Just like many other agricultural products, green coffee beans have their own shelf life. Therefore, you better know the answer of how long does green coffee bean last and the way to achieve that shelf life before purchasing some for yourself.
To be familiar with the answer to that issue, you must continue to read this article. You will find the needed information about the shelf life of green coffee beans, some factors that influence those beans’ shelf life, and also how to store them properly to maintain the great quality of the products.
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4 Factors That Affecting Green Coffee Beans Shelf Life
The shelf life of green coffee beans can not be accurately decided as they depend on several things. There are four factors that can make the shelf life of green coffee beans becomes longer or shorter, which are:
1. Temperature Level
The normal temperature may not make any significant changes to coffee beans’ shelf life, but if it is extreme, the water activity inside the beans can be affected. As a result, the packaging becomes a moist and humid environment for those beans. Consequently, the taste and aroma of the coffee beans will be disturbed.
2. Humidity and Moisture Level in the Storage
The moisture level of an unprocessed green coffee bean is relatively high, which is approximately 50%. Still, that number can be reduced to 11% or even gone if the surrounding air is too dry. If the humidity is at a low level, the green coffee beans will lose their flavor as they are too dry.
On the contrary, it is also bad if the surrounding air is too humid. It is because the high level of humidity will result in the appearance of fungi or make the green coffee beans experience fermentation.
3. Oxygen Level in the Storage
Another shelf life-affecting factor is oxygen. Oxygen can oxidate some things over a long time, including green coffee beans. If that happens, the freshness of those coffee beans will be gone making them taste flat or stale.
4. Light Level in the Storage
Do not store green coffee beans in a place with too much light, as it can make them experience a photodegradation process which will cause organic particles of the coffee beans to be gradually destroyed over time by photons.
So, How Long Will Green Coffee Beans Last?
Green coffee beans have many varieties, and each of them has a different grade of freshness. Nevertheless, most specialty coffee roasters generally consider that the coffee beans have a shelf life of six months to a year. Despite that, you can still consume more than one-year-old beans, but the flavor and quality would be lower.
Those old green coffee beans are often referred to as ‘past crop.’ Although the beans are older, they may still be used in blends or sold at a discount, depending on their quality and the preferences of the buyer.
It’s worth mentioning that there’s a specific type of green coffee bean called the musty cup. Unlike past crop coffee, musty cup undergoes careful monitoring and rotation for six months to three years to prevent mold and rot. As a result, the musty cup has a distinct, refined flavor that is different from the musty taste that can occur in coffee that has aged beyond its prime.
The expected shelf life of how long does green coffee bean last is long if it is compared to other kinds of coffee, namely roasted coffee beans and pre-ground coffee. Roasted coffee beans can last for six weeks before they go bad, whereas pre-ground coffee is only fresh for two weeks.
How to Store Green Coffee Beans Properly?
Almost any food items must be correctly stored for them to last as long as they are able to. Specifically green coffee beans can be treated similarly to regular roasted coffee in terms of how to store it.
Some basic rules and ways to store green coffee beans at their peak freshness are to keep them far away from moisture, direct sunlight, and high temperatures. Furthermore, the container where those coffee beans are stored must be sealed as well.
The International Coffee Organisation (ICO), with its Coffee Quality Improvement Programme has suggested that green coffee beans must be stored in a packaging that checks all the requirements as follows:
- The moisture level should be between 8% and 12.5%
- Should have 0.5% to 0.7% of water activity
- The humidity should stay around 60% and 65%
- The temperature should not be too far from 20°C
Additionally, if the green coffee beans are not used within a few months, they can be stored for a long time by freezing them. When that is the case, make sure that the coffee beans are divided into several batches so you can use them later without any problems. Just remember not to refreeze them if you do not want to break the cell structure.
Now that you have an idea of how long does green coffee bean last as well as how to store those beans correctly to keep their peak quality, you are ready to buy some of them for any purpose. You can buy wholesale green coffee beans at Indonesia Specialty Coffee if you are interested!
