Chefs are only as good as their ingredients. And the same can be said of Coffee Roasters. You can’t roast good Coffee from bad Green. So how can we ensure we are roasting with good Green Coffee?
- Buying good quality Green Beans from a good quality supplier (like us!)
- Storing your good quality Green correctly
Well stored Green Coffee can sit around for a couple of years and not lose much or any of its quality. So let’s take a look at what factors make Green lose its quality.
What spoils Green Coffee?
Time, Temperature, Moisture, Light and Oxygen are the bad guys, so managing these is key to keeping your Green Coffee at its best.
Time
Coffee does age over time but much slower than what you would think. If conditions are maintained then coffee can sit around for years.
Temperature
High temperatures and large temperature fluctuations will degrade your coffee. So keeping Green stored in a space that maintains the most consistent temperature. Like a dark cupboard in a hallway rather than a Garage or Shed.
Green that’s stored in warmer conditions will also roast faster because the inner core is starting at a higher temperature compared to beans that are stored in colder conditions. These will have a much lower inner core temperature and take longer to roast.
Green can be stored in the Freezer for a very long time providing there is minimal oxygen in the packet and it is airtight. Some Roasters will store competition Green in a chest freezer so they are using coffee at its peak. If you do this, make sure to portion the Green into batch sizes (so you don’t have to keep opening the packet) and allow the Green to sit at room temperature for around 24-48 hours before roasting so that the inner bean temperature can warm up to match the outer bean temp.
Moisture
Green has undergone a drying process to get its moisture content down (usually) to between 9-12%. Adding moisture increases the moisture content making it harder to roast that back out. Plus exterior moisture will also begin to break the bean structure down and invites bacteria to get involved. Keep Green dry.
Light
Sunlight will break coffee down mostly because of the heat and UV Rays. Otherwise Interior lighting won’t have much of an effect on the coffee. However, often dark environments have the most consistent temperatures (See point 2).
Oxygen
Oxygen has a bigger impact on Roasted coffee than it does with Green. Nevertheless, it is still a degrading factor so it’s best to keep Green sealed when sitting around. The bags we send your Green in are sufficient and just need to be kept closed. If you are wanting to store coffee for as long as possible, then consider vacuum sealing to keep oxygen to a minimum. But most of the time this is unnecessary.
You can’t roast good coffee from bad Green coffee. So, by sticking to these guidelines, you’ll be giving yourself the best starting point by ensuring that your Green Coffee stays in its peak condition for the longest.