There's more to a great cup of coffee than meets the eye. Sure, buying top-grade coffee beans, finding the right brewing method, the ideal water temperature and the ultimate grinder have plenty to do with making an excellent beverage. But they would all amount to nothing if you don't have a performing storage for your excellent coffee beans.
As far food and drinks go, fresh is almost always the best. The same goes for your coffee. Just as you do fresh vegetables for dinner, so should you savor your delicious cup of fresh coffee. While you might not notice them lose freshness and flavor, coffee beans do tend to diminish in quality the longer they are from the roast date.
How do you fix this? Simply buy coffee that will last you a week, at most, then store it in an airtight coffee canister. We looked into the best options on the market and rounded up 5 canisters that will definitely get the job done. These coffee storage containers will also, more than likely, look quite appealing on your kitchen counter.
Page Contents
1. Coffee Gator Stainless Steel Container
- Fresher than fresh. You pay for prime quality ground and whole beans, so it makes sense to...
- Protection from flavor-destroyers. Coffee naturally emits harmful co2 which must be vented...
- Track freshness for a dream brew for you and your guests. Log purchase or expiry date with...
- Drink better coffee. Unlike the competition, we never compromise on quality, service or...
- We’re only happy when you are. Thousands of satisfied customers show that. Plus, our...
This is undoubtedly the best storage container for ground coffee on the market. An incredibly airtight seal is just the beginning to what makes the Coffee Gator our top pick. It has a one-way CO2 valve that ensures your freshly ground coffee is safe from oxygen, while also facilitating de-gassing. It comes with four of these valves for replacement, ensuring you can use it reliably for several months.
This coffee canister has a nifty date wheel on the lid, making it very easy and convenient to keep track of your coffee beans' freshness. On top of that, it also has a measuring scoop-made of the same stainless steel as the container-which helps you to brew great coffee consistently . With such an overlooked yet vital feature, the Coffee Gator certainly delivers full value for your buck.
It comes in three sizes-30.4, 44, and 64.6 fluid ounces. From what we gathered, most customers held that the medium-sized Coffee Gator holds about a pound of either ground or whole bean coffee quite amply. Better still, you also have a great and vast choice of colors to pick from.
Pros
Cons
2. Fellow Atmos Vacuum Cannister
- GUARD THE GOODSKeep your coffee beans fresher longer by storing in Atmos, a vacuum-sealed...
- MUCH MORE THAN COFFEEStash peppercorns, loose leaf tea, peanuts, spices...we could go on,...
- AIRTIGHT SEALKeep your coffee or snacks untainted in Atmos, a beautifully functional and...
- SUPERIOR QUALITYContain your dry goods safely in Atmos food storage containers made out of...
- UNIQUE STORAGE CONTAINERSThis food keeper's minimalist design adds a simple modern touch...
The Fellow Atmos Vacuum Cannister does precisely what is required for airtightness. By only turning the lid back and forth, it forms an airtight seal that might plausibly be unmatched on this list. This also includes an indicator light for the vacuum lock that turns green when oxygen entry has been entirely nipped.
The manufacturers suggest that the Fello Atmos improves your beans' shelf life by almost half. Plenty of the user reviews corroborate this 50% improvement. This makes the vacuum cannister remarkable at its job, while also being easy to use. It would also be remiss not to mention that it looks stylish too.
The range of options available is remarkable, to say the least. For size, you can choose between 0.4, 0.7 and 1.2 liters. You can also pick between stainless steel and borosilicate glass for build material. The icing on the cake has to be the color choices; matte black or matte white.
Unfortunately, this coffee storage lacks a Carbon dioxide-release valve. Therefore, if you store your coffee immediately it has been roasted or ground, it takes substantially longer to degas completely. This is not a major hindrance anyway, and you'll barely notice any change in your coffee's flavor. Besides, the user-tested regular twisting of the lid helps to mitigate this minor drawback.
Pros
Cons
3. OXO Good Grips Coffee POP Container
- OXO good grips POP Containers’ airtight, space-efficient design keeps dry foods fresh...
- New shapes, sizes and BPA free, dishwasher-safe construction stack perfectly with all POP...
- A convenient fill line makes it easy to store staples like cereal, flour, sugar, pasta,...
- Brand-new line of solution-based accessories easily attach to the underside of POP...
- Push the button to engage the airtight seal. The button doubles as a handle for the lid....
You have probably come across the OXO brand before, as they are well known for making essential and convenient household goods. Their expansive container line-up includes a 1.7-quart POP container, particularly for coffee storage.
The airtight seal functions quite simply. All you have to do is hold the easy-to-use lid then press down the POP button and you'll be good to go. The buttons also doubles as a handle when you pull it up.
The OXO POP container can easily hold one pound of coffee, either ground or whole bean. However, its slim design ensures that it doesn't take up too much space on your kitchen counter. This container also has rounded corners that make it easy to pour your coffee if you don't have a measuring scoop.
Its plastic material is BPA-free. More so, it is dishwasher-safe, making it very easy to clean between refills. However, the transparent plastic means that it does not protect your coffee from UV rays, which might have a gradual effect on your coffee's freshness and flavor.
Pros
Cons
4. Planetary Design Airscape Kilo Coffee Canister
- EXTRA LARGE STORAGE - The "Kilo," the largest of our Airscape canisters, stores up to 2.2...
- INNOVATIVE & PATENTED DESIGN - Original Airscape coffee & food storage canister features...
- SOUND OF FRESH - Airscape lid removes all air in the canister creating airless food...
- BUILT FOR BULK - Durable galvanized steel body with a BPA-free matte finish paint for food...
