Finally! A use for the vacuum sealer!

[sacaver]

The in-Laws gave us one of those vacuum sealers for Christmas. When we opened it up, I was thinking, "WHAAAA?" But of course out of my mouth came, "WOW!" So the thing has sat for months now in the corner and done nothing.

Saturday morning, the idea hit me to measure out the beans into the little plastic bags and then seal them up. I put in the amount I use to brew a pot of coffee and don't have to worry about storing the beans in something airtight - they're now as airtight as they could get. It's easy to just reach for a pack, cut it open, dump in the grinder and go about my day. And, for those tighta$$'s out there, you can reuse the bags if you cut them just right!

It will be interesting to see how the flavors hold up over time. I've got some that I've packed away with the date on them so I can see how well they preserve in the long run.

 

[Mad Dawg]

Trust me, I know from experience - this won't work with fresh-roasted beans. Coffee beans throw off a lot of gas (mostly CO2) for up to about 72 hours after they're roasted, and if you vacuum seal them in a bag that doesn't come with one of those clever 1-way valves on it, they'll boow up like a balloon over the next couple of days. I tried sealing fresh-roasted beans once when mailing some Turquino to a friend, and by the time it got to him 48 hours later, the expanding vacuum bag had literally ripped the priority mail box I sent it in apart at the seams. If you're packing typical pre-roasted beans, you won't have that problem because they're generally old enough that they've finished outgassing by the time you get them.

 

[sacaver]

Well, damn it! I hadn't thought of that. Just trying to find some good way to keep the beans fresh. I know that freezing is bad, and it's the whole oxygen thing that makes the difference. Or so I've heard. If any of you long-time roasters have some thoughts on this I'd love to hear them!

I think eBay is the next stop for the contraption.

 

[Mad Dawg]

Two suggestions:

1. Only roast what you'll use in the next 3 days or less. With few exceptions, I roast every evening, just enough for the following morning's brew, but you have to work with what your schedule will allow.

2. Use a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid to store the beans. Put the jar in a cool, dark place; a pantry shelf is fine. (I try to remember to slightly crack the seal a couple of times to "burp" the CO2 out of the jar, but I don't always remember. It doesn't seem to make a heck of a lot of difference.) I never put beans in the freezer or the fridge any more - I just brew them before they go stale.

That's all there is to it, really. :thumbsup: