How Long Do Coffee Beans Last, Stay Fresh, And The Best Time To Brew?

How Long Do Coffee Beans Last, Stay Fresh, And The Best Time To Brew

The question on many coffee drinkers is “how long will my coffee last until it turns bad?”. Well, the answer is “it all depends”.. Ok, but that doesn’t answer your question right?

There are so many deciding factors that will determine how long your coffee will last but there are also ‘absolutes’ to when you should throw it away, or use it for other purposes.

In this FAQ, we answer many questions asked on the net on how long do coffee beans last and how fast oxidation occurs once beans are ground. Check out the information below.


How long are coffee beans good for?

Keeping your roasted coffee beans whole is your best bet for maintaining the freshness and shelf life of coffee, which is why it’s such a popular choice for skilled aficionados.

In this form, the delicate chemistry within the bean isn’t as exposed to any light, heat or air that could quicken oxidation.


How Long Does Roasted Coffee Beans Last? 

In most cases, allowing coffee to oxidize is exactly what causes all of its wonderful aroma and flavor to spoil.

This is why many artisan coffee roasters package their coffee beans include not only when the coffee expires, but the roasted date so that you know when the flavor is at its peak.

However, allowing coffee beans to age a little after they’re roasted is an industry-standard. Freshly roasted coffee should be allowed to rest for a few days before it’s officially ready to brew.

This allows the coffee beans to release carbon dioxide and develop flavor. In short, if the condition are mentioned below are followed, roasted whole coffee beans should keep their optimal flavor profile for up to 2-3 months.


How To Store Coffee Beans

Stored properly, any airtight container where you can store coffee away from light and moisture is suitable for short-term use.

Heat also endangers the volatile oils in roasted coffee beans, so making sure your storage area is cool enough to keep them from spoiling quickly is key.

If you think that means the refrigerator or freezer won’t make your coffee go stale or bad, it’s important to understand that this is only a viable method when there is no water vapor present (Hendeon et al., 2016).

Coffee Storage Container with Date Tracker

We’ll explain more about the risks of storing your coffee beans this way later on. 


How Long Do Ground Coffee Beans Last?

Ask any die-hard coffee fan and they will tell you that coffee grinds should be brewed immediately after it’s been ground.

To them, this makes the question of just how long coffee stays fresh completely irrelevant since you should be brewing it the instant coffee is ground.

Ask any die-hard coffee fan and they will tell you that coffee grinds should be brewed immediately after it's been ground.

Not everyone is able or interested in grinding their coffee beans fresh before every cup of coffee, of course.

Flavorful components begin to degrade the instant coffee is ground due to the increase of surface area that’s been exposed, so your preferences for shelf life will vary as you experiment with taste.

In almost every case, a few days to a week or so after grinding your coffee should (hopefully) still produce palatable brew. After that, you may notice an unpleasant aftertaste or dulled aroma and flavor. 

If you’re worried about rancid ground coffee oils, look below for more information on how to identify that issue. 


Does Coffee Have A Different Smell When Stale? 

While there may not be a definitive scent once grounds have oxidized to the point of staleness, it’s the lack of that distinct and potent aroma coffee has which will tell you whether or not yours has sat for too long.

In the case of instant coffee, which is extracted coffee that has been spray-dried or freeze-dried to increase shelf stability (Instant Coffee 2014), it may taste like it’s stale due to the oily flavor components being damaged during processing.

Does Coffee Have A Different Smell When Stale? 

Even when stored properly, the true shelf life of coffee is remarkably short when you follow expert opinion on the matter. However, few retail stores will throw away inventory if it’s not technically beyond the expiration date.

If you find yourself with coffee that is too stale to brew or past its expiration date or best before date, check out our ideas at the end of this article for how to use them outside of the kitchen.


How Long Does Coffee Last After Brewing? 

After it’s been brewed, how long coffee remains fresh doesn’t change since the volatile oils won’t stop their oxidation process.

This explains why the flavor of a fresh cup of coffee changes so drastically after only half an hour. Reheating only increases the likelihood of those oils losing the last of their flavourful impact.

When coffee-lovers encourage you to finish that fresh cup fast, it isn’t just the caffeine energizing them, it’s the fear of lost flavor as every minute ticks by.

Cold Brew coffee can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator and still maintain a good flavor. 

