How to Freeze Ground Coffee

Ground coffee and whole beans

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True coffee aficionados know that freshness counts. To ensure that you are only drinking the freshest coffee, it is generally best to only buy as many beans as you can grind and brew in two weeks' time. Sometimes things happen, though. You may come into your favorite coffee shop and come upon a deal: someone had the cashier grind two pounds of Kona, then didn't have the money to pay for it. She has to sell those two pounds of ground coffee, and she's selling it at a discount. You snap up the deal, but wonder how to keep it fresh at home. This is where proper freezer storage comes in.

Transfer two weeks' worth of your haul to whatever airtight container you are using for counter-top storage.

Put the remaining coffee into airtight containers, dividing it into two-week portions. You want to select containers that are just barely large enough to hold two weeks' worth of grounds, since you want as little air as possible in the containers with your coffee.

Close the airtight containers and make sure that the seal is secure. Gently and carefully turn the containers upside down to make sure that the lids won't fall off.

Wrap the closed airtight containers in three layers of plastic wrap. Air and moisture are the two biggest enemies of coffee freshness, and the plastic wrap will help keep them out.

Place your wrapped containers of coffee deep in the back of your freezer, so that they will freeze as quickly as possible. Only remove one container from the freezer at a time, when your previous counter-top stash has run out. Let the frozen coffee thaw and come to room temperature, then brew and enjoy.