Here are the current recs. from Peet's Coffee.

What is the best way to store coffee at home?
We recommend that you keep a week's worth of coffee in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, keep it in the freezer. Packages of frozen coffee should be opened as infrequently as possible. Whole beans will keep up to four weeks, but ground coffee should be brewed within a week or two. Buying small amounts frequently and grinding your own beans is the best way to enjoy fresh coffee.

Years ago, Peet's generally suggested keeping coffee in the freerzer. While looking, I see that Peet's now sells a counter canister that has a plunger so excess air may be pushed out.

A few options listed in this link below.

I don't have any of the canisters but noticed them when i just ordered beans the other day.
I roast green beans and store them in ball jars. We roast weekly and they need a rest, so our rotation is fine as it is.

for storage i do like some of the canister options available.

Here is a link that might be useful: storage tins and bags for coffee

thanks guys/gals,

not loving the bags and peets container was too big,(32oz)
was looking for smaller containers since i experiment with different flavors...
bought 3 today, costa rican, roma blend and breakfast blend...
had roma today and it was fab!!!
something 12 oz., or less....

thanks so much for the suggestions!!

any others would be much appreciated...

how about the "tightvac", anybody try those??? or Friis...

TIA

I have a stainless steel canister with a silicone seal that I keep coffee beans in after roasting them. I roast a pound about once a week, and store them at room temperature in the airtight canister, and grind beans as I need them just before making coffee in my Chemex.

Green beans stay in the bags they are shipped in until I roast them.

Before I found the stainless steel container, which is just the right size, I kept roasted beans in a Lock N Lock. I've got a cupboard full of those, I love them. They were the only containers that I could take a bowl of soup to work in and know that they would not leak. Love the Lock N Locks...

Annie

Annie

Years ago I received a gift of a pound of a regional coffee blend in a nice metal canister with a tight lid. I've kept that coffee canister and refill as needed with a bag of ground Seattle's Best #4 coffee, my coffee of choice these days.

Teresa

annie,

i am also using Chemex!! love it.....

do u have a brand name for the SS container??

thanks everybody!!1

A few years back my office staff, knowing I'm a coffee hound, got me a pound of Gevalia coffee in a ceramic canister. It has a silicone seal and a latch. There are dozens of these available on eBay for $5-30 in different colors and vintages. If you google 'Gevalia Canister' you'll see what I mean.

The coffee was okay, but the canister is great. Looks good on my countertop, and holds about a pound.

Another very good container is something that Community Coffee occasionally has available, called a 'Fresh-0-Lator'. Has a very fifties-industrial look, and if you tried to carry one on a plane I'm sure the TSA would take you aside for a real intimate exam, but it does a great job of keeping the coffee fresh. A Cajun friend of mine swears by his. Click on the link and you'll see what they're talking about, but Community is out of them at the moment. There's one on eBay for $49 right now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fresh O Lator

sprtphntc, I love my Chemex, it's the best coffee I've ever had, hands down, and the filters are excellent for filtering the lard I just rendered too. Double duty, LOL.

My canister has no name on it, I'm sure I got it at the local Meijer's or somewhere similar, as I'm from a very small town. It looks a lot like the one at this link, though.

Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: Trudeau canister

If you are looking for 'counter pretty', anything with an air-lock top should work fine.
Being already ground, (some of the specialty tins are for home roasting beans to let them off-gas), you just want something air-tight.
Green beans are fine in their delivery bags for a few months. (some say 6 months)
I use ball jars after roasting in case of off-gasing. Outer ring on loose. And just because they fit on the shelf above my grinder in the pantry.
I use Chemex as well. The smaller one for brewing tea. Just replaced the leather laces on mine. Got a few pairs at the grocery.

Storage of beans has many opinions. Some say, once roasted, not used with-in 10 days, that freezing in food savers is best.
Some say, once ground, and not used with-in a couple days, to freeze in smaller amounts. Not sure what is best as it is debated to death.

For the mountain cottage i have to grind, then food saver. In two day amounts for weekends. I just freeze the packets once up there. Still very good and the only solution, as we may not visit for a few weeks depending. (i do take up fresh, but if we forget, we have a back-up)...still is better than any pre-roasted and ground we previously purchased.

Here is a link that might be useful: 12 oz coffee tin with de-gas valve

Lots of sizes of air-tight containers available, usually for storage of sugar, grains, flour, etc. I use a relatively small one of stainless steel, about 5" high, and keep the rest in the freezer. Most important, keep it out of direct sun!

We love coffee, but I don't sweat the whole "fresh ground is the only way." Yes, it's better, but not worth my time, as I don't drink enough coffee any longer to be obsessive over it (but I once did, LOL). Like Annie, we use Chemex and I insist upon Chemex filters, which I've found better than anything else on the market.

We actually drink coffee more often in restaurants, because we dine out so much. When I write up our reviews, which are for our own enjoyment and to jog our increasingly missing memories [smile], I try to include a review of the coffee. The quality is excellent in the SF Bay Area, where artisanal coffee roasters abound, but the proper execution -- ah, there's the rub, as Hamlet said!

Why shouldn't keep coffee in the refrigerator?

A brief quick answer...

Here is a link that might be useful: coffee storage

And a further answer to why not.
Even if stored in the fridge in an air-tight container, every time you take it out, from cool to room temp, condensation happens immediately...you then shut the container, back into the fridge, with moisture locked it. Next day, re-peat. The only way to prevent that is to let it come to room temp on the counter before opening... probably an hour.
Who has time for that?
Just best to keep it in a tight sealed dark container at room temp. or dark pantry and ball jars are fine.

