Unopened, our pre-packed, ready ground bags have a shelf life of nine months from the date of roasting, while our hand-packed range has a life of four months.

A fresh roasted bean's flavours are very perishable and vulnerable to loss. In general, wholebean coffee begins to lose its flavour when left out after one week, while ground coffee can do so within an hour.

Because it has a longer shelf life than ground coffee, it is advisable to invest in a small burr grinder if you regularly enjoy your morning wake-up call. This way, you can grind your beans as and when you need fancy a cup.

Do make sure, however, that it is a burr and not a simple blade grinder, as the latter has a tendency to chop rather than grind beans, which will prevent you from achieving the consistency needed to deliver our coffee's exceptional flavours. You can pick up a good burr grinder for as little as £50 on the high street.

The best way to store coffee is in the freezer. This is because the inert environment will help to lock in the fine flavours over a much longer period of time. This method of storage is especially recommended if you are a low volume user of fresh, ground coffee.

When taking coffee out for brewing after freezing it, always ensure that you take out only as little as is needed, and return the rest of the pack back to the freezer, immediately. This is because if kept out for long periods of time, the coffee grounds will develop condensation on them, and thus destroy the flavours – particularly if this water is then re-frozen. Coffee does not like frequent extreme changes of temperature.

If you are using wholebean coffees, these can be stored in their bags at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

Never store your coffee in the fridge – not even in an air tight container. Fresh roasted coffee is incredibly hydroscopic, and will quickly absorb odours in the air. A fridge normally contain strong aromas, which will then be transferred to your cup.

Although some people swear by Tupperware containers, kilner jars and the like, it really doesn't have to cost you anything to ensure your coffee keeps fine flavours.

Fresh air is coffee's greatest enemy. Oxygen and moisture within the air is quickly absorbed by the roasted beans, at the expense of its inherently delicious flavours.