If You're A Real Coffee Lover, You Need To Start Buying Your Beans Like This

The rising coffee prices are enough to make you spit out your cold brew in shock. The cost of roasted coffee recently rose 20.9% from just a year earlier, and rose about 3.6%  month-to-month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (via Fox Business). But you don't have to just accept the higher prices; You'll get the most for your money if you buy coffee beans in bulk for your caffeine fix.

When you buy a few pounds of coffee from sources like a local coffee roaster, a membership-based coffee club, or an online bean retailer, the coffee beans often cost less per ounce than if you were to get a typical 10- to 12-ounce bag or single-serve coffee pods at the store. Aside from the cost effectiveness, you can also usually mix and match coffee beans when you buy in bulk, and end up with your own unique blend, something you're missing out on if you buy pre-ground coffee. You're also being more environmentally friendly by not buying tons of smaller packages. If you hit up a local coffee roaster, see if you can bring your own reusable container to fill up on beans. Of course, buying pounds and pounds of coffee probably makes the most sense if you're a serious coffee drinker or have a household that drinks a lot of coffee. Beans can last a long time, but they don't last forever, and will lose their freshness and flavor.

When you choose to buy in bulk from a roaster, you'll get fresher coffee than what's sitting on the shelf at the store because you're buying it directly from the source. That coffee, whether ground or whole bean, has probably. been through a whole distribution process before it made it to the shelves, meaning it's likely already a few months old before you can even buy it.

If you're investing in large amounts of coffee, for the freshest tasting coffee beans, avoid the refrigerator and freeze them. If you freeze your coffee properly, it can lock in flavor and slow the oxidation process, which is what dulls the taste over time. To freeze coffee beans the right way, make sure the packaging is airtight, and either in a vacuum-sealed bag or a container. You shouldn't just roll up the top of the original coffee bag, as that will let more air in. You may want to break large bags into smaller batches so you aren't thawing out extra coffee. Store the beans in the coldest part of the freezer, toward the back, and date bags so you know when to use what. How long do coffee beans really last? Frozen coffee beans can last three to four months. Refrigerated coffee beans last around two weeks. Room temperature beans may taste off as soon as one week after sitting out.