Do You Need To Thaw Frozen Coffee Beans Before Use?
Coffee is a popular beverage among Americans, in fact, data from the National Coffee Association of the U.S.A indicates that over 70% of Americans drink coffee every week. In addition, 62% of people drink a minimum of one cup a day. While there are several ways of enjoying your favorite coffee, it is hard to beat the rich taste of freshly brewed beans. The rather tedious work that goes into grinding the beans with a coffee grinder and mixing them with hot water pays off when you take the first sip. It is quite common for coffee enthusiasts to stock up on beans in bulk just to make sure they have a constant supply.
As such, it is essential to properly store your prized coffee beans to retain the flavor for longer. One preservation method that has proven to effectively preserve coffee among other foodstuffs is freezing. While this is a common way of extending shelf life, the question of whether to thaw the frozen beans before use often comes up. Before answering this question, there are other things you need to know about freezing coffee.
Should you freeze coffee beans?
Unfortunately, coffee beans don't remain quite as fresh for long especially when they are roasted, therefore, stocking up in large quantities is not always the best idea. If you have been drinking coffee for a long time, you definitely know that the goodness of a cup of coffee stems from fresh beans. However, while that is true, it is also worth mentioning that how long your coffee beans take to go stale depends on storage (per The Coffee Brewers).
The best way of extending the shelf life of your coffee beans is by freezing them. According to Still Tasty, freezing your coffee beans will not only retain their quality but also keep them fresh and tasty for up to four months. But what happens when they are frozen for more than that amount of time? The good news is that while the beans might not be quite as fresh and flavorful they are still safe to use.
The best way to store coffee beans
Before making their way to your cup every morning, coffee beans have to go through a rigorous roasting process to produce that rich aroma and taste. As far as roasting coffee beans go, you have the option of buying roasted beans or choosing to roast them by yourself (per Homegrounds). Regardless, it is necessary to highlight that knowing how to properly store your beans once roasted will go a long way in ensuring you enjoy a fresh cup of coffee every morning. Storing roasted coffee beans is a lot different than other beverages in your home, however, the good news is that the process is quite simple.
The National Coffee Association recommends storing your coffee beans in opaque, and air-tight containers at room temperature. When roasted beans are exposed to oxygen, they oxidize, causing an unpleasant, stale taste. According to experts at Sanremo Coffee Machines (via Perfect Daily Grind), the oxidation process is accelerated once the beans are ground, therefore, be sure to only grind just enough to avoid wastage.
Benefits of freezing coffee beans
The benefits of freezing coffee beans extend beyond increasing their shelf life, in fact, some of the benefits are not only good for domestic use but can also be helpful for commercial purposes as well. It goes without saying that coffee generally wasn't meant to last for long. In fact, once the beans are roasted, they soon start to age and lose their rich taste (via Fresh Coffee House). This limits how much you can stock up for future use.
Freezing the beans gives you the unique opportunity of having them for longer without risking losing the signature coffee flavor. This is particularly helpful if you know you are not going to use up the whole bunch during its optimal flavorful window, (via Manchester Coffee Archive). What's more, freezing coffee beans allows you to also stock up on different coffee flavors without the worry of them going stale after a short time. Now, you no longer have to worry about missing out on a limited production of certain coffee brands that you love.
You can grind frozen coffee beans without thawing
It is important to point out that making the perfect coffee involves getting the right grind size. This will prove successful in ensuring you extract the right amount of flavor from your coffee. The perfect texture is a fine balance between the extremes, grind the beans too fine and you risk over-extraction, too coarse and you won't have enough flavor. While the type of grinder has a lot to do with the grinding process, it is worth mentioning that the temperature of the beans during the grinding process is also a determining factor in taste, per Compound Coffee Co.
According to research done by Christopher Hendon and his team, freezing coffee before grinding results in a more consistent and better uniform particle distribution (via Scientific Reports). Since grain size matters, grinding coffee beans straight from the freezer is likely to produce the right particle size that will also go a long way in making sure you extract just the right amount of flavor from your coffee. Consequently, you will also be able to enjoy a sweeter and less acidic coffee to jumpstart your day.