry to drink it, we can take out the frozen coffee beans one night in advance and place it at room temperature and slowly warm it up. We must not open the bag first, otherwise the air will cause the coffee beans to regain their senses, leading to hydrolysis and dissolution. Some volatile compounds. One advantage of thawing and then brewing is that the coffee beans will return to their original hardness and the extraction will be relatively stable.

Another method is to not defrost it, grind and brew as soon as possible after taking it out. Coffee beans that are not thawed are more crispy in texture, so there is less coarse powder after grinding and the particles are more uniform, which is more conducive to the flavor performance of fruit acid type coffee beans. In addition, low temperatures also reduce the loss of aroma, so you don't have to worry about moisture.

For example, this morning, we took out Qianjie tomatoes that had been frozen for 70 days and ground them directly without thawing. They did not perform well in terms of dry aroma, but the sweetness and sweetness of the coffee after extraction were extremely full. The flavors of raspberry, red brimlin, and blueberry alternate, especially after cooling down, a juicy feeling like grapes appears, accompanied by the tonality of stone fruits.

(A customer previously asked if the coffee beans taken out of the refrigerator should be roasted in the oven for a little while and then roasted? Don't do this. Heating will not only not add aroma, but will also greatly degrade the quality.)

FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473