Coffee storage

Cuprajake

Hi all

So as alot will have seen, my Weber bean cellars failed, now I used coffee vac storage tubs, but fancied something nicer. I was looking at airscapes but @MediumRoastSteam warned me off

What else is there

Dusk

Cuprajake

If you like the single dose bottles then Sterifeed 50ml baby bottles hold about 22g of coffee and are air tight.

Alpesh

I’ve been pretty happy with my Airscape but then again I open them at most twice a week as I pre-dose about 3-4 days worth into smaller containers. Found the Airscape containers have kept the beans fresh for a few weeks. Mind you I don’t have any more than 300g in a container at any given time.

I think opening the Airscape containers less frequently seems to do the trick but you could argue it defeats the purpose.

tompoland

I like these smaller TightVac containers because the narrower diameter mouth allows me to pour into the little sauce boat thingy (Loveramics).

Another version (same size different color).

MediumRoastSteam

@Cuprajake - there was a whole discussion about storing coffee beans which started as a post of mine on CFUK just before that imploded and a lot of us moved over here, and, if memory doesn’t fail me, @LMSC carried on with the discussion over here. It was very informative.

I’ll see if I can find the thread when I have some time - it was one of the very first threads on this forum.

Edit: found the thread. (I just typed “airscape” on the search box): https://coffeetime.freeflarum.com/d/71-airscape-issues-and-single-dosing

MediumRoastSteam

MediumRoastSteam - @Cuprajake I think an airescape - but equally the coffee bag itself - are fine for keeping beans for a a week, maximum. My experience with one is that I thought in could keep coffee in there for longer, but soon came to realise the beans have degraded considerably since. I now vac-pack in smaller portions (say, 5 days worth) and, when I want to drink them, I decant them into small pots. I don’t think they are perfect air tight, but they do the job for the immediate short term storage.

LMSC

My airscape is now used to store tea bags, which are fresher now. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Before you spend money on expensive storage, please try to get one of these a shot and see if it works for you!

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/oertfylld-spice-jar-glass-stainless-steel-60391350/

If getting the latter, you might need a little larger capacity. MediumRoastSteam will be able to advise the capacity as I believe he still uses one of these canisters.

Cuprajake

Tightvac is what I use,

So may be best to divide and seal smaller batches then. Sounds a better idea

MediumRoastSteam

Those storage jars I have linked by LMSC store about 20g, maybe a little more. I always store 18g without issues.

But they are not magical. As I said before, they are not air-tight, at least I don’t think they are.

hornbyben

I do think airscape containers look quite nice though. I’ve been very happy with mine, and can’t say I’ve noticed any significant difference in taste over the week it typically takes me to drink a 250g bag of coffee. I do agree that i don’t think there is any difference vs any other airtight container that doesn’t let light in (or is in a draw)

Cuprajake

Yeah I was thinking for looks over the ones I have

JHCCoffee

I now vacuum pack the beans in small Foodsaver bags, which I freeze. Freezing preserves the beans; vacuum packing in of and by itself is (from what I have read) not as effective (as freezing), but will keep out other food odors/gasses that might permeate the beans. While my reading does not lead me to believe that vacuum sealing affects bean quality, I only lightly vacuum seal.

There are fully re-useable Foodsaver bags available. Alternatively you can open a sealed bag by cutting the top sealed portion off with a scissors, and then re-use the bag.

I had initially vacuum sealed and frozen sufficient portions for 1 weeks consumption, but now divide into single dose bags and freeze. I then grind the frozen beans, which has (in a number pundits views) significant benefits; that is an entirely different topic. I then empty the bag’s contents into a dosing cup on a tarred scale (to confirm weight), RDT and pour into a single dose grinder.

If the bag contains an exact dose and your grinder does not retain grinds, then you do not even have to weigh before or even after single dose grinding. However as I have some grind retention with my Eureka Mignon (which can vary from none to 0.5g), even with a single dose hopper and bellows, I still weigh at every step. If the bellows was more effective (I have the Eureka single dose hopper and bellows, which does not seem to be effective), then I might be able to simply be able to pour a measured dose of beans into the grinder, grind, not weigh my portafilter, and just pour my shot. That would be nirvana! Any suggestions are welcome.

CoffeePhilE

I’m still using what I think is an Airscape. But it came with an accessory bundle (the “Airscape”, a rubber tamping mat, several sizes of “Bodum” double-walled glasses, and a number of other bits & pieces) provided free (by redemption) when I bought the coffee machine. I say “think” it’s an Airscape because it’s branded by the coffee machine manufacturer, so I can’t be sure. However, it is either made by Airscape or is very similar indeed.

I have no real complaints. It works for me. I typically have to tweak the grinder setting just a touch coarser for about the last third of a 1Kg bag of beans but if there’s a taste difference, it’s too small for my taste buds to detect. That said, I’m not the world’s best taster so it may just be I’m too limited and those “spuer-tasters” out there wouldn’t be happy.

