How To Store Green Coffee Beans? (6 Factors To Consider)
How to store green coffee beans? A question that looms over almost every coffee roaster’s mind.
Without a doubt, the best ways to store green coffee beans are by hermetically sealing the green coffee.
Inventory management for coffee roasters can quickly turn into a nightmare when your green coffee supply is mismanaged. Overcrowding the warehouse is only a small fraction of the problem.
The real issue is making sure the quality of the green coffee beans does not degrade. This is because if the raw product is already tainted, it will directly affect the final product’s quality.
In this blog post, we will tackle all the factors to consider on how to store green coffee beans to ensure that their quality is in tip-top condition prior to roasting.
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At a glance: How To Store Green Coffee Beans?
Green Coffee Beans Storage Ways
Conventionally, coffee farmers ship green coffee beans to coffee roasters all over the world with burlap (jute) sacks. These sacks are cheap, reusable, and require no special skill in handling them.
Hence, making them a very economical option.
Upon reaching the warehouse, depending on the purchase volume, you have several options when it comes to green bean storage.
1. Store In Burlap (Jute) Sacks
First option. You can opt to just store these jute sacks in a warehouse of appropriate conditions. It is fine to use this method if your order volume is small and you are planning to roast the batch within a week or so.
Author’s Note: I’d highly recommend placing these sacks on pallets (4 inches from the ground) and away from walls and ceilings (about 20 to 24 inches away). This is to prevent dead spaces and moisture build-up within your green coffee sacks.
Also, make sure there is space between these towers of green coffee bean sacks so you can maneuver around them.
2. Store In Silos Or Decanters
The second option is to store the green coffee beans in silos (for bulk orders) or decanters (for smaller amounts).
With this method, you can eliminate most of the probable causes of green coffee bean damage (air, moisture, heat, light, and pests) and hence prolong the storage period.
Decanters are fairly cost effective in storing small amounts of green coffee beans. On the other hand, silos are on the pricier end as they are structurally more durable and have more volume.
Furthermore, they usually also come with dispensers which ease the process of retrieving the green coffee beans for roasting.
3. Store Via Hermetically Sealed Bags
Other than burlap sacks, you can opt to have your coffee shipped in hermetically sealed bags, a service provided by transport and storage companies such as GrainPro.
Hermetic seals ensure that the green coffee is packaged in a way that it is airtight. This eliminates the risk of oxidation and also photodegradation.
What makes it even better is that you can opt for your green coffee beans to be hermetically sealed prior to shipment!
While this option is pricier than using burlap sacks, it does greatly help reduce the green coffee degradation rate.
Green coffee degradation during transport can cause massive losses!
It is common for coffee roasters to visit coffee farms and perform cupping prior to ordering. And with a myriad of coffee degradation factors, it is not surprising to order a 85 points-graded coffee only to become a 80 points-graded coffee upon arrival.
That’s a major drop in coffee quality.
So, with a little more budget, coffee roasters can reduce the risk of degradation during the transport and storage of green coffee beans.
4. Vacuum Seal Method
If you do have the time and budget, vacuum sealing may be the best option to store your green coffee beans.
This method ensures air-tight conditions, no moisture absorption, and away from pest’s reach. Store these vacuum-sealed green coffee beans in a cool and dark storage area and you will ensure a stable storage life of 12 months with minimal degradation.
To further improve the efficiency of your vacuum seal, couple the process with a nitrogen flush prior to vacuum sealing the green coffee beans.
Nitrogen flushing will remove any residual oxygen pockets within the green coffee beans. And with minimal oxygen, this will drastically reduce the rate of oxidation of the green coffee beans.
Quick Note: Prior to vacuum sealing, it is worth checking the moisture levels of the coffee beans to ensure that it is sufficiently dry. This is to prevent mold growth during storage.
5. Freezing Green Coffee Beans
Freezing green coffee beans is another layer of preservation on top of vacuum sealing.
