# Freezing beans



## reneb (Nov 2, 2011)

This may be a daft question (it probably is!) but if you are going to freeze roasted beans, should you do this as soon as possible or after the beans have rested? I assume it is the former, but I wonder if freezing has any impact on how the beans develop. Also, has anyone noticed any deterioration in quality after freezing beans? I've just finished a bag of Chapin Blend from James Gourmet which I had frozen and it was absolutely excellent, so I don't think it can much, if any, impact on the beans.


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

There are those that frown upon it.

I too, used to freeze beans, and in all honesty found that it degraded far slower than not freezing. Ideally,it is better to not freeze, and these days I have such an accessible source of fresh beans that I don't need to.

To answer your question, I'd bung them straight in.


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## reneb (Nov 2, 2011)

OK, let me ask another question. At what point would you consider freezing beans if you weren't going to use them within a reasonable time? And if you aren't going to use the beans for a few weeks, what is the best way to store them? I've seen a few posts about vacuum containers etc which seem to conclude that these may not be the best solution, so is it ok to leave the beans in a cupboard in the bag they came in?


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## Earlepap (Jan 8, 2012)

I put a couple of bags in the freezer in their original un-opened packaging as soon as they arrived as I knew I wouldn't use them for a while. I wrapped them tightly in cling film and stuffed them inside some old foil bags for good measure. I didn't notice any degradation when I used them, though I'd never tried the beans or roaster before and didn't much like the beans!


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## Viernes (Dec 10, 2011)

I just received some beans from Union and, to my surprise, on the bags says: To keep the flavors fresh once opened, roll the top of this pack down tightly and secure with a rubber band. Store in the freezer, and use within 4 weeks.

This means that you can keep the bag in the freezer and gradually go using the beans you need opening and closing the bag? What about condensation?


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## RobD (May 2, 2012)

I order about 1.5kg of of coffee at a time anything up to 4 -5 different types but i will nearly always have some Javan Lingtong. some i will use when i first get it and some as the last backup when everything else has been used. the main thing that i do is try and make sure that the bag is as air tight as possible and only take out whats needed. but normal allow a day of unfreezing before use.

i have not noticed a significant difference in taste anything up to 5/6 weeks in the freezer and far less than any other storage method, the only real thing that i have noticed is you don't get the same pungent hit of smell as you open the bag as you do when it 5 or 6 days post roast, but taste is very much the same, maybe a very slight loss of punch that Lingtong can have, but i have noticed bigger differences between rosters than i have in age of the bean.


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