Folgers Finally Settles the Debate: This Is Where You Should Store Coffee Grounds

Pantry, fridge, or freezer?

Coffee is a glorious thing. The delicious aroma dancing through your kitchen as you brew your morning cup of joe. The endless possibilities for flavor and drink combinations. That initial caffeinated taste that jolts you to life before your first task of the day.

With so much riding on that daily cup of coffee, the last thing you want to do is screw it up. Especially for a silly—and totally preventable—reason, like storing your coffee grounds improperly. Because, yes, just like with so many foods, there is a correct way to store coffee.

Don’t worry, though, similar to soy sauce, storing coffee grounds in the “wrong” place won’t harm you, it just might impact your coffee’s taste. However, looking at the state of grocery prices, we don’t even want to risk that—because buying a new bag of coffee grounds just because we’re experiencing flavor loss is out of the question.

So, where should we store our coffee grounds? In the fridge? Freezer? Pantry? We asked the experts at Folgers so your next cup of coffee is the best it can be.

Where Should You Store Coffee Grounds?

The good news is that storing coffee grounds isn’t a matter of food safety but a matter of freshness. So, unlike keeping eggs on the counter or letting cream cheese sit out for too long, you don’t have to worry about coffee grounds giving you a foodborne illness because they’re in the “danger zone.” You just might encounter a less-than-stellar cup of coffee, which is not life-threatening but disappointing nonetheless.

“Properly storing coffee is one of the best ways to preserve its flavor and ensure that you’re getting a high-quality cup of coffee with each and every brew,” said Kyle Hess, a corporate communications spokesperson for The J.M. Smucker Co., which owns Folgers.

To ensure your coffee grounds are at their best, Folgers recommends storing grounds and instant coffee “in a cool, dry place with the lid tightly closed.” It doesn’t necessarily have to be your pantry, but that’s the best cool, dry place we know.

Folgers recommends keeping the coffee grounds in a container with a sealed lid. That’s how Folgers—and some other coffee grounds and instant coffees—are sold. However, if your preferred ground coffee doesn’t come in a coffee can—or you grind coffee yourself—you can always buy a coffee canister or another food storage container. Anything that can seal in the coffee grounds’ freshness will work.

Should You Store Coffee in the Fridge or Freezer?

Most of us are trained to think that the fridge—and especially the freezer—can help foods stay fresh for longer. However, that’s not the case with coffee grounds.

“We do not recommend refrigerating or freezing coffee as this can result in flavor loss,” Hess said.

We all know that coffee absorbs moisture—that’s how you get your tasty brew—but in the fridge or freezer, it can prematurely absorb the moisture in the atmosphere. This can dull the coffee’s flavor and lead to it taking on strange odors or flavors from the other items in your fridge or freezer.

Where Should You Store Whole Coffee Beans?

Much like coffee grounds, Folgers recommends you store whole coffee beans in “a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.” Placing coffee beans in the fridge or freezer can cause flavor loss, so Folgers doesn’t recommend stashing them there.

How Long Do Coffee Grounds Stay Fresh?

Of course, when it comes to freshness, you should always check your coffee's best-by-date first. However, once you’ve done that, Folgers says that, if stored properly, coffee grounds will retain their optimal flavor for “about three weeks” after opening.

That should be plenty of time to test your at-home barista skills with the best possible product.

Read the original article on All Recipes.