With reference to Scott Rao in his Coffee Roaster’s Companion book, freezing coffee beans (below 0oC or 32oF) which are stored in vacuum-sealed bags is able to preserve the coffee flavors almost perfectly for years.
But is this economical? I’d think not.
Freezing green coffee beans is usually not a cost-effective way to preserve the freshness of your green coffee beans.
The process of freezing and packaging doesn’t justify the additional cost of preservation unless the storage area is in a hot climate zone.
However, this is especially useful if you have a batch of prized green coffee beans from special microlots which you want to savor for years to come.
Personally, the best way is still to get fresh coffee beans delivered prior to roasting. This is where excellent planning and management of inventory come into play when scheduling roasting dates.
6 Factors For Green Coffee Beans Storage
When green coffee beans are stored in a controlled environment, they can last and remain fresh for up to 12 months. Ready to be roasted on demand.
Remember the goal of optimizing your green coffee beans storage:
Maintaining the green coffee beans absolute freshness and quality.
For all these storage methods, there are 5 factors that have to absolutely take care of to completely answer the question of how to store green coffee beans.
1. Oxygen Exposure
The very first culprit that is responsible and will potentially damage your green coffee beans during storage is the air. To be more precise, oxygen.
Green coffee beans are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation due to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids. This phenomenon will cause the oils in green coffee beans to progressively degrade and eventually turn rancid.
When this happens, any premium coffee will automatically be devalued even before it is roasted. The flavor notes of these roasted coffees will most likely give undesirable flavors such as sourness and muskiness in addition to the flat-tasting coffee.
If you know that you are going to roast these batches of coffee beans soon, you may still get away with just storing them in the burlap sacks in your coffee warehouse.
That said, I’d still highly recommend you store the green coffee beans in silos or decanters which are airtight to reduce the oxidation rate.
In addition to reducing oxidation rate, air-tight storage for coffee will also help prevent your green coffee beans from odor contamination.
This is because green coffee beans have the tendency to absorb odors from the surrounding environment. You certainly do not want your coffee to have the aroma of tar and smoke do you?
2. Humidity Level
The humidity levels of your storage area should be one of your top concerns too. Since coffee is hygroscopic which means they absorb moisture from the surrounding easily.
Author’s Note: Did you know that the International Coffee Organization (ICO) implemented a guideline where moisture level exports of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans must be kept between 8% and 12.5%?
Moisture levels exceeding 13% promote the growth of mold and fungus and in a flash, wipe out your entire inventory of green coffee beans.
If you are in a country which has high humidity, it is essential to ensure your storage room or warehouse is dry with a humidity regulator in place.
3. Light Exposure
The third factor when considering how to store green coffee beans is light exposure. In fact, this is one of the most overlooked parameters.
By exposing green coffee beans to sunlight, you will risk causing photo-degradation to the green coffee beans.
Sounds scary but basically, photo-degradation is a phenomenon where photons from light sources bombard the surface of the coffee beans. This in turn, breaks down the aromatic compounds present and causes the coffee beans to eventually lose flavor and aroma.
Burlap sacks are opaque and most silos and decanters are partially opaque. Whilst it may seem like it blocks out most of the sunlight, Ultraviolet (UV) rays can penetrate these barriers and cause photodegradation.
If in doubt, ask if the storage container is UV-proof or you can simply stick on a UV light film to be completely sure.
That said, the best way is still to provide total shade over your warehouse.
4. Heat Exposure
Heat is useful during coffee roasting but it is an absolute no-no when it comes to green coffee beans storage.
Exposing green coffee beans to elevated temperatures (way above room temperature) will cause heat degradation to the green coffee beans.
The presence of heat causes the aromatic compound molecules to be more excited. With time, this encourages them to eventually seep out of the green coffee beans.
