Back when I worked at a coffee roasting company ('88-'96), we told people to keep the beans in an airtight container at room temp. The trick with that is to only keep them a few days for optimum flavor...like, no more than a week. So some people would only buy as much as they could use in that time, keep the beans at room temp, and would come back for more freshly roasted coffee later.
For the people who couldn't or wouldn't do that, the next best option is the freezer, in an airtight container. The trick there was to take out only as much of the beans as you were going to grind and let them come to room temp before grinding and brewing. The flavor of the coffee will be affected but it would also be affected by being left at room temp for a really long time.
If I recall correctly, the Indonesian coffees were less acidic than the African coffees. I don't remember where Central American coffees fell on that scale. The way you brew the coffee will also affect the acidity; as people mentioned above, cold-brewing methods make a much smoother cup o'joe.
I've only come across coffee with chicory in a few forms: brands like French Market coffee, Cafe Du Monde coffee, etc. I just did a quick google and found a couple of places that will sell you pure chicory to blend in with your coffee to your own taste.
Sometimes I really miss working there. There's nothing like brewing a french press of still-warm-from-the-roaster beans. The smell of freshly roasted beans is sublime (the roasting process is a different story - that smells like tuna fish and burnt toast).
Mmm, Coffee = Heaven
For the people who couldn't or wouldn't do that, the next best option is the freezer, in an airtight container. The trick there was to take out only as much of the beans as you were going to grind and let them come to room temp before grinding and brewing. The flavor of the coffee will be affected but it would also be affected by being left at room temp for a really long time.
If I recall correctly, the Indonesian coffees were less acidic than the African coffees. I don't remember where Central American coffees fell on that scale. The way you brew the coffee will also affect the acidity; as people mentioned above, cold-brewing methods make a much smoother cup o'joe.
I've only come across coffee with chicory in a few forms: brands like French Market coffee, Cafe Du Monde coffee, etc. I just did a quick google and found a couple of places that will sell you pure chicory to blend in with your coffee to your own taste.
Sometimes I really miss working there. There's nothing like brewing a french press of still-warm-from-the-roaster beans. The smell of freshly roasted beans is sublime (the roasting process is a different story - that smells like tuna fish and burnt toast).