What is the best way to store coffee?

Coffee, like many natural, fresh products, is vulnerable to being exposed to air, which can, over time, degrade the taste and freshness.

Airtight, opaque and cool are the key words to remember.

Light, moisture, heat and oxygen are the elements that will cause this and although it is possible to keep coffee for up to a year, it is recommended that you drink the coffee within three months of purchase.

Ideally coffee should be stored as beans in vacuum storage container from which the air can be removed.

However, in the absence of a vacuum container, it should be stored in an airtight tin that does not let in any light.

It is better to store coffee as beans and not in ground form.

This is because once ground the coffee will lose its taste and other qualities more quickly due to the smaller size of the particles.

Finally, never store coffee in the fridge. It is no different from other foods that absorb flavours from the foods stored with them.

The ideal environment for storing coffee is a cool, dry place once you have placed it in a suitable container.