How Long Do Green Coffee Beans Last?
Green coffee beans are best used within 1 year of harvest. After that, they’ll still be good, but they slowly start losing flavor, and nobody wants a coffee that tastes flat. Each year, the coffee harvest season clycle each year, which means you can get a new, fresh batch yearly. If you keep the beans in a cool, dark, and dry spot, they can hang around for up to 3 years without losing too much of that goodness.
Which factors affect the quality of green coffee?
Temperature
The exposure of green coffee to extreme temperatures for sustained periods of time can affect the coffee’s water activity. Condensation on the surfaces and within the packaging occurs along with the moisture, with the subtle aromas and flavors coffee contains. Extreme temperatures can additionally affect respiration, which alters the behavior of water in coffee. This suggests that the flavor compounds contained in the coffee will diminish in quality if not kept in a cool environment.
Humidity
Environmental humidity can impact the balance of green coffee beans. Too low humidity can actually withdraw moisture from coffee beans. On the contrary, high humidity can make the beans absorb moisture, leading to fermentation and potentially mould or mildew.
Oxygen
Freshness and quality of green coffee are affected by temperature and humidity extremes, as well as exposure to oxygen. The degradation of coffee due to oxidation over time creates unwanted flavours such as “flat” and “stale.”
Light
Like roasted coffee, green coffee beans can be damaged by concentrated light, being exposed to “photodegradation,” which leads to the disintegration of organic matter, which can affect the cup profile of roasted coffee. Even though green coffee is generally less volatile than roasted coffee, exposure to the atmosphere can make it stale.
Time
Rather, time is just what the accumulation of the preceding four factors has done to the coffee. However, time will not suffice. Sustained exposure to oxygen, humidity, and temperature will, over time, cause even the more subtle and delicate aromas of green coffee to vanish.
This is where proper storage practice is put to use. This is where the proper storage practice comes into play.
How to Store Green Coffee Beans Properly
Keep it Cool in a Dark and Dry Place
The air, moisture, heat, and light are the things that pose the most threat to your green beans.
If you want the fresh flavor of your beans to last as long as possible, store them at room temperature between 20 and 22 degrees.
Be sure to store your beans in a cool and dark place. Keeping your coffee in an area that gets direct sunlight is not a good idea; also, get it away from a heat source such as a roasting machine. To maintain its moisture and flavor.
If you buy a bulk green coffee in a jute bag that has a plastic zipper inside, it’s best that you let the beans sit there to store before use, cause it’s air-tight and good to maintain moisture. If you buy green beans in small quantities, consider buying a plastic sealed container box.
Purchase the appropriate amount
After years, coffee loses some of its freshness. Make an effort to purchase freshly harvested coffee in smaller batches yearly, with each purchase providing enough for one year.
Your beans will deteriorate quickly if they are exposed to humid air and sunlight. Suppose you want to store your beans in a container that is easily accessible and/or aesthetically pleasing. In that case, dividing your coffee supply into smaller amounts is a good idea, and storing the larger, unused portion in an airtight container. This will help your coffee supply last longer.
Before Stocking Your Green Coffee Beans
Ask the supplier about the harvest date
Asking the harvest date is essential when buying green coffee beans if you are planning to buy for yearly stock. You need to buy the recently harvested ones within 1-5 months, because if it’s already stored more than a year by the supplier, if you keep it for another year, the flavor potential will be lost.
Ask the supplier about the moisture content
Moisture content around 13-14% is essential for a good quality of green coffee beans. If it’s too moist when you store it for a long time, it will lose more weight. Losing the coffee beans’ weight too much because of moisture is a profit loss if you are buying a yearly stock.