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If you haven’t been converted yet by the wonders and ease of using a single cup coffee maker, then you are still at home with your drip coffee or French press. So how do you keep your ground coffee or whole coffee beans fresh if you’re not receiving them in prepackaged pods? Having the freshest coffee available is one of the cardinal rules to enjoying a good cup of coffee, so how should you go about this?

Now if you are economically responsible and trying to save a bit of cash in this ever-uncertain recession then you’re probably buying your coffee in bulk. There is nothing wrong with this, but you should be sure to use the entire bag within a 3-4 week period. If you do plan on storing your coffee make sure that you put it in an air tight container where it cannot be reached by moisture or heat and keep in a dark spot. Ground coffee becomes stale a lot quicker than the full beans since more surface area is exposed to the natural elements that alter the chemicals inside the beans. The best advice would be to buy whole beans and grind them as you need them.

If you plan on freezing your beans or grinds, realize that the flavor will be weaker when you defrost them since eliminating condensation altogether is almost impossible. Just be careful: if you freeze your beans, let them defrost for 4 hours or more before grinding them up or else you put your grinder at risk to break and the blades to dull quickly.