Coffee in the fridge

panblue · Oct 10, 2012

'Fridge'..British word for refrigerator. I started keeping my coffee in an airtight, glass container in the fridge. Seems to stay/taste fresher for longer.

Maybe considered bad form by officianados (?) (but then again I learnt from nice Spaniards, a few years ago, the pleasures of chilling red wine so....).

Anyone else keep their coffee like this in the refrigerator?

MLeeK · Oct 10, 2012

Freezer-probably only because that's where my parents had space to keep theirs when I was a kid.
I chill red wine too... I can't stand warm red wine. It reminds me of the nasty stuff used for communion when I was a kid!

JAC526 · Oct 10, 2012

I love coffee. Like a lot. I worked in numerous different coffee houses both small and large.

The fridge and freezer is NOT where you should store coffee. It picks up weird flavors. The two enemies of coffee are light and air NOT temperature.

Keep your coffee in air and light tight containers and always grind it fresh. Use 2 tablespoons for every 6-8oz of water (sorry for those who use the metric system...I have drunk too much tonight to do any type of conversions.

MLeeK · Oct 10, 2012

JAC526 said:
I love coffee. Like a lot. I worked in numerous different coffee houses both small and large.

The fridge and freezer is NOT where you should store coffee. It picks up weird flavors. The two enemies of coffee are light and air NOT temperature.

Keep your coffee in air and light tight containers and always grind it fresh. Use 2 tablespoons for every 6-8oz of water (sorry for those who use the metric system...I have drunk too much tonight to do any type of conversions.

Well... I am doing good with the air tight container! I am pretty sure I use more than 2TBSP for each 8 oz, but I like my coffee like tar.

JAC526 · Oct 10, 2012

I agree. I literally cannot put too much in. And counter-intuitively the less coffee grinds you use the more bitter the coffee will be b/c the grounds become over extracted and give off bitter flavors.

If you don't have a light tight container just stash it somewhere in a cabinet.

panblue · Oct 10, 2012

:thumbup: yay!

MLeeK said:
Freezer-probably only because that's where my parents had space to keep theirs when I was a kid.
I chill red wine too... I can't stand warm red wine. It reminds me of the nasty stuff used for communion when I was a kid!

2WheelPhoto · Oct 10, 2012

panblue · Oct 10, 2012

I had the same thought. The refrigeration may have nothing to do with it. A fridge is also dark (unless you open the door)..and subconsciously maybe as well I'm making sure the container is really airtight, anxious about moisture getting in.

That's a nice tip about quantity and bitterness..I hadn;t thought of it. I try to get 100% arabica but yea .. thanks.

JAC526 said:
I agree. I literally cannot put too much in. And counter-intuitively the less coffee grinds you use the more bitter the coffee will be b/c the grounds become over extracted and give off bitter flavors.

If you don't have a light tight container just stash it somewhere in a cabinet.

JAC526 · Oct 10, 2012

nothing is perfectly air tight....so to avoid chicken or cottage cheese flavor in my coffee i stash it in the cupboard. plus i have never seen the fridge keep coffee fresher...maybe i drink it too fast.

sorry for lack of caps and proper punctuation....i'm typing one handed b/c i have the baby in the other hand.

unpopular · Oct 10, 2012

Coffee is chock-full of volatile aromatics that will be released into the air at a faster rate than at a cooler temperature, furthermore, quality coffee is vacuum packed with a one-way valve to allow carbon dioxide to escape. If you store coffee at room temperature, it will loose it's aroma and flavor at a faster rate than if you store it in cold temperature. If you're worried about odd flavors being "picked up" I wouldn't, provided that the bag is properly vacuum sealed sealed. If the bag is open, however, it is probably better to leave leave it out of the refrigerator, or keep it sealed in a tight jar in the fridge. If you drink a lot of coffee, I wouldn't worry too much about it, as you'll consume the opened coffee before you notice any change in aromatics.

Big Mike · Oct 10, 2012

A tiny bit of salt in the grinds can take away some of the bitterness.

unpopular · Oct 10, 2012

a large amount of piracetam will send you flying.

gsgary · Oct 11, 2012

No room for coffee with all the film

sm4him · Oct 11, 2012

My "extra" coffee goes in the freezer--but I buy bags of the stuff fresh from Guatemala or Costa Rica whenever friends are down there (good to have missionary friends!). Costa Rican is the BEST. Coffee. Ever. I buy whatever they can bring back for me and use it until the next time someone goes. Leave it in the original bag, then seal it in a vacuum-packed bag, and finally in a paper bag, then into the freezer. Probably overkill, very possibly doesn't help at all, but I've never had any lose its flavor.

I've never had a cup of fresh Costa Rican coffee that was bitter, but sometimes the Guatemalan stuff has a touch of bitterness, and the salt trick works like a charm.