Nothing beats having coffee in the house, other than having a lot of coffee. However, buying it in bulk is not always the best idea, since the beans could easily go bad. Fortunately, this coffee storage container-one of the largest cannisters on the market-guarantees that you don't have to fret about quantity.
The Airscape Kilo from Planetary Design holds an impressive 2 1/2 pounds of either ground or whole bean coffee. Despite what you would think from its sheer size, this canister still delivers an impressive aesthetic appeal on your kitchen counter. The choice of matte colors hardly ever disappoints for a sleek look. Furthermore, you also get to choose between a ceramic and a stainless steel coffee bean storage container. Whichever choice you make, you'll still have a dishwasher-safe canister to go.
You can buy the Airscape Kilo on its own or have the entire set altogether. You can also use this product to store other things, such as tea or flour. Plus, you can go also go for the two smaller sizes; medium, which holds up to a pound of coffee, or the small one, which can store 8 ounces of coffee.
Pros
Cons
5. Barnyard Designs Decorative Nesting Coffee Canister
- KITCHEN CANISTER SET - These beautiful and inviting food safe metal nesting canisters will...
- FARMHOUSE KITCHEN DECOR - Round metal kitchen canisters labeled with a stylish vintage...
- DECORATIVE TINS - Designed and labeled for Flour, Sugar, Coffee and Tea storage, these...
- DIMENSIONS - Kitchen canisters for countertop. Set of 4. Color: Red Canisters (Pantone...
- BARNYARD HAPPINESS GUARANTEE - If you are ever unhappy with the product, just let us know...
If you are going for a rustic look in your coffee canister, the Barnyard Designs coffee canister is just what you are looking for. This product abandons the modern sleek builds, spotting an ideal antiquated look with a countryside feel to it. Typically, these old-school containers come as a set of four, to store coffee, tea, sugar and flour.
Despite the look, the Barnyard Designs coffee canisters are still remarkable at their job. An airtight silicone seal ensures that your products remain fresh throughout. This is complemented by a strong and durable build, making this canister one of the easiest to use, as well as long-lasting. While it might not come with all the modern bells and whistles, the Barnyard Designs coffee container is definitely good value for your penny.
Pros
Cons
How Do Coffee Beans Go Bad?
To be fair, it takes quite some time for coffee beans to go completely stale. A year-old coffee beans would still get you a cup of coffee, but would the flavor be as rich as you like?
Coffee beans accumulate carbon dioxide during the roasting process. The gas is responsible for coffee bloom, which gives your beverage its rich flavor. However, coffee also tends to lose its carbon dioxide content over time, through a process known as degassing, which withers the flavor.
Exposing coffee to oxygen also diminishes its flavor. This happens through the same process that rusts metals; oxidation. While you cannot entirely prevent this process in an oxygen-rich atmosphere, the best coffee canisters should ensure that very little of it ever gets to your beloved beans. This also includes preventing exposure form light, moisture and heat.
What Should You Look for in a Coffee Canister
1. Air Tightness
The main reason you are looking for coffee containers is to ensure you always have your coffee fresh. Airtightness, therefore, is the most essential aspect to consider. An airtight coffee container prevents oxygen from getting to your coffee. This preserves their freshness over a prolonged period.
Airtight coffee storage containers are not hard to come by. In fact, all products on this list have an airtight seal. More so, some of them have a one-way valve that prevents exposure to oxygen, thus extending the shelf life.
2. Capacity
It's also important to consider the amount of coffee you buy regularly. Before you settle on a particular coffee canister, it would be prudent to ensure that your coffee would fit sufficiently. You should also keep in mind that volume varies between coffee beans and ground coffee. At the end of the day, you would rather have more space for your favorite beverage, than less of it. As you would expect, you'll probably have to spend a little more for a bigger coffee storage container.
3. Sets
If you are looking to store more than just coffee, you can always go for a set of storage containers. After all, this is also quite practical if you want to maintain a consistent style in the kitchen. Furthermore, you'll have containers that vary in size, which means you can always adjust the amount of coffee you buy.
5. Keeping the Beans Dry
Ideally, you want to store coffee beans as dry as possible. Therefore, the best coffee storage container should preferably protect your beans from direct sunlight and heat.
Frequently Asked Questions about Coffee Canisters
1. How Should You Store Your Coffee?
It depends on who you ask. Coffee lovers have varying ways which they think are best to store coffee. Which is why some people go for refrigeration, a freezer, valve bags or just placing it on the counter. It would then be hard to pin point the right method of preserving your coffee.
That said, the key thing with extending your precious coffee's shelf life and maintaining freshness is to make sure they are protected from moisture, air, heat and light.
2. Should Coffee Be Stored in a Freezer?
For a quick Chemistry refresher, coffee is a hygroscopic substance. This means it has the tendency to absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Unfortunately, this also includes odors and flavors that may be present.
Therefore, storing your coffee beans in the freezer makes them susceptible to freeze burns. Worse still, if you also have, say tuna, in the freezer, you might be setting yourself up for fish-flavored coffee, immensely unpleasant for any coffee lover.
So, if you really have to keep your coffee in the freezer, you must make sure the storage container is completely airtight. This also means that you have handle the coffee with utmost haste. Otherwise you'll end up with condensed coffee beans with far less flavor.
Rather than go through all these inconveniences, why not simply get a product that is primarily designed to store your precious coffee?
Bottom Line
If you really want to maintain the highest quality of taste in your cup of coffee over time, a coffee canister is certainly the way to store coffee beans properly. Don't sell the flavor in your go-to beverage short; after all coffee is meant to be savored and enjoyed.
Happy caffeinating!
