This article answers your question about “how do you store a 5lb bag of coffee?” with two easy methods to preserve maximum freshness and flavor. Let’s dig in.
Have you purchased a big bag of coffee and found yourself wondering, how do you store a 5lb bag of coffee? My mother runs a home coffee bar, and that’s why storing a large quantity of coffee is a daily task for me. A bag this size of freshly roasted beans can yield about ten portions of coffee, with each portion using 90 grams of ground coffee.
If stored incorrectly, the beans will suffer significant degradation from oxidation. There are two main ways to store this much coffee at home. The first option is separate individual daily portions and vacuum pack them.
The other way is to store them in separate air-tight jars and seal the lids tightly.
No matter which method you use, your coffee must be kept in a dry, dark location. Pop it in your pantry cabinet or even a freezer if you have to. In this article, I’ll dig deeper into each storing method.
- Vacuum Pack Large Bags Of Coffee
- How do you Store A 5lb Bag Of Coffee In Air-Tight Jars?
- Storing Coffee The Right Way: Pantry Vs. Freezer
- What To Consider Before Buying Five Pounds Of Coffee
- Roasted Coffee Beans Vs. Ground Coffee: Which One Lasts Longer?
- 3 Easy Ways To Tell If Your Coffee Beans Are Stale
Vacuum Pack Large Bags Of Coffee
If you want to keep large batches of coffee fresh, the FoodSaver 31161370 Cordless Food Vacum Sealer is ideal. This handheld device can go almost anywhere on your countertop, thanks to its compact size.
The standard offer comes with just the vacuum sealer and four bags, but you can order the device and additional zipper bags together. Each bag holds a quart, which is the equivalent of four pounds, so you can store your five pounds of coffee in two bags.
How do you Store A 5lb Bag Of Coffee In Air-Tight Jars?
Divide the five pounds of coffee into different canning jars. For the best results, try to use jars made of opaque glass, ceramic, or non-reactive metal containers. On top of that, make sure you have an airtight gasket seal for each jar too.
Once you screw down the lids, store them in a cool, dry, dark area in your cabinet. If you drink coffee daily, keep the rest of the coffee in a smaller container and set the large containers aside. Only open the large ones when you need to refill smaller containers.
This is to minimize air exposure for the bulk of the coffee.
If you have an even bigger batch that needs to be divided every five pounds, use this Tightvac EverythingVac storage container. Learn more in our guide on the best way to store coffee beans at home.
- Holds varying amounts from up to 5 pounds of coffee beans to 10 pounds of rice, flour, sugar and other dry goods
- Ideal storage for bulk dry goods; large loaves of bread, bagels, pretzels, chips, pet food, flour, sugar, oats, crackers and more
- Unique and easy to use vacuum sealed container with locking lid
- CoffeeFest Award Winner Best New Coffee Storage; coffee roasters dream
- Food grade BPA Free plastic; air tight, reusable, smell proof and durable
This food-grade plastic container is BPA-free and can hold up to five pounds of coffee at once. Its locking mechanism is incredibly easy to tackle. All you need to do is grip the handle, put your thumb on the press button, press it down, twist the cap to the left, pull the cap up, and put your coffee in.
Storing Coffee The Right Way: Pantry Vs. Freezer
Pantry storage is the most common way to store both whole beans and ground coffee. Put your containers in the back of the pantry cabinet and close the doors properly to make sure your coffee is not exposed to light, heat, and moisture.
What I don’t like about storing coffee in a fridge or freezer is the fluctuating temperature, which will create moisture in the packet. Fluctuating temperatures damage the cell structure in coffee, indirectly leading to the loss of oils which are the primary resource of aroma and flavor in coffee. So when you brew it, your coffee loses its freshness and tastes like cardboard.
Does that mean freezing whole beans is completely impossible? Well, whole-bean coffee can rest in the freezer for up to a month. However, make sure you don’t take them in and out too often.
Whenever you need to defrost it, place it on a shelf to thaw. Make sure to use up this coffee within two weeks. Otherwise, the coffee will start to lose flavor.
What To Consider Before Buying Five Pounds Of Coffee
If you have a large family to feed or if you own a café, buying five pounds of coffee is worth it. Five pounds is a lot of coffee so make sure your roasters offer discounted prices when you buy it in bulk.
If you live alone and drink about two cups of coffee a day, a five-pound bag of coffee is not worth it, and you’ll be very disappointed by the time you reach the bottom of your bag.
Roasted Coffee Beans Vs. Ground Coffee: Which One Lasts Longer?
Whole-bean coffee lasts longer than ground coffee. The moment coffee beans finish roasting, they start to lose their freshness over time.
Compared to whole beans, ground coffee has a much larger surface area that can be exposed to air and sunlight. Therefore, ground coffee loses its flavor a lot quicker than whole-bean coffee.
An unopened bag of whole-bean coffee stays fresh for up to a year as long as it has been stored in a cool, dark, dry location. An unopened bag of ground coffee stays fresh for less than half a year. Really good quality ground coffee can stay fresh when unopened for up to five months.
Once opened, expect it to stay fresh for 30 days after roasting. Cheaper coffee can last somewhere around three months. Therefore, the best time to finish all of your ground coffee is a few days after opening it.
3 Easy Ways To Tell If Your Coffee Beans Are Stale
Storing five pounds of coffee is no joke, especially if you attempt to do this for the first time without the proper equipment at home. If you’re wondering if your coffee goes bad somewhere down the road, here are three easy ways to tell. It helps if you use the best coffee for long-term storage.
Smell It
Depending on the roast level, freshly roasted coffee gives off a sweet, fragrant aroma with a pungent kick in the nose at its peak freshness. Stale coffee beans give off little to no scent. Sometimes, you need to bring them closer to your nose for a deep inhale until you feel that aroma.
Check The Oil On The Beans
The oily sheen in fresh, dark-roasted coffee delivers a smooth, shiny surface coating the beans. If stored incorrectly, the shiny oil slowly evaporates.
At the end of the day, all that’s left is a dull texture. There is still a subtle sheen on the beans but not enough to retain the original aroma and flavor.
Feel The Coffee In Your Hands
Last but not least, feel the coffee with your hands. Its distinctive moisture will kiss the palm of your hand in the most beautiful, heart-warming way. The oil itself gives the beans a certain level of moisture.
Stale coffee beans will no longer have that unique moisture. Therefore, the beans end up being grainy and dry. You might also be interested in learning how to store coffee pods.