Which is why I wouldn’t recommend Airscape casually, unless I knew the person asking pretty well. All I will say is so far, they suit me fine …. especially given the £0.00 price tag. 😉

Inspector

Coarser or finer?

CoffeePhilE

Inspector Coarser or finer?

If that was addressed to me about my “adjust coarser” remark above, then yup, coarser. But by barely a smidge.

It’s hard to be sure, to be honest, because it could be more to do with me not getting my tamp pressure cosistent enough, that being hard to do with my shoulder problems. Shot times can extend a bit, going from aroud the 30s mark, plus or minus maybe 2s, to 36, 38 even 40s (to get a pretty consistent 20g in, 40ml-ish out).

But if I’ve had several on the trot do that, and adjust a smidge coarser (from about 15.5 to 15.7, with the decimal point bits being estimated by eye, on the Niche ring) and the shot times come back to the original 30s-ish, pretty consistently, the only thing I can think of is it’s choking a bit at the first setting, and going a tad coarser seems to stop it.

But if I’m reading it wrong, I’d be happy to know what I’m missing.

whinmoor85

There’s the Fellow Atmos which has mixed reviews and the Soulhand which I’ve seen a few people on Instagram use. Haven’t found any critical long term reviews on it unfortunately.

dutchy101

Looking for some new smallish storage jars. Currently have one Airscape and 2 coffee vac but they’re too big as I only use 250g of coffee in each.

250g Airscapes are about £25 at the moment.

Has anyone seen / tried these?:

Wondering if they work as a concept or is a dedign like the Airscaoe where you can physically close out the headspace between the beans and the lid better?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLkw6ZG

£32 for 3. Ordered - worth a gamble at that price

JHCCoffee

dutchy101 Wondering if they work as a concept or is a dedign like the Airscaoe where you can physically close out the headspace between the beans and the lid better

My perspective is that the air (O2) still leaks in. The question then becomes: how much coffee do you consume a day? Let’s assume that the coffee has already rested in a sealed bag, that you then open after 2 weeks. You now have an open bag of say 440g. If the 440g is say 7 days worth, then the O2 will begin to take its toll by day 4, with significant taste change by day 7. Hence, you might wish to lightly vacuum pack 220g and freeze that, and use the other 220g from an Airscape.

I personally divide my 1 lb (440g) of coffee into 4 × 110g portions, which I lightly vacuum pack and freeze. I might vac pack 2 to 4 lbs into 110g portions in one evening, which I freeze. I then defrost 110g, which typically lasts me 3 days. I then place the 110g into airtight single dose jars (the small 18g capacity ones with hinged lids and silicone gaskets), which speeds up my morning process.

PS Those hinged lid jars are great and come in many different sizes. I buy cheap no name ones on Amazon, but there is a highly quality brand manufacturer in Europe. Just can’t remember the name at the moment.

DavecUK

dutchy101 Wondering if they work as a concept or is a dedign like the Airscaoe where you can physically close out the headspace between the beans and the lid better?

I think putting the beans under negative pressure is not a good thing as it tends to draw the oils out, invariably the canisters tend to leak air in a bit as well.

The Airscapes close out headspace, without lowering the pressure, something I like. However, I am unsure how well they seal…so far, I’ve found them the best solution, but they are expensive. I also dislike the fact that each time the Airscape or the vacuum systems are opened…ALL the beans are exposed to O2 and a fresh load of O2 is in the spaces between the beans.

It’s a problem…..we really need an airlock system like on spaceships…..so nothing exchanges.

Pompeyexile

I usually have four to five 250g bags of coffee available at any one time. When I get a new arrival I push as much air out of the unopened bag through the valve as possible, put tape over the valve and then pop them in the freezer. When I decide which bag I want to use, I decant the beans into small glass jars with screw top lids that hold 36g of beans. Then when I want a coffee, I open a jar measure what I want screw the lid back on and pop it back in the freezer, all of which takes me less than 30 seconds. Grind my frozen beans and enjoy.

I don’t know if vacuum packing then freezing makes them last longer or keeps their freshness longer. I work under the assumption that if it is frozen, then it stops or at the very least slows down considerably any deterioration. Ergo I can’t see how they can release any gas. I mean, can a Mammoth lying ten feet under the frozen Tundra still emit a fart?😁

Loonster

Beans off gas CO2. CO2 is heavier than air and O2. Maybe we are thinking about storage containers all wrong. All of the storage containers are focused on keeping air out, but maybe it is simpler than that. Maybe we only have to keep the CO2 in, and avoid gas exchange when removing beans.

Something like a tall glass vase, with a stopper on top. Maybe a little wider on the bottom than the top, like a glass carafe. It sits on the counter and doesn’t move. Getting the beans out would be tricky. Maybe the carafe would need to sit at a 45° and use a scoop with an extra long handle (like included with the Aeropress but longer).