If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Originally posted by 011513130905021504040801600 link=1155618207/14#14 date=1289345941
If with this I can somehow manage to make them live a little longer, I could buy in 500gram batches instead.
Yeah dont buy one of these for a start while you will remove some air from the beans the negative pressure on them accelerates the oils coming out of the beans and speeds aging :P
Best bet is to buy a stash of 250g bags from Beanbay and a $40-50 heat sealer from the bay of evil and split your FRESH beans as soon as you get them and heat seal the bags. I just got a 1kg bag from Andy and broke it down into 4 smaller ones when it arrived 3 days post roast for me that is 2-3 weeks usage so I expect the last bag to still taste really good. Rezipped and push out as much air as you can is the easy no fuss way to do it.
Problem is that is does leave air and at reduced pressure which is the beans are still degassing is replaced with CO2 and then the Vacuum is gone. Just dont do it, bags are used for a reason.
I find the bags a pain- and dont like the waste of a sealing machine, etc.
I always wonder what the story is with beans when I go to a roaster or bean merchant and see huge amounts of roasted beans stored in large containers with no airtight qualities at all. Is the idea that they turn over the beans so quickly they are never in the bins for more than a few days?
If you typically roast and drink it all withing say a fortnight is is not really necessary to store beans in the best airtight fashion?
I suspect the answer is certainly no- but the roasteries make me wonder.
Much as we are drifting OT I have generally stopped heat sealing my zip locked valved bags unless I am giving it to someone else (extends the good life if not opened for a week or so) but for my own use just the zip locks do the job.
Heat sealing of bags if they are being shipped around and handled I reckon is as much about spillage control for us frequent consumers :
Originally posted by 3C203D3D2A213B26212E2C2029292A2A4F0 link=1155618207/22#22 date=1289537493
How about glass jars with good lids?
I know stumptown uses glass jars with lids and they look quite cool. See http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4127/5009446286_73d125c937.jpg
Reusable too - maybe we can start a revolution here where we can purchase jars from where we buy our coffee from, fill them up with beans, and bring them back for more coffee when its empty. Much like how KeepCups are being used everywhere these days!
I would not like to hazard any sort of expert opinion on what seems to be a sometimes emotive topic, but I can offer the following anecdotal experiences, which have both Pro and Con aspects:
1. My sister/brother-in-law have had a speciality coffee roaster in Cape Town for over 18 years, and I was visiting a few weeks ago over there. When I talked about keeping coffee sealed etc, using valved bags, my brother-in-law was a bit non-plussed. Did not see it as a big deal, and does not use valved bags. He was even sceptical about de-gassing periods etc. They are reasonable small, and turn around their coffee quite quickly, and their coffee is excellent. He roasts with a 5kg Fluid bed roaster.
2. A friend of mine for whom I have been supplying beans for about a year used to buy his beans from a local small roaster here in the Redlands, who has won awards etc. (Has Garanti roaster I think). When I asked him about the difference between what I supply and what he was getting before, his comment was that mine are awlays consistently fresh, wheris before it was a bit hit and miss. They store their beans in shop style bins. I normally roast, blend and seal his beans in a valved bag until he is ready for them, which is usually within 5 days. Of course my small amounts make it practical to do so, not so easy when you a have larger amounts no doubt. He actually discards my valve bag after opening and stores the beans in one of those Vacuum style cannisters until using.
Comment