Ahh.... Interesting. I'm not a coffee drinker but DH and DS are. I also make it for guests. DH always keeps it in the fridge, I have no idea why. Now I will tell him to take it out. We tend to buy large containers of store brand coffee. He really likes more gourmet coffee but hates the high price.

Debrak, other than the equipment costs (the roaster, the grinder and the Chemex and filters cost right around $200.00), the green beans are far cheaper than I can get coffee already roasted for here. Most "good" beans are around $12-$15 per package, which used to be a pound but are now 12 ounces.

I get green beans anywhere from $4.50 to $7 or $8 a pound. The exotic beans can go up to $20 or so and many are on sale for they're far cheaper. I roast a pound on the weekend. Since you'd have to buy a coffee maker, that balances the cost somewhat.

So, I figure my coffee, even after I pay shipping, costs me about $6 a pound, as opposed to the $12 for store bought beans in a lesser amount. We go through about a pound a week, so that $6 a week will add up quickly. However, if you factor in time, you have to roast the beans, grind the coffee and Chemex takes time and attention, you have to pour over the water instead of just pushing the button on the coffee maker.

I used to use a coffee maker for coffee during the week when I worked, and the Chemex was reserved for weekends. I got to the point where I'd get up 10 minutes early to use the Chemex, LOL.

Annie

Thank you for the info. I just told DH about this and he is very surprised.

While DH and DS enjoy a good cup of coffee, neither are interested in grinding at home. I personally hate the taste and smell of coffee so I am not offering to do it for them, LOL!

I think a nice airtight container like those mentioned here will make a nice fathers day gift from the kids.

"---While DH and DS enjoy a good cup of coffee, neither are interested in grinding at home. I personally hate the taste and smell of coffee so I am not offering to do it for them, LOL!---"

After I roasted the green beans, I just take them to Trader Joe's and use their grinding machine.

I was at a coffee importer's shop. They allowed me to see their tasting room where they taste all beans, each and every batch. I saw there were several counter top sized machines which can roast, grind and make coffee in small quantities quickly. I think they told me the machines were over a thousand $ each. I don't remember I have seen those machines sold here.

I know serious coffee freaks use PID digital temperature controller to control roasting and brewing temperature to within one degree accuracy.

dcarch

hi all,

just wanted to share my good fortune.. my friend and i went to a flea market and i found a Gevalia cermanic container like the one mentioned by arley for $2...in great condition, ran thru DW and came out fantastic....
bought a henry watson coffee container for $1...I know outrageous, right??? its the one with a wooden top and was pretty dirty but ran thru DW and it came out great....
going to use these 2 for my coffee and hope it stays fresh..thanks for all suggestions!!!! so appreciated :)
i think we got the deals B/C it started drizzling and we hung in there thru it and people just want to get rid of their stuff and not pack it up again....yah for me!!!!

also bought a hull bean pot for $2, does have small chip on handle but it came out great from the DW...has anyone put a gasket on the lid to keep things fresh??
suggestions for use besides cookies????

TIA

I'd use the bean pot for beans! I have one and it works wonderfully for baked beans, which I love.

Another way to avoid grinding beans is to buy a coffee maker which grinds the beans nad makes the coffee. I have one, it's a Cuisinart and it works great, I know there are other brands too. The night before you put the water in, the beans in the grinder, set the timer. At the pre-determined time, the grinder kicks on, grinds the beans and the coffee maker brews coffee.

The only problem I had was with the noise. I set the timer for 10 minutes before I had to get up, so I'd have coffee ready when I got out of bed. The darned grinder kicked on that first time and brought me out of sleep with a start, LOL.

Annie

DH just took the coffee out of the refrigerator and read to me the label. It says, once open it will keep on the counter for up to 10 days, it will keep for 3 weeks in the refrigerator, and 2 months in the freezer. It does caution about not taking the coffee in and out of the freezer.

DH is questioning my "refrigerator is bad" advice.

DH may question, but refrigerated beans are just a bad idea, for all of the reasons mentioned above. If you want the best flavor, buy or roast fresh and use within two to three weeks, max. If you must keep them, freeze in small, airtight packets. Once you take them out of the freezer, do not put them back in, just use them up as quickly as possible. The argument is simply settled--put his beans in the refrigerator for a few weeks and then put brew up a cup of refrigerated beans next to your fresh ones and taste the difference.

I use ball jars to store my fresh roasted beans and wouldn't consider buying an expensive valve jar or bags. Valve bags are useful in commercial applications to keep the bags from blowing up when the beans outgas. Rows of ballooned bags on the shelves don't look pretty. I'm not convinced they do any good after the bag is opened--after all, you're letting air in/CO2 out every time the container is opened, which is fairly often in the home setting.

I freely admit to being picky about my coffee, but we all have our peccadillos, right? . :-)

Cj

We store our ground Peet's Mocha Java in a stainless steel cannister on the counter and the decaf (which we use less often) stays in the freezer until needed. DH makes the coffee and he uses the French Press. I"ve tried Chemex at Peets and it's very good too.
OT: Being a customer, I don't appreciate someone bringing something from home and putting it into a machine that I assume has been used for freshly packaged items in the store. I doubt that TJ's and the NY health dept would approve.