Black as the devil, Hot as hell, Pure as an angel, Sweet as love.
– Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord
Old Talleyrand surely loved his java. And to protect the integrity of the flavour we love, coffee needs to be stored properly. Exposure to air, moisture, heat and light are the main environmental factors that will vitiate the real taste of your coffee.
So the number one thing you can do to keep it real is to store your coffee in an air-tight container. For me nothing works better than glass or glazed ceramics. Stainless steel might be okay, but stay away from plastics which may impart an unnatural taste at best, and at worst may leach harmful chemicals into the coffee. You can of course keep your beans in the bag they came in, but what fun is that and besides once opened it’s not going to be air-tight ever again. Glass and ceramics also offer endless opportunities for artistic flair which can only enhance your overall coffee experience.
The oils in your coffee responsible for that tantalizing essence have delicate constituents that are water soluble, and therefore must be protected from moisture. Those air-tight containers should go a long way to prevent that, however there are other precautions that one should take. Coffee should not be stored in a freezer or refrigerator either. Why is this you ask? A refrigerator while certainly meeting the requirement for being cool also contains a lot of moisture. Keep your coffee cool; just don’t keep it in a refrigerator. As far has freezing goes… Freezing coffee can bring the oils to the surface; these can then degrade once the coffee is defrosted and brewed.
Light will also degrade coffee, but for most home storage situations, if you have an air-tight container, and you are storing it in a cool and dry location you probably by default have the light avoidance factor beat…. If not then get it out of the light.