How long do green coffee beans last? Top factors affect shelf-life

Why is it important to store green coffee beans properly? Good storage maintains the cup profile of a coffee, while poor storage can detract from it. As such, this is understandably something that specialty coffee roasters take seriously, as do producers and traders.

How long does green coffee stay fresh? Just how important is storage? And how can you keep your green beans fresher for longer? Get the answers to all of your green coffee questions here!

1. What Are Green Coffee Beans?

Green beans are the raw seeds from inside coffee cherries. Depending on the coffee’s origin, different processing methods are used to extract them.

Some of the common approaches to processing are: washed, semi-washed, and naturally processed.

Green coffee beans are in their natural state before roasting; all of the surrounding flesh has been removed and they have very little taste or aroma.

It’s during the roasting process that all of the hidden flavors locked inside of the beans are released and transform this raw seed into the delicious, aromatic coffee bean we know and love.

Who knew coffee was so fascinating?

2. What factors affect the quality and longevity of green bean coffee?

Now, let’s take a closer look at how long green coffee stays fresh. Different factors can affect its quality, but when it comes to age-related flavors, humidity, temperature, and oxygen are the three main culprits.

Now let’s have a closer look at them and how they impact the taste of green coffee beans over time.

Humidity

As delicious green coffee beans make their way from the harvest to the roaster, their moisture levels begin to change. When coffee beans are first gathered, they have about 50% moisture. But by the time the producers package them for shipping, the moisture level of the raw beans has risen to roughly 11%.

When it comes to brewing fresh coffee, roasters can take comfort in knowing that coffee beans do best when stored in an atmosphere with steady humidity (around 60%). If the humidity is too high, your beans will start to develop mold. If it’s too low, your beans will dry out and lose flavor. So moderate moisture content is key to preserving your coffee’s deliciousness.

Temperature

Fluctuations in temperature can have an impact on the water activity in green coffee.

This, in turn, can cause condensation on the surface of the coffee beans or in the bag, creating a humid and moist environment. Unfortunately, this can cause the more subtle aromas and flavors in coffee to deteriorate.

If you don’t store green coffee in a reasonably cool environment, its flavour will degrade over time. Room temperature, which can range from 60 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for preserving beans, according to professionals.

Oxygen

Oxygen is one of the main factors that causes green coffee to lose its freshness over time. As coffee oxidizes, its aromatic compounds dissipate, resulting in undesirably flat and stale flavors.

Light

Just as with roasted coffee, concentrated light will cause green coffee beans to undergo a process called “photodegradation.”

This is where photons slowly destroy organic particles over time, including the non-volatile compounds which contribute to the final cup profile of roasted coffee.

Time

Although green coffee is less volatile than roasted coffee, time is still a factor which causes its quality to diminish. However, time is not the only factor; instead, it’s a measurement of how much the four previous factors have been able to affect it.

Time may be on your side, but oxygen, humidity, and temperature will cause green coffee to lose its delicate aromas over time. Good storage practices can help extend the shelf life of your beans.

Pests

Coffee beans in their natural, unroasted state are especially attractive to bugs. This is because most bugs require moisture to survive, and coffee weevils can diminish a coffee bean’s weight by one-third in just six months.

Insects like psocids can also infect coffee beans, penetrating the bean and causing problems for coffee growers.

Before shipping, most goods from developing nations undergo treatment for pests and are certified as such. Even if there are no stowaways on their shipment, pests can still enter a warehouse.

3. How long does green bean coffee stay fresh for?

Unroasted green coffee bean’s shelf life

Storing your green coffee beans for long periods of time can cause them to lose flavor and fragrance traits. However, if you store them in a stable, cold, dark, and pest-free environment, you can keep them for up to twelve months without significant loss of flavor or fragrance.

When it comes to coffee beans, age matters. Central and South American beans will be three to four months old by the time you receive them, while beans from Indonesia or India may be up to eight or twelve months old. If your beans come from an African nation, they could be even older. Keep this in mind when making your storage plans.

Roasted green coffee bean’s shelf life

How does the shelf life of raw green coffee beans compare to roasted coffee beans and pre-ground coffee? Roasted coffee beans have around six weeks of optimum freshness, and pre-ground coffee only a two-week window, raw green coffee beans last longer, under the right conditions. Because green coffee is in a raw state, there are a lot of unseen variables that can affect the fresh

Remember to check your green coffee beans for signs of dryness to gauge how long they’ve been on the shelf

Although it’s not always easy to find out how long coffee beans have been stored before they’re shipped, or what kind of storage conditions they were kept in, this information can make a big difference in their shelf life.

You want them to have a greenish hue, be slightly glossy, and have a little give to them. Checking for these signs of freshness will help you choose beans that will give you the best flavor.

4. Do Green Coffee Beans Last Longer Than Normal Roasted Beans?

Yes. Compared to regular roast coffee, which starts to degrade and lose its freshness after only a few hours and then becomes dull and bitter after six weeks or more, raw green coffee beans can be stored in a fresh state for up to twelve months.

This is because the roasting process destroys many of the volatile compounds that contribute to coffee’s freshness and flavor. So, if you want your coffee to stay fresh and flavorful for longer, green coffee beans are the way to go.

Conclusion

If you’re a coffee lover, buying a bag of green coffee beans is a must at least once! You’ll find that they last longer than traditional roasted coffee and have many other advantages.

If you want to store coffee for a longer period of time, raw green coffee beans are one of the best options. If you store them correctly, they’ll stay fresh and brewable for up to 12 months.