The old freezing beans theory...

[ScottyF]

Interesting. Who might this be?

Leroy, it's The Coffee Roaster. They are in Sydney in Alexandria and Brisbane in West End. They roast using a Chinook air roaster. There is an article on their website about frozen storage and grinding called "Protect your coffee...store it correctly".

The link to the article: Commercial link removed per Site Posting Policy

They have been around for a good while, which explains how they ended up with the coffee.com.au URL.

[LeroyC]

There is a roaster in Sydney that has been freezing its beans up until the point of sale for at least 15 years. I've not visited their roastery in a long time, but a check of their website confirms that they are still arguing in support of freezing for storage and grinding the frozen beans.

Interesting. Who might this be?

[ScottyF]

There is a roaster in Sydney that has been freezing its beans up until the point of sale for at least 15 years. I've not visited their roastery in a long time, but a check of their website confirms that they are still arguing in support of freezing for storage and grinding the frozen beans.

[TampIt]

That won't do anything for stopping the oxidation process. A waste of good radiation.

Java "Glow baby glow!" phile

Agreed, that was precisely my point... As useless an idea as I could think of at that late hour (although butter / bullet and peanut butter coffee came really close, but they have already been done).

Tamp"store at room temp"It
PS: Dave Walsh reckons we should grind it wet to get a more even grind.

[MrJack]

Worth reading the original article if you haven't already - I don't think it's as conclusive as the media reports suggest.

[flynnaus]

As someone who has stuck beans in the freezer in the past, I can comment from my POV.

• Yes, frozen beans are not as good as beans that have not been frozen but they have still been pretty good.
• I only froze beans before travelling so there is a supply available when I return home.
• I roast the beans in advance and rest them for about a week before freezing.
• I only froze a small quantity in a well-sealed glass jar filled as much as possible so there is minimal air space.
• I thawed the beans for about an hour before. I didn't notice any difference between thawing in the jar I stored them in and emptying into a coffee bag to thaw.
• The beans deteriorate fairly quickly once thawed and only good for a couple of days (which is why I only freeze 150- 200g at a time).

Never really tested but I suspect some beans freeze better than others.

[LeroyC]

The biggest problem would be that your average Joe won't be doing it properly. I would imagine there's still plenty of people storing their preground coffee in the fridge or freezer at home. Even if it's whole beans they're probably not taking much care and after each use the bag would go back in the fridge or freezer full of any air and moisture it's taken on in the process. Everything I've read on this topic indicates that properly sealed coffee can be successfully stored in a deep freezer for a period of time with only minimal effects on its quality. For people living in remote areas it's often the only option. If these people also live somewhere hot and humid they might be better to store the coffee in cool storage of some sort once it's opened, but a temp controlled pantry or even a wine fridge is better than the kitchen fridge.

[ArnhemR]

There is no doubt that freezing beans is a method to slow the de gassing and staling process. obviously its better if you can avoid freezing and simply have access to suitably aged beans all the time, but there is nothing wrong with it as a way of extending bean life.

Clealy coffee made with frozen beans is preferable to drinking stale coffee. With high quality hardware you can immediatley see the difference even before tasting it, the same roast with half aged to say 2 months and half frozen for that time - the frozen coffee will basically grind and pour the same as when it was fresh, the stale coffee will be a sink shot.

As for people claiming to be able to taste something different in frozen beans, well until I see some statistcally significant blind testing of that theory, I call BS.

[TC]

Not a fan of vac sealed beans...

As an exercise, next time you fly, two identical bags 'o beans, one with the one way valve taped off and the other open.

Try the results at the other end....

[Aido]

...

I am with OP - never had any food or drink which did not noticeably go downhill when frozen.

If you vacuum seal a steak it can actually come out more tender as it ages. They generally defrost quicker too as there are no ice crystals formed.

I'm sure if you we desperate you could vac seal beans with limited degradation.
Actually has anyone tried grinding frozen/semi frozen beans vs room temp?
Might be better for beans that are just beyond their shelf life and start to get rubbery.

Just a thought.

[Javaphile]

PS: try irradiating it with U235 and see what it does...

That won't do anything for stopping the oxidation process. A waste of good radiation.


Java "Glow baby glow!" phile

[TampIt]

... or just improve you grind consistency by getting a better grinder - I use Vario's at home and they made more consistent and better coffee than any other change in home gear since the '70's.

Back to the article - some of their "perceived flavour improvement" may be due to the old "grinder overheating the beans" chestnut. Quite a few commercial grinders are guilty of this fault.

I am with OP - never had any food or drink which did not noticeably go downhill when frozen.

TampIt
PS: try irradiating it with U235 and see what it does...

[Vinitasse]

Not much need for argon or nitrogen actually as the CO2 emitted during off-gassing is also heavier than air and if the beans are able to vent and left undisturbed, the CO2 should protect them from oxidation as effectively as either argon or nitrogen

[sprezzatura]

I still say off gas 24hr then argon or nitrogen fill.

[Dimal]

Liquid Nitrogen anyone...

Mal.