When we talk about coffee shelf life, we distinguish two key phases: green bean lifespan and roasted bean lifespan. The first myth concerns green beans, which are often said to have unlimited shelf life. Of course, this is untrue, as oxidation causes the beans to lose their sensory properties.
This places demands on roasters to optimize their inventory. If someone's green beans sit in storage for too long, they simply won't roast quality coffee for you. At Fiftybeans, we always keep enough stock to use the beans within a maximum of 5 months from harvest.
3 Things You Need to Know About Roasted Coffee
1. How long can I store an unopened package of coffee?
Bean shelf life in the package differs depending on what you're drinking.
- Unopened espresso lasts 6 to 7 weeks.
- Unopened filter coffee lasts 3 months.
2. How long does opened coffee last?
After opening, you have roughly 4 days to consume it. What happens after that?
The coffee starts to taste flat. For example, with espresso, you'll notice it loses its creamy texture and doesn't produce crema like it did at first. Filter coffee keeps longer - up to a week. But if you want to remember one universal rule, stick to 4 days. Of course, don't forget to always let the coffee rest for 24 hours so it won't be bitter.
3. So how should I buy coffee when it barely lasts? Can't I stock it up?
You can, but use common sense. For people with lower consumption, we recommend buying smaller packages that they can finish in time. For example, if you use 20g of coffee daily, a 200g package that you'll finish in ten days is better for you
However, there's also the environmental aspect, as this produces much more waste. If you prefer to buy a kilo package and be kinder to the planet, it's good to know this hack for storing larger quantities of coffee.