Green Coffee Beans Shelf Life and Storage With that out of the way, let’s move on to the exploration of coffee beans’ shelf life. The larger the exposure to oxygen, and the higher the storage temperature – the bigger the reduction in antioxidant capacity. What’s also worth noting, is that coffee beans are rich in antioxidants that, just like their flavor and aroma, deteriorate with time.įor example, this scientific report confirms that the antioxidant capacity of coffee highly depends on the conditions under which they’re stored. With that being said, it’s worth noting that green, roasted, and ground coffee beans can, in fact, go bad. If you’re in a hurry, check out the following infographic, where you can find a quick summary of the shelf life of coffee beans: In the following sections, I will share more information on coffee storage, the shelf life of green, roasted, and ground coffee beans, and how you could make your coffee actually last longer (i.e. So it’s safe to say that there’s no unambiguous answer to the question of how long coffee beans last. The speed of this process depends on many factors, such as the type of coffee beans, roasting degree, etc. So for those who don’t know what it actually is, here’s an example of a good airtight one-way valve container by Coffee Gator:Īnother good way to store your coffee beans to make them last longer is to use a zipper pouch with a valve, such as the one below:Ĭlick here to check out its price on Amazon.Ĭoffee’s volatile aromatic compounds, oils, and other flavor components oxidize with time, which causes flavor deterioration. I’ll be referring to this type of container several times in this post. You can preserve the freshness of ground coffee for longer by storing it in an airtight container. After opening, if kept in its original packaging, it’s best to finish ground coffee within a week.Īfter that, the staleness and unpleasant rancid flavors may take over.If kept in an unopened bag, ground roasted coffee lasts for about 2 to a maximum of 4 months. If exposed to oxygen, it takes only 15 minutes for ground coffe to start losing a notable portion of its flavor.By properly freezing roasted coffee, you can extend its shelf life to up to 3 years.If kept in an unopened one-way valve nitrogen-flushed bag, whole coffee beans will remain mostly fresh within 12 months past the roast date.If in a sealed vacuum-packed bag, roasted whole beans’ shelf life extends to 3 to 5 months.Just make sure you’re storing them properly. If you brew with lightly roasted specialty coffee beans, you can enjoy good-tasting coffee for up to 6 weeks after the roast date. Because they’re more porous and oxidize at a higher pace, dark roasted coffee beans stale faster compared to light roasted coffee beans.You can extend the period within which they’re fresh to a month if you keep them in an airtight opaque container with a one-way valve. In general, roasted coffee beans last for 2 to 3 weeks after roasting.In that line of thoughts, here’s how long coffee beans last: In this article, when discussing the shelf life of coffee, I’ll be referring to the period within which coffee beans remain fresh in terms of flavor and aroma. Oxidation makes coffee beans go stale and overall unpleasant. With that being said, the flavor and the aroma would degrade significantly with time because of a chemical reaction with oxygen, known as oxidation. The beans will still contain caffeine (if that’s your main concern). If your coffee beans weren’t exposed to unusual amounts of humidity, high temperatures, and direct sunlight, it’s safe to brew coffee long after the expiration date. Generally, the more effort and precision you put into the storage of coffee beans, the longer they’ll last. Is there a way to completely prevent flavor deterioration and make the shelf life of coffee beans infinite?īefore I move on to answering all of those questions, I should tell you that there isn’t a strict rule that you should follow. Should you throw them away after, say, a month? Or probably a year?ĭo coffee beans stored in a nitrogen-flushed bag last longer? What happens after you open the vacuum-sealed coffee bag? Usually, there isn’t an expiration date printed on a coffee package, but how long after the roast date can you put your coffee beans to use? Keeping Roasted Coffee Beans in the Freezer.How long do roasted coffee beans last after opening?.How long do roasted coffee beans last in a sealed bag?.Roasted Whole Coffee Beans Shelf Life and Storage.Green Coffee Beans Shelf Life & Storage.How long do coffee beans last – Quick Rundown.

The coffee bean