Coffee 2 Tea

I work the nightshift at a factory, which means I get to spend less time with my kids than the typical dad. There are times when this reality becomes difficult to bear, but every once in a while – on a family camping trip, for example – I’m reminded that my kids are turning out just fine. And much of that is due to my moral and financial support.

On our outdoors excursions, I like to spend as much quality fishing time with my sons as possible. This means waking up before dawn, making fresh roasted coffee over the fire and sneaking down to the stream without waking my wife inside the tent. Since my mind has become hard-wired to operate best at night, I need that morning cup of joe to function. A stainless steel thermos keeps my beverage hot for hours at a time, so I can wake up and enjoy the day with my boys.

For many years my wife and I bought our coffee beans in bulk. We both delight in taking the time to grind and brew our gourmet coffee, but we started to notice that toward the end of the bag the beans started to taste a bit off. That led me to do some research on coffee storage. How should the beans be stored, I wondered – in their raw, green form, or roasted? Left whole or ground? Frozen or at room temperature?

It didn’t take long to discover that fresh roasted coffee beans store best, and they should be kept whole until just before consumption. Most beans will retain their freshness for up to two weeks when stored at room temperature provided that they’re kept in an airtight container. When storing your own beans, bear in mind that they create excess carbon dioxide. Open up the lid of the coffee periodically to allow this gas to disperse.