What happens when good coffee goes bad? Well, hopefully it doesn’t happen very often! Coffee lovers hate to throw out their beans and grounds, so it is good to know the best-by dates so that you don’t have to waste valuable product. It’s best to use the coffee before it goes stale, but if you are a coffee lover who uses pour-over drippers you know it might take a little more time to use up a whole bag of beans!
Coffee drippers are a great way to make a delicious cup of coffee without making too much and wasting it. You can keep that great scent and aroma and use different kinds of coffee to suit the tastes of different family members, meaning that a single bag of your favorite beans really does last a long time.
Is it stale?
It’s hard to tell when coffee is past it’s best by date. How can you tell? Coffee doesn’t go moldy, unless it has been exposed to moisture, and it doesn’t change color to let you know it’s bad. But your nose will tell you and so will your taste buds. Coffee that is past its best by date loses its aroma and flavor.
Brewed coffee
Once the coffee is brewed, drink it within the next few hours. If you can’t do that, then save it in the fridge and blend it up with ice cream and chocolate for a mocha shake, or use it in other recipes.
Ground coffee and coffee beans
Store bought grounds are great for 3-5 months in the pantry, and coffee beans can last for 9 months in the pantry. Both of these can last much longer if kept in the freezer, and there is no loss of freshness to beans that are kept in the freezer, as long as the bags are properly sealed. If you want to keep your coffee fresh for a long time so that you can use a little at a time in coffee drippers, then keep the beans in the freezer. If you choose to do this, beware of moisture in the freezer. Coffee that has been kept in the freezer but improperly sealed can go moldy.
Enjoy your coffee
If the beans or grounds that you have been using are not smelling as fresh in your pantry as they did when you bought them, then it is time to use them up. If you don’t want to brew them in your coffee dripper, you can use beans or grounds in recipes or in other ways.
Don’t settle for stale, lifeless, expired coffee grounds or beans. You can keep them in the pantry for a few months, or in the freezer to keep them fresh. Get the most out of your coffee with a pour over coffee dripper from Kajava Mama. Click here for more information.