Vacuum Seal Extra Coffee Beans


 
LMichaels

LMichaels

TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
OK, so I wasn't paying attention and was focusing more on trying new things. Well last night I went into a cupboard I use for things like pasta, canned goods, extra coffee, and other types of pantry "over run" stuff. Well what do I discover? A bag of SF Bay FR beans and another of the Kirkland FR Beans in the brown bag. (the ones I said I was not fond of). Well, the Kirkland ones are supposed to expire in about 3 mos or so IIRC but the SF Bay expires next month. But, I just opened that bag of med roast organic beans from Oaxaca I found at Costco (which are really nice BTW). So in an effort to use up the old stuff I took it out of the basement cupboard and hauled it up.
I am thinking of having wife seal up the new beans I just opened in vacuum bag(s), until I can use up the other (older) beans. Then open the sealed stuff again. Anyone ever done this type of thing? Did it work out OK? Should I put them in fridge or freezer or just at room temp?
 
Coffee is kind of fascinating. There's a lot of technique and science behind brewing the perfect cup.

You've probably noticed that most bags of commercial coffee beans have a vent built into the bag. This is to prevent the bag from exploding. It seems, a freshly roasted coffee bean is pressurized with carbon dioxide. This is good because the CO2 keeps the bean fresh. The shell of the bean acts like the shell of a chicken egg in that it keeps the interior fresh. But with time the Co2 will leak out through the shell of the bean and into the bag slowly. And that will apparently potentially cause the bag to explode! So that is why they don't vacuum seal coffee beans - instead they provide a vent.

With more time, as the pressure is relieved, oxygen will work its way into the bean. And that's when the bean's flavor begins to deteriorate. That's probably about the point where you see the expiration date on the bag.

However, your beans, being aged, have probably already leaked out a significant amount of the pressure, and so my guess is vacuum sealing them would probably be okay?

Good luck.
 
I was always told the vent in the bag is because the beans many times are packaged still warm, and they tend to "off-gas" as they cool. Anyway I brewed with the SF Bay this AM since it is the oldest bag I have. Still nice rich flavor. I may switch over to the OXO Barista Brain 9 cup for this coffee as I think it seems more suited to brewing a slightly better pot of coffee than the Breville with this very dark roast. Current setting on the Breville. Bloom is 40 sec, flow rate = slow, brew temp = 196.
I guess I could play around a bit more, but, the OXO is very good at mimicking the pour over technique. Heating the water, then flowing some and waiting about 30 seconds, then heating, flowing, waiting again and it keeps repeating that until done brewing. Very much like I see these "artists" do with their long spouted kettle and their little pour over setup.
I do wish someone would come out with a machine that brewed as good a pot as OXO does but made better. More like the Moccamaster or even the Breville.
That is one thing I have to give to OXO is they have the brewing "dialed in". Better than anything I have ever used. I would say the Breville is a VERY close second because it's so adaptable and controllable, and the Moccamaster I still have to say a way distant 3rd place (which is why I sold it) because with these 2 I knew I would not use it again
 
I'm not a coffee drinker, but my wife is. I buy Costco beans all the time, she takes some out to grind, and we vacuum seal and freeze the remainder. She opens and reseals the frozen beans as needed and has no complaints about flavor.
 
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