…… Storing coffee

[Josie]

My neighbor is moving and in the process of packing up found TWO bags of ground coffee that she doesn't want to pay to move, so she gave them to me (Along with a lot of other things like a snow blower that has only been used twice!) The dates on the coffee are still good and the bags are still sealed. But being the only coffee drinker in the house, this gift will last me for quite some time! Is there a way to store the coffee for a while so it doesn't go bad or get bitter?

Thanks!

 

[Kathy in FL]

No one in the house but my daughters drinks coffee. They don’t drink as much as they used to though because Momma proved to be correct when she warned them of the issues with enamel staining. Hah! But we bring them coffee back from our travels and what we do is simply vacuum seal it and put it in the freezer. Lasts longer but certainly not forever.

 

[summerthyme]

Best would be to vacuum seal it in glass jars, and then store them in a cool, dark cupboard (or cardboard box). You can use oxygen absorbers if you don't have a vacuum sealer. And yes, Kathy's tip about the freezer is good if you have room.

And a tip for those who don't know... those "hand warmer" packets they sell are chemically identical to oxygen absorbers. They are sold individually sealed, so you can open just one at a time. They're more expensive than oxygen absorbers (although if you watch for them on clesrance in the spring, you can get a deal), but if you aren't packing a lot of food at once, the difficulty of storing the unused O2 absorbers can get expensive.

Summerthyme