Can I still drink coffee beans and coffee powder that have been stored in the refrigerator for four months?

I still remember that in April, Front Street Coffee wrote an article about storing coffee beans in the refrigerator to see how the flavor would change (click the link → [Front Street Barista's Notes] What changes will occur in the coffee flavor if the coffee beans are stored in the refrigerator?), but the beans used at that time were only stored for half a month, so this time Front Street Coffee directly stored the beans for 4 months to see what changes would occur!

In this experiment, Qianjie Coffee sealed the [Washed Yirga] roasted on the same day and stored them in room temperature, frozen and refrigerated environments. Considering that some fans store it in the form of coffee powder at home, Qianjie Coffee will store it in the form of coffee powder and coffee beans this time. There are a total of six bags of samples in this experiment~

| Bean Information

Yirgacheffe is a small town located in Ethiopia, with an altitude of 1700-2100 meters. It can be said to be one of the highest coffee producing areas in the world. By the way, the Yirgacheffe producing area originally belonged to the Sidamo producing area, but because the coffee produced here has a unique flavor, it was separated out.

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Washed Yirgacheffe Country: Ethiopia Region: Yirgacheffe Altitude: 180 0-2000m Processing method: Washed Variety: Local native species

Experiment

In order to reduce the impact of the technique on the flavor, Qianjie Coffee decided to use a smart filter cup for this experiment. The parameters were basically the same, with the roasting date being 2019.5.10 and the brewing date being 2019.9.11.

Parameters: water temperature 89℃, medium-fine grinding (BG 6T: China standard No. 20 sieve pass rate 58%), coffee powder to water ratio 1:16, directly inject 240 grams of hot water after adding coffee powder, soak for 4 minutes, filter and press out.

[Group 1: Storage at room temperature]

【Stored in the form of coffee beans】

Flavor: Jasmine, lemon acid, honey sweetness, woody. The aroma and sweetness are quite obvious.

【Stored in the form of coffee powder】

Flavor: Citrus, chocolate, cane sugar, wood. The aroma is weak and the flavor is not obvious.

【Group 2: Refrigerated Storage】

【Stored in the form of coffee beans】

Flavor: Osmanthus, ginger flower fragrance, lemon, citrus acidity, with a tea feel.

【Stored in the form of coffee powder】

Flavor: Light floral aroma, lemon, black tea, and nut flavors. Overall, it is quite balanced.

【Group 3: Frozen Storage】

【Stored in the form of coffee beans】

Flavor: Lemon, cane sugar, black tea, smooth taste, slightly juicey, a bit like lemon tea.

【Stored in the form of coffee powder】

Flavor: With obvious tea aroma, citrus sourness, cane sugar sweetness, flower tea. The overall flavor is thin.

Conclusion

The flavor of coffee stored in two forms, at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen, will be quite different:

No matter what environment the coffee powder is stored in, the aroma and flavor of coffee powder stored for 4 months will be weaker than that of coffee beans, and the flavor changes from the typical citrus and floral aroma of washed Yirgacheffe to the flavor of nuts and chocolate.

Therefore, Qianjie Coffee believes that if conditions permit, it is better to store them in the form of beans. If you don’t consume the coffee beans or coffee powder you bought so quickly, you can choose to store them in the freezer of the refrigerator~

However, Front Street Coffee would like to remind everyone:

When storing coffee beans or coffee powder in the refrigerator, be sure to seal it tightly! Because coffee absorbs odors, if it is not sealed properly, it will easily have the smell of the refrigerator!

It is also best to store them in small packages to avoid the coffee beans being affected by moisture and deteriorating due to repeated use.

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