Storing Coffee at Home

By Leslie

I've always stored coffee in its orignal bag or canister in the freezer.  We go through it pretty quickly, so I had never really considered anything else.  I've heard a few times from some reliable and some not so reliable sources that the freezer is actually one of the worst places to store coffee.  According to the National Coffee Association, "it is important not to refrigerate or freeze your daily supply of coffee because contact with moisture will cause it to deteriorate."  

Interesting.  

Also, you aren't supposed to put it in a cute decorative container on your counter top.  The website suggests storing coffee in an airtight,opaque, non-reactive container and in a dark and cool area like a pantry or cabinet.  I like coffee and I like it to taste great, so I think I'll need to get my hands on something better, right?  I'm thinking something simple like these basic canisters from Target would work.

But I'm also in the mood for something a little more fun and festive, like these from Sur la Table:

Do you have any tricks on keeping coffee beans extra-fresh?  Or suggestions for pretty, but also functional, storage containers?

(Photo credits - target.com and surlatable.com)

Comments

[natalie]

My husband stores ours in old wine bottles and use the vacuum seals to re-seal them after every use.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?sku=10403235&

[Leslie]

Natalie! That's genius and sounds like it would look great.

[TS]

Opaque, airtight container in a dark, cool place? Very high maintenance.