LMSC I think there should be a distinction between two different storage scenarios and the optional solutions for them.
The first is longer term storage (for when we have too much coffee and want to store some of it for a later date). The second is the short-term storage of coffee we currently use on a daily basis.
For the longer term, I think freezing is very effective. I read somewhere that someone did an experiment and found that frozen coffee deteriorates in 90 days as coffee at room temp deteriorates in one day. Not sure about the method, but from my own experience and reading other’s, freezing is very effective. Of course freezing under vacuum is better than freezing without vacuum, but I think the main benefit is the freezing itself, and if you pack tightly into a bag/jar, I am not sure how much vacuuming adds. Personally I freeze bigger quantities in vacuum bags, and smaller quantities in jam jars.
For the shorter term, freezing is less convenient (for my, at least). Here the air is the main enemy, so getting rid of it helps. The problem is that every time we open the container we let new air inside. Single dose containers can help, but personally I haven’t done it yet. Containers that push the air out (like the Airscape) might be better than nothing, but they let new air inside every time they are opened + they leave a lot of air in the space between the beans. Personally I have been using Vacu vin containers (suck out air with a manual pump) for over 20 years. I don’t find it a hassle at all - it only takes a couple of seconds to use. I haven’t done a comparison with the likes of Airscape, but common sense tells me it should be better.