A fresh cup of coffee

When Coffee Tastes Bitter, Does That Mean It’s Rancid? 

Some people think that when brewed coffee has a bitter flavor, it must mean the ground coffee beans themselves is bad and past its shelf life. However, poorly extracted coffee is far more likely to have this unpleasant taste.

The biggest contributing factor with over-extraction is exposing the coffee grounds to too much water for too long, which is why French press brewers are so difficult to master. As we mentioned earlier, a good cup requires many small details to be right for the best brew.

Bitterness may be more likely due to over-extraction, water that’s too hot or coffee makers with too much old coffee residue inside (Coffee Chemistry and Bitter Coffee).

This is equally important if you usually brew your coffee on the go with a travel coffee maker

When Coffee Tastes Bitter, Does That Mean It's Rancid? 

French press devices are notoriously difficult to keep clean considering the length of time coffee grounds are brewing with each use.


Will Brewed Coffee Go Bad Faster If Milk Or Sugar Is Added? 

Generally speaking, adding milk or sugar to brewed coffee doesn’t impact how quickly it oxidizes and loses the oils that give it it’s flavor.

If you plan to make a pre-made iced batch that you store in the refrigerator, then the natural expiration date of the milk will factor into how long you can store brewed coffee and keep it safe to consume.

We’ll talk more about expiration dates and shelf life for coffee beans later on.

Adding milk to Brewed Coffee

Myths and Frequently Asked Questions About Keeping Coffee Fresh


How Long Does Coffee Last In A Vacuum -Packed Bag? 

Whether it’s whole coffee beans or ground coffee, a vacuum-packed bag will lengthen shelf life better than coffee that’s sold in a can or bags made of paper or porous material.

Just how long that may change will depend on several factors, including how darkly the coffee beans were roasted.

Bags with one-way valves work better at preserving flavor for longer periods of time because it allows the gases that make coffee go bad to release.


How Long Does Coffee Last In The Fridge Or Freezer? 

Storing whole or ground coffee in a refrigerator or freezer can prevent oxidation.

However, fresh coffee beans can slowly absorb moisture if stored in the refrigerator. Condensation can build up inside the container or bag and create mold. 

You definitely don’t want this!

Cool black coffee in the refrigerator

If you’re storing it long-term, be sure to use an airtight container, in a dark dry room temperature cupboard or pantry.

Then take out small amounts at a time to avoid exposing your whole beans to too much air accelerating the oxidization process.

If you plan to keep you beans in the refrigerator because you live in a hot climate, the best way to store you coffee in the fridge is in an airtight container and consume it within a week if possible. 

Pro Tip: Use a silica gel packet in your container to absorb any moisture that may be present to keep your roasted beans free from mold and increase the shelf life.


How To Tell If Coffee Is Rancid?

Whether it’s whole or ground, if you store coffee properly, it’s unlikely to ever turn rancid even if it does lose its aroma and flavor once its shelf life has passed.

However, if non-coffee particles, moisture or excessive heat enter the picture, then you may be dealing with the rotten or rotting product.

While using stale coffee is unlikely to cause any harm to you or coffee makers, consuming anything with bacteria or mold development can risk serious illness and contaminate your equipment.

When in doubt, throw it out. 


Is Used Coffee Grounds Good For Gardens? 

Gardeners tout the virtues of used coffee grounds for their enrichment in soil and compost piles (Make Your Grounds Go Further).

If you plan on this, make sure the grounds have time to dry out before adding them to the garden. [2]

Old ground coffee may provide interesting effects when used with different art mediums, like paint or plaster.

Dry, whole roasted coffee beans can add flair inside decorative bottles or encased in resin tabletops. 

4 thoughts on “How Long Do Coffee Beans Last, Stay Fresh, And The Best Time To Brew?”

  1. I just got 6 big bags of Keruig Coffee beans date says use by 3/2020
    Where Can I still keep it to keep it from going bad or is it already help

  2. In process of updating the pantry and discovered a 2016 roasted Ethiopian Mocha Java (whole bean) stored in an air-tight container… Sigh!
    Yet, curious to try a cup.

  3. Two year old Intelligentsia Black Cat whole bean and taste, grind, and extraction identical to 4 month old batch. Probably because they’re roasted to high dryness vs. oily/moist blends. I guess it depends on the coffee you’re intending on storing, but Black Cat seems like a prime example of coffee that will last a long time.

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