Everything we sell has a roast date on the bag. It is really bugs me when I go to other shops and don't find a roast date.

Top 10 peeves on the subject:

10. Expiration Date set 3 months after the roast date
9. Expiration Date set 6 months after the roast date
8. Expiration Date set 12 months after the roast date
7. No date what-so-ever
6. 5lb bags of coffee at the wholesale club - When ppl say they bought a 5 lb bag I asked them if they bought a year supply of bananas too.
5. "Bin Fill Date" - I can only imagine them emptying the bin and refilling it with same coffee and changing the date
4. Open barrels of roasted coffee at the supermarket
3. Pods
2. Pre-ground bags of coffee
1. Yes I would like a pound of Aida's Grand Reserve $60/lb coffee, can you grind that for cone?

HB wrote:Sure. The ideal rest time varies from blend to blend. For example, Intelligentsia says their Black Cat blend peak on day 4 and they roast accordingly for their cafes. Tony at Caffe Fresco recommends 5-7 days for degassing. I assume when Java Vino says pressurized, they mean packaged in some sort of container with one-way valve and the outgassing produces the positive pressure (?).

They say they do - keep it in "a pressurized container while it de-gases, then all the aroma released with the CO2 will be reabsorbed by the beans over a period of time. This helps increase flavor, body, and crema in our espresso shots..." I assume the container must have a valve, otherwise if they were full enough, you'd have exploding containers, right? Or at least puffy containers?

I'm not sure about the "aroma" part of the above discussion - and I'd like to hear what Jeremy, or anyone else in Atlanta thinks after they try that coffee.

Every now and then I think - for a split second - that learning about roasting might be fun, but then the Voice of Reason prevails.

Ann

Please don't beat up on me, I've only been roasting for 2 weeks. In doing so I am learning, thinking, and thinking about learning. Sometimes I know I think too much, but help me see the flaw in my train of thought.

If I put fresh roasted beans in a sealed jar with a very small hole in the lid, does the degassing not force a positive air flow out of the hole? My thinking is that if positive force (CO2) is making its way out... then oxygen can't be coming back in. After 24 hrs, when the degassing slows, couldn't I just transfer the beans