Hold on to your coffee cup: One of the worst Brazilian droughts in decades has slashed the supply of coffee beans, which could mean higher prices at the supermarket. Pricier coffee makes smart storage even more critical for the beans you buy. And while Starbucks told us it doesn’t plan any price increases now, other coffee shops may pass on the added costs—yet another incentive to save by brewing your own cup of joe at home. Here are some tips from the experts for storing your favorite coffee and some coffeemakers from Consumer Reports’ latest coffeemaker tests.
1. Stash it in the right place. Whether you brew it now or save it for later, all coffee should be stored away from light, heat, moisture, and odors, which can affect its freshness and taste. If you buy a lot of coffee, divide it into two portions—the one you’re using now and a larger batch stored in an airtight container until you need it. Don’t put coffee in the refrigerator where it can absorb odors from neighboring foods. Instead, keep it in a cool, dark cupboard away from the oven or even an outside wall. Use a ceramic, glass, or nonreactive metal container with an airtight gasket. If you’re a real stickler for fresh-roasted flavor and don’t care about the price, buy coffee in smaller quantities—one or two weeks’ worth—so it doesn’t sit around.
2. Consider freezing it. You can also freeze coffee. Here are some guidelines from Kevin Sinnott, author of "The Art and Craft of Coffee," creator of CoffeeCon, the Consumer Coffee Festival, and blogger at CoffeeCompanion.com. “It’s always best to keep roasted coffee in bean form until moments before brewing,” Sinnott wrote in an e-mail, whether you freeze them or use them fresh. According to Sinnott, you should be able to keep frozen coffee for up to six months with no obvious flavor or aroma loss, as long as it’s in an air-tight freezer bag. Prefer buying preground coffee? “The freezer is still the best place to forestall staling,” wrote Sinnott, “but a cool, dark, dry place, such as the bottom of a cupboard or closet, is the next best thing.”
3. Get a good coffeemaker. In our coffeemaker tests, drip coffeemakers still brew the best coffee, outperforming today’s fast-growing pods, packs, and pouches for flavor if not convenience. The Mr. Coffee BVMC-SJX33GT, a CR Best Buy at just $40, brewed superbly and was relatively easy to set up, use, and clean. Willing to forgo some flavor for a quicker cup? At $100, DeLonghi Nescafé Dolce Gusto Piccolo EDG200T costs less than our other top-scoring pod coffeemakers and delivered a passable-but-speedy cup of java. Fan of French presses? The electric iCoffee RCB100-BC12, $170, makes a pleasing brew.
—Artemis DiBenedetto
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