Your objective when ordering coffee for your business should be to order your coffees on a weekly basis, use all of that coffee within 10 to 14 days after it was roasted, yet never run out between deliveries. After 14 days, the coffee will no longer be fresh, and will not produce its optimal flavor characteristics.

The flavor essence of the roasted bean is very vulnerable to destruction. Whole-bean roasted coffee begins to lose its flavor after one week, ground coffee within an hour after grinding, and brewed coffee within minutes. Correctly ordering and handling coffee will minimize its vulnerability to deterioration.

Your roasted coffee may be packaged in a variety of ways.

Better roasters package in foil or plastic film bags which are flushed with nitrogen and immediately heat sealed. Many times these bags incorporate a one-way valve called a "valve lock" which will permit the gasses emitted by the freshly roasted beans to escape without allowing air to re-enter the bag. Valve locks are helpful in keeping the potentially damaging air away from the beans. They will retard the deterioration of the coffee beans, but are not a substitute for freshness.

Some smaller roasters may package their coffees in plastic bags or wax-lined paper bags. These packages do not offer as much protection, but can still be acceptable if you receive the coffee immediately after roasting and transfer it to an air-tight container. Cans without one-way valve locks are unacceptable forms of packaging.

Store your coffee in the bags it came in if they are heat sealed film or foil. Once these bags have been opened, you can either transfer the coffee to a clean, dry, air-tight container, or simply roll the top of the bag closed, forcing out as much air as possible, and seal the bag with a piece of tape or a rubber band.

The enemies of coffee are extreme temperatures (hot or cold), air, light, moisture, and strong odors. We recommend that you store coffee in a dry, air-tight container, in a dark place, at room temperature.

We do not recommend refrigerating or freezing coffee. We think cold storage is not advisable for several good reasons:

First, after coffee is roasted, it needs to de-gas and age naturally. While freezing and refrigeration will make the coffees last longer, this type of storage will alter the natural aging of the coffee and change its chemistry.

Second, refrigerators tend to be damp and filled with odors. Moisture is one of coffee's enemies, because the flavor "oils" in roasted coffee are delicate and water soluble. Moisture immediately dilutes the coffee. Odors will taint coffee. You do not want your coffee to absorb the faint aromas of other items in your refrigerator.

Additionally, when coffee is stored under natural conditions, the beans grind more easily, respond better to water pressure, temperature, and to the brewing process in general.

Bottom line on storing roasted coffee:

It is best to buy fresh-roasted coffee in quantities that you will use within seven to ten days. Be careful with this product, as it is one that is volatile and most important to your business success.