A common mistake among coffee roasters is storing green coffee beans beside the coffee roasting machine. Whilst this may seem like a practical move as it is within reach whenever you want to roast a new batch, you will risk your green coffee beans undergoing heat degradation.
Flavors and aroma would have already been lost even before the roasting process began.
5. Pest
When it comes to food products, they will naturally attract pests since they are a form of food source. Hence, without a prevention plan, it is not surprising to find some of these pests within your green coffee storage area.
In addition to destroying your green coffee inventory, these pests may be carriers of diseases. With that in mind, I’d highly recommend investing in a proper pest management plan and committing to the pest management schedule.
Some of the common green coffee bean pests that you want to be aware of are:
Insects: The coffee berry borer, coffee bean weevil, and coffee moth are some of the common insects that feed on coffee beans. If left unchecked, they can rapidly devour your green coffee inventory in a few months.
Rodents: Rats and mice are other common pests that can easily sneak through the nooks and crannies of your warehouse or storage area if it is not properly enclosed.
Birds: Open warehouses are most susceptible to bird nesting. They bring along transmittable diseases and their droppings will contaminate your green coffee inventory.
6. Time Span
Green coffee beans’ theoretical shelf life is about 12 months.
This means even if you take care of the oxygen, humidity, light, heat and pest exposure, the green coffee beans could only stay fresh for 12 months at most.
Do not make the mistake of measuring the storage time span from the day you store them in your warehouse.
Technically, the green coffee beans’ freshness starts ticking right when they leave the processing mill from the coffee farm. Hence, the green coffee beans arriving at your store front could most likely already be 3 to 4 months old.
Always remember to factor these time periods when managing your inventory.
FAQ On How To Store Green Coffee Beans?
How Long Can You Store Green Coffee Beans?
With ideal conditions, you can store green coffee beans for up to twelve months. The ideal conditions are air-tight, low humidity, minimal light exposure and cool area. You should also watch out for potential pests that feed on green coffee beans. With these conditions in check, the green coffee beans will be as good as new.
How Do You Store Green Coffee Long Term?
A multi-layer and/or hermetic packaging is highly recommended to store green coffee long term. This method ensures minimal oxidation rate, light exposure and no exposure to surrounding moisture. With most of the damaging elements under control, the green coffee beans can definitely remain fresh for the coming 12 months.
How Long Do Green Coffee Beans Last In The Fridge?
Green coffee beans can last between 6 and 12 months in the fridge with proper storage conditions. Ideally, the storage bag must be air-tight to minimize fresh air exposure. It is also recommended to split it into multiple smaller storage bags so that it is easier to manage the air exposure times.
Is It Ok To Freeze Green Coffee Beans?
Yes, it is okay to freeze green coffee beans, but only for long storage (not in and out of the freezer). This is because the action of taking it in and out of the freezer will rapidly increase oxidation rate. Freezing coffee beans can retain the freshness and flavors of the coffee beans for a few years if done correctly.
Where Do You Store Green Coffee?
Store green coffee in a dark area at room temperature. This is to prevent photo-degradation and heat degradation. These degradations will destroy the flavor and aroma of the green coffee beans. Besides that, oxygen exposure and humidity levels are parameters that should be controlled when storing green coffee.
What Temperature Should You Store Green Coffee Beans?
60 degrees F or room temperature is the right temperature to store green coffee beans. Make sure that the coffee storage is away from sun exposure. Heat sources such as the coffee roasting machine should be kept at a distance away from the green coffee beans storage too.
Closing Notes
In summary, make sure heat, light, and moisture in the storage area is well managed. This will solve 90% of your problem and ensure the shelf life of your coffee beans is healthy.
Remember, the main goal to have proper storage for your green coffee beans is to retain quality and freshness. That said, the best way is still to have a proper system and inventory log of supply to prevent the need to store green coffee beans for too long.
If you find this piece of article informational and have taught you a thing or two on how to store green coffee beans, please share it with your fellow friends. baristas and home brewers!
Happy brewing!
