How to Preserve Coffee and Tea to Keep Them Fresh for a Long Time

Tea or coffee are an integral part of a daily routine for the majority of us in this world. Since both these drink condiments are dry and are highly sensitive to moisture and humidity, they need to be properly preserved throughout their shelf life and storage time. Even a slight change or increase in moisture levels around the storage or packaging of tea and coffee products can greatly affect their texture, freshness, taste, and quality. In this blog post, we will see how we can effectively preserve coffee and tea to keep them fresh for a longer time.

Importance of Freshness

Freshness is very important when it comes to coffee and tea because it affects how they taste and smell. When coffee and tea are fresh, they have a strong, enjoyable flavor and aroma. This can also be experienced when consuming these drinks, and you can understand the freshness, taste, aroma, and smell of good quality tea and coffee.

However, many factors like changing levels and quality of air, excess moisture, heat, contamination, dust, and light can make coffee and tea go bad. These factors can break down the compounds that give coffee and tea their distinct and proper flavor, causing them to lose their taste and aroma over time. That's why it's important to store them properly.

Storing Coffee

When storing and preserving coffee and retaining its quality, freshness, flavor, and texture throughout its shelf life and usage, you can follow these important coffee storage tips.

Use airtight containers: Damp or moist air is one of the most detrimental factors for coffee freshness. So, when coffee is exposed to air, especially surrounding air that is damp, moist, or humid, it starts to lose its oils and aromas, which are what give it that wonderful flavor. That's why using an airtight container, like a jar with a tight-fitting lid or a container with a rubber seal, helps to block out the air and keep your coffee fresher for a longer time.

Store coffee in a cool, dark place: Different factors such as heat and light can both degrade the quality of your coffee beans or ground coffee. Also, high temperatures and direct sunlight can cause the coffee to lose its flavor and become stale even before its shelf life. So, it is best that a cool, dark place, such as a pantry, a cupboard away from the stove, or even a basement, can help protect your coffee from these elements and preserve the coffee freshness. 

Keep coffee away from moisture: Moisture is another important and detrimental factor that can ruin coffee taste, texture, aroma, and freshness. If coffee gets damp, it can lead to mold growth, which will make it unfit for consumption. Even small amounts of moisture can cause the coffee to become stale, create lumps, and lose its texture and flavor. So, make sure your storage container is dry and that you're not storing your coffee in a humid environment, like near the sink.

Consider using vacuum-sealed bags: If you buy coffee in bulk or want to store it for an extended period of time, vacuum-sealed bags can be very effective and useful. Since these bags can remove almost all of the air from around the coffee, they significantly slow down the oxidation process that causes coffee to go stale. This along with use of OxySorb - Oxygen Absorbers can help keep your coffee fresh for weeks or even months longer than other storage methods. 

Storing Tea

For storing tea for extended periods of time and yet maintaining its freshness, texture, flavor, and aroma, you can follow these easy tea storage tips.

Store tea in opaque, airtight containers: Changing levels or excess amounts of light and air can spoil tea leaves quickly. That's why using opaque containers blocks out light, while airtight containers keep air away. This helps preserve the tea's original flavor and aroma for a longer time throughout or beyond the shelf life. You can use containers made of ceramic, metal, or dark glass for the best protection.

Keep tea in a cool, dry place: Heat and humidity can damage tea, causing it to lose its flavor and become soggy, losing its vibrant taste, aroma, and flavor. A cool, dry environment, like a pantry away from the stove, or humid environment is ideal here for storing tea leaves or powder. You should also avoid storing tea near appliances that generate heat or in areas with high moisture levels to preserve tea freshness.

Separate different types of tea: Tea leaves can absorb the aromas of nearby items that they are stored with. So, to prevent your teas from mixing or absorbing the flavors, its best to store each type in its own separate container. This keeps the different varieties like delicate green teas from smelling like your strong, smoky black teas, and vice versa.

Use silica gel packets: Tea leaves and powder are highly sensitive items and excess or varying levels of moisture are harmful to tea leaves. Silica gel packets are the best solution here and can absorb extra moisture inside the storage container, keeping the tea dry and fresh. These packets are especially useful in humid climates to prevent the tea from becoming damp and losing its flavor. They are non-toxic, inert, and safe to use with food items.

Oxygen Absorbers do the same work for Tea & Coffee keeping the flavor intact. A product needs to taste the same and still maintain its quality without getting spoiled just because of the moisture. While the product needs to smell and taste the same, it is also essential for a longer shelf-life. And what better than using the Oxygen Absorbers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

Here are 5 common mistakes to avoid when storing coffee or tea:

Storing in the refrigerator or freezer: Coffee beans or tea leaves can absorb moisture, odors, and flavors from their surroundings. The cold and damp environment of a fridge or freezer can cause them to absorb moisture and lose flavor, texture, aroma, and taste.

Using transparent containers: Varying levels of light and sun exposure can damage the coffee beans, tea leaves, and powder. Transparent containers can allow light to penetrate, which can cause the oils in the beans to turn rancid, leading to a stale and bitter taste and making them unfit for consumption.

Leaving in store packaging: Most store packaging for tea or coffee is not specifically designed for long-term storage and may allow air to enter, speeding up the degradation process making them lose their flavour and texture over time. Once you open the bag, you're allowing important gasses to escape, so store them in an air tight jar once opened and in use.

Storing near spices, herbs, or other strong-smelling foods: Coffee powders and tea leaves/powders can absorb odors from nearby foods, which can lead to a loss of flavor and aroma, creating an unpleasant taste in your coffee.

Keeping in a warm place: Storing coffee in a warm environment speeds up the degassing process and makes the coffee go bad quicker. Presence of excess or varying levels of heat speeds up oxidation, which affects the flavor and aroma of your coffee. So avoid storing coffee near the oven, on top of the fridge, or next to the dishwasher.

Conclusion

Preserving the freshness of coffee and tea is essential for enjoying their full flavor and aroma. By following these simple storage tips, and using Oxygen Absorbers you can greatly enhance your coffee and tea experience. We encourage you to implement these tips to enjoy fresher beverages every day. If you have your own favorite storage tips or want to learn more, share your thoughts with us, and don’t forget to subscribe to Sorbchem India for more helpful content and updates.