Decanting/Storing Brewed Coffee

When you make coffee, you should drink it as soon as possible.  Leaving coffee in a French press or sitting on an auto drip warmer will quickly degrade the quality and should always be avoided.  If you must store coffee for a brief period before drinking it (like you're having a dinner party) you can store or "decant" the coffee to maintain its temperature. 

You should decant your coffee in a nonreactive container where the surface that touches the coffee is made of stainless steel or glass.  Preheat the container with boiling water.  After several minutes, discard water and fill with fresh brewed coffee.  

Brewed coffee has a shelf life of approximately 30 minutes after brewed for best cup quality.  As the coffee reaches 60 minutes of age, you will notice a sour note up front.  This is often confused for acidity.  The main difference is that this sourness will lead to a dry, acrid finish as opposed to the sweet, round finish of a fresh cup.