Your Coffee

We’re obviously not proponents of waste, but bagged coffee goes bad faster than you think. Coffee’s biggest enemies are oxygen and moisture, says Starbucks — and the moment that the coffee is ground is when it starts losing freshness. (It’s why Ultimo and coffee connoisseurs are proponents of freshly ground, freshly made coffee and espresso drinks.) But a major problem can occur even before you grind the beans (which, if you’re not doing it already, should be done right before you start brewing). It’s often how coffee is stored that causes a loss of oxygen and moisture.

 

How to Fix It

 

First off, don’t buy so much coffee — Ultimo says that a bag of coffee should be used within a week for ultimate flavor. If you want a small bag of coffee, hit up your local coffee shop for smaller bag, or ask the baristas to grind the beans for you in a smaller quantity — just make sure you use the grinds right away.

Always store coffee in an airtight container at room temperature, says Starbucks — and never in the refrigerator or freezer. Despite what you may think, storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer can result in moisture from condensation

 

The Grind

 

Grind, grind baby: your cup of coffee depends all on the grind of your coffee bean. Different brewing methods require different grinds, says Starbucks. It boils down to a science, says Aaron Ultimo, owner of Ultimo Coffee Bar, referring to over-extracted coffee and under-extracted coffee. That means when the water passes through the coffee, it will either over-extract or under-extract all of the flavors from the coffee. If your coffee is ground too coarsely, the coffee will be weak and less flavorful; if your coffee is ground too finely, the coffee will be bitter.