Why You Should Be Sticking Coffee Beans In The Freezer

Coffee lovers everywhere should be sticking their coffee beans into the freezer, at least according to a new study.

Many coffee drinkers already stick their coffee beans in the fridge to keep them fresh longer but a new study published in Scientific Reports suggests that keeping your coffee beans cold actually increases the flavor.

The researchers at University of Bath partnered with a local café to study the effects of grinding beans at different temperatures, studying four temperature variations ranging from the room temperature of 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) to a -196 degrees Celsius (-320.8 Fahrenheit.) In addition to the four temperature variations the researchers also used four different coffee bean variations.

Their research concluded that coffee bean particles get tighter with lower temperatures. This leads to more flavor for the same amount of coffee during the brewing process. In other words coffee consumers will get more bang for their bean and buck. The study also found the results of bean particle distribution to be separate from the beans origin and processing method.

Other factors that affect flavor include water chemistry and accessible surface area, but this new study is the first to find a link between temperature and flavor.  The study also says that smaller and more uniform coffee beans typically allow for better flavor extraction which results in more coffee and more flavor for beans.

The researchers used varieties ranging from light to medium roast, so it is unclear how more heavily decomposed beans, like a dark roast or French roast would be affected by temperature changes. Still, the researchers believe these results will influence both casual consumers and the coffee industry.