Storing your coffee is an important way of making sure you have a fresh tasting cup every day, even months after you originally purchased the beans. There are a few ways to maximize the shelf life of coffee, and top brands build their packaging around the principles that keep beans fresh for the longest time possible.
It Has To Be Airtight
The thing that all custom coffee bags have in common is that they are sealed, often vacuum sealed. For whole beans and grounds, the most common form of packaging today involves a stand-up pouch or bag that has a degassing valve, which allows the customer to remove air from the inside of the bag while keeping it sealed.
This is not the only solution. There are also a lot of roasters out there who sell ground coffee in vacuum-sealed bricks. This packaging is efficient and does preserve the flavor of the coffee well, but it has the drawback of being single-use. Customers need to have an appropriate container ready before opening the grounds, so this packaging is a lot less convenient for the consumer even if it does save space on shelves.
Even classic coffee tins were designed to be airtight. The less you let the beans or grounds interact with air and light, the more the flavor of your coffee will be preserved. The drawback to the big tin was that it did not have any way to eliminate air inside once it was opened. The lid also rarely formed a true seal once the original was broken
Needs To Be Resealable
Even small packages of coffee tend to be enough for a single person to drink for a week or more. That is why opting for one-use packaging is inconvenient to the customer. Custom coffee bags are not only resealable, they are also appropriate for storing beans and grounds. That makes it easy to run the whole thing through a grinder when you are ready to start drinking it, but it also leaves you the option of grinding fresh or of grinding for just a couple days at once.
Making your coffee bags totally reusable is about more than just the quality of the customer’s experience. It is also an opportunity to keep them interacting with your brand, since your packaging is essentially a free ad for your product. When that packaging also makes it easy to keep the product fresh, that’s even better.
Shelf Life: Ground vs. Whole Bean
It’s generally recommended that once you grind your coffee, you use it within a week. That is why many people do not grind a whole bag at once. Since interaction with air and light is what breaks down the compounds that give coffee its unique fresh taste, grinding accelerates that process. Storing ground coffee sealed can keep it fresh for months, and resealing it in printed mylar bags can extend the shelf life, but grounds that are simply stored in a basic plastic container get about a week before they taste like old coffee.
Check out your options for high quality, customizable coffee packaging today to elevate your brand’s presentation and quality control in one move.