Does Coffee Store Better In The Feezer?

[Julieanne]

I have always stored my coffee in the freezer, but the new organic, fair trade coffee I bought last week says 'do not refrigerate'. Recommends to store in a cool, dark pantry. I wish! With summer temps reaching 39c here, no such thing exists.

It's OK for now, as it is winter. But why not refrigerate? Your comments please.

[mellowsong]

Not that I'm an expert by any means but my understanding is: Whole beans are best stored in cool, dry, dark place in air tight canister. Barring that, putting in refrigerator or freezer is a one time thing. Once you take out, they need to stay out because if the beans get warm, then cold again, moisture will condense on them and apparently ruin the taste. With all that said, I keep my unopened beans in the fridge in the summer because I keep my house fairly warm. I order coffee online and I'm not going to order a bag every 7 to 10 days just be have "perfect" coffee. I'm far from a coffee connoisseur and all I care about is that the coffee doesn't taste bitter :)

[Julieanne]

Thanks mellow. I get rather bored with the current 'coffee culture' - it sometimes seems a bit pretentious. I'm no barista either!