Plan to finish an opened bag of whole bean coffee within about two to four weeks. After that the coffee is still safe to drink, but it tastes flatter, and the fruit and sweetness fade first. Keep it in an airtight container, away from heat, light and moisture, and grind only what you are about to brew. That is general guidance from how coffee ages, not a lab number for our coffees, and we say so below where it matters.
What actually makes coffee go stale?
Four things: air, light, heat and moisture. Roasted beans hold aromatic compounds, and oxygen slowly breaks them down. Warm kitchens and sunny windows speed that up. Water in the air is worse still. None of this makes the coffee unsafe. It just makes the cup duller, less sweet and, eventually, a little papery.
Does a bag with a one-way valve help?
A one-way valve lets gas out of freshly roasted beans without letting air in. It protects coffee before the bag is opened. After you open it, the valve does much less, because air can reach the beans every time you pour. So the useful question is not what bag the coffee came in, but where it lives once you have opened it. We do not have a claim to make about the packaging of any one bag beyond what is printed on it.
How should you store an opened bag?
- Squeeze the air out and seal the bag. A clip or a roll-down fold is better than leaving it open. An airtight canister is better again.
- Keep it in a cupboard. Away from the stove, the toaster and the window.
- Do not decant into a clear jar on the counter. It looks nice and ages the beans quickly.
- Do not keep it in the fridge. The fridge is damp and full of odors, and coffee takes both.
- Grind just before brewing. Our whole bean vs ground coffee post explains the trade-off, and burr vs blade grinder helps you pick a grinder.
Can you freeze coffee?
Some people do, and the cold slows aging. The way to do it is to split a bag into small airtight portions, each one a week or two of coffee, freeze them, and take out one at a time. Never put a portion back after it has thawed, because condensation is the enemy. We have not tested this with our coffees, so treat it as a general tip. If you buy about one bag at a time, you probably do not need the freezer at all.
How does a 12 oz bag fit the window?
A 12 oz bag is about 340 g. At our label guidance of 60 g per litre, a 12 oz mug uses roughly 22 g, so one bag makes about 15 mugs. One mug a day finishes a bag in about two weeks. Two a day, a week. That is comfortably inside the window, and it is a good reason to buy a bag at a time and not stock up. If you want exact amounts per pot, see the pour-over ratio cheat sheet and how much coffee per cup.
What about roast date and freshness at purchase?
We roast on demand through Temecula Coffee Roasters, so a bag is not sitting on a shelf for months before it reaches you. We do not print a roast date on the bag, and we will not guess at one here. What you control is the part after you open it, and that is what this page covers. The FAQ has the full explanation of how roasting on demand works.
How can you tell your coffee has gone flat?
The smell is the first clue. Fresh beans smell sweet and distinct when you open the bag, and old ones smell faint or like cardboard. In the cup, a flat coffee tastes dull and a little bitter without the sweetness it started with. If that is happening and your recipe has not changed, the beans are past their best. They are fine for cold brew or iced coffee with milk, where a flatter cup matters less. Our pour-over coffee too weak post lists the other causes to rule out first.
Which coffee should you buy to keep it simple?
If you drink one mug a day, buy one bag at a time and finish it. If you drink more, a subscription lets you set the cadence so the next bag arrives as you run out. Ours is 11% off, with skip or cancel in one click, and you can compare cadences in every 2 weeks, monthly or every 2 months.
Our pick
No. 1 Common Sense
Huila and Medellin-Antioquia, Colombia · 1,300 to 1,500 m · Fully washed, solar dried · Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica · Medium
Cocoa, red apple and brown sugar on the label, an everyday medium roast that takes milk and is easy to finish in a couple of weeks.
The other nine are in all ten coffees.
Buy what you will drink in two to four weeks, seal the bag, and grind as you brew.
Questions people ask
How long does opened coffee last?
Whole beans taste their best for roughly two to four weeks after you open the bag, and they stay safe to drink long after that. They just get flatter. Ground coffee goes flat faster, often within a week or two.
Should you store coffee in the fridge or freezer?
We do not recommend the fridge, because moisture and food smells get in. Freezing can work if you split a bag into small airtight portions and never refreeze them, but we have not tested it, so this is general advice and not a claim about our coffee.
Does ground coffee go stale faster than whole bean?
Yes. Grinding exposes far more surface to air, so the aroma fades quicker. That is why we suggest whole bean if you have a grinder, and why ground should be used up sooner.
Free printable
Keep the ratio chart on your fridge
One page with grams, level tablespoons and scoops for every cup size and for coffee makers from 2 to 14 cups. Leave your email and the download link appears right here.