What Is Going On With Coffee Bags Lately???

[FineGrind]

Why am I getting coffee bags from quite a few different online shops lately that do not seal at either end of the ziplock? The moulding at each end of the ziplock stops short of the end of the bags leaving a big gap for air to spoil my fresh coffee! It seems to be mainly the new style of bags that have the top that does not open all the way out. The ones that open on one side and not across the whole top of the bag. Can't think of a better way to describe them sorry, so I hope you know which style I am referring to. Check your coffee bags out and see if the ziplock stops before each end of the bag. Quite a farcical blunder really.

FG.

[Vinitasse]

Why not post a pic or two to show us what you're talking about?

[TOK]

I too am not understanding the question in that I am not visualising the particular packet described.

Regardless......I'm not sure why people need to have ziplock bags. They cost a fortune (gets passed on to the client OR just costs the supplier more/less profit per packet), and the coffee can be transferred from a regular sealed packet to a re-sealable container OR, the regular packet can be resealed with gadgets, in-elastic bands and pegs at a pinch.

My advice: Receive the coffee in whatever packet the coffee arrives in, open, and transfer into a "hard" re-sealable container (That's what I do).

You only buy the resealable container once and its with you for life (ceramic - unless you drop and break it, or stainless).

Problem solved.

[shortblackman]

The good resealable bags; aren't they good enough if your coffee's only in it for about a week?

in this case, how much better would a permanent container be? Never had the problem of the OP. only people forgetting to seal the bag.

[artman]

Isn't the idea of the valved zip lock bags so you can squeeze out excess air, zip it tight and help the coffee stay fresher longer?

Re OP, I have seen one bag where the zip is in one side of he bag just down from the top and doesn't extend all the way across. Like a pouch arrangement. Didn't pay attention to its sealing capabilities though.

Cheers

[FineGrind]

Okay, so I am going to bring back an old thread here, as I've had two more bad experiences in a row in the last few weeks. Back to back coffee orders from two different vendors. I will add some pictures to help explain myself.

The problem bags I was originally talking about, had folds in the top of the bag, where coffee bags are heat sealed. So instead of two sheets of plastic being heat sealed together, there were four. They also had a zip lock, that did not go all the way across the top of the bag. The problem with them was the zip lock itself. It did not seal the entire opening. It stopped short on either end, leaving a big air gap. Think of a glad bag, in which the zip lock does not go all the way to each end of the bag. So leaving the bag open to the air on each end. This was back when I wrote this thread initially. Time went on and I seemed to be getting the older style bags again, so I didn't worry about it anymore.

But, they have come back to haunt me. And this time they have two different problems. This time, the bags, (seemingly being used more and more all the time now), DO have a zip lock that DOES seal the entire opening. But the sealed folds are starting to open more easily in transit. It happened to me twice. I think it might be because of aeroplane pressure. And then if the seal doesn't fail, which was the case for the last order I placed, (different vendor), there is something else that goes wrong. The bags now have a new gimmicky tear strip arrangement. I think the over design of coffee bags is causing complications, resulting in failing seals. When I squeeze the bag, air comes out. But then, the bag sucks air back in again. I do not blame the one way valve, because I have never ever had an issue with one way valves before.

Here are the new type with a tear strip in which you are not just tearing the top of the bag off. You instead pull a strip off the front of the bag, not both sides of the bag.



I am worried that more and more vendors are going to be using these bags, and people are going to be unwittingly receiving stale coffee.

If anyone receives these new bag types, squeeze the air out of them when you get them and see if the air comes back in to them in under 15 seconds. This means your coffee is stale, unless your coffee is still venting C02. But even then...

Here is the original bag type that works. No folds in the top and no tear strip. Just a cut along the dotted line arrangement on top.



I think this could end up being a big problem. Coffee needs to be very well sealed, obviously. Otherwise we are not receiving what we paid for. I am sure every coffee snob would whole heartedly agree with that.

Surely, I am not the only person having this problem!

[gonzo89]

Hi FineGrind,

It sems you didn't get the responses you were perhaps looking for when you originally started this thread.

I know exactly what you are talking about.
The bag with the tear off part on the ziplock I will admit looks aesthetically pleasing in comparison to the standard bags we're used to.
In saying that, I have had similar bad experiences with them as you have..but..not all of them. It seems that some of them are useless and others work well.

I tested this out when I started roasting my own beans and reusing old bags I have stored. It was when I started doing that that I had a funny revelation. A roaster I used to buy from was using these bags for a time and I once received a very dull filter roast Ethiopian bean. I was shocked as the roaster's quality is top notch and being Ethiopian beans, it just didn't add up.
Anyway, I used that very same bag for a roast once and guess what, the beans weren't very enjoyable by the time I got to them. I roast this bean all the time and it was spot on with my template graph I use to roast that bean so It wasn't my fault

Just to be safe I stick to using the standard 1 way valve bags when possible. I can't say all of those newer style bags are bad though. Better than the crappy fold bags that are heat sealed. I suggest you buy a 1 way valve storage cannister to be safe.

[FineGrind]

The problem is, that the coffee is staling before it reaches me. So the way I pack it after I receive it does not help the problem I am having unfortunately.

[Andy]

Surely, I am not the only person having this problem!

Easy fix is to change suppliers!

I suspect the reason you didn't get many bites in this thread is because we use really great bags for the roasted coffee and our customers are happy.

100,000+ CoffeeSnobs roasted bags have left here and we have had problems with 4.
2 were split (I guess when a 5 ton package was dropped on them during transit), one dodgy zip and one dodgy valve and we replaced the contents of all those in the next roast.

The only other failures have been spiked by something sharp during transit... and there isn't much you can easily do to stop that happening short of using kevlar ballistic blankets inside the satchel.

[Yelta]

Easy fix is to change suppliers!

I suspect the reason you didn't get many bites in this thread is because we use really great bags for the roasted coffee and our customers are happy.

100,000+ CoffeeSnobs roasted bags have left here and we have had problems with 4.
2 were split (I guess when a 5 ton package was dropped on them during transit), one dodgy zip and one dodgy valve and we replaced the contents of all those in the next roast.

The only other failures have been spiked by something sharp during transit... and there isn't much you can easily do to stop that happening short of using kevlar ballistic blankets inside the satchel.

Yep, have never had a problem with CS bags.

The old story, you get what you pay for.

If roasters are cutting costs by using cheapo bags you have to wonder about the quality of green beans they are using as well.

[gonzo89]

Actually Yelta, these bags are more expensive. For what I ask..other than the look of course.

[Yelta]

Actually Yelta, these bags are more expensive. For what I ask..other than the look of course.

Surprising, if so makes you wonder why roasters continue to use them? slow learners perhaps, regardless, as I commented, Coffee Snobs bags never a problem.

[simonko]

I got Coffee Snobs bags last week - no ziplock, not airtight - heck the beans had even gone green.

[Andy]

Hmmm... so just to be clear I was talking about roasted coffee bags.
(there's one in every crowd... normally me but you beat me to it simonko)

We actually designed our own roasted bags after many months of research, not just graphics but the composition of them too.
It's a 3 layer bag, the inner layer is PLA (renewable cornstarch based) and biodegradable, the next layer is foil which stops UV damage, the outer layer is PET (same as plastic coke bottles) with a biodegradable additive so it will break down and not stay intact for 100 years.

Green beans also get special treatment, natural cotton (to breathe) with a zipper and made well enough that we recycle them, sometimes many times over.

[ScottyF]

I got Coffee Snobs bags last week - no ziplock, not airtight - heck the beans had even gone green.

You've ended up with green beans? That's just not acceptable. My recommendation is that you take out your dissatisfaction and rage on them with a heat-emitting device. Perhaps not set fire to them, but really show them you are serious. I've got a Bosch heat gun you are welcome to borrow. Get that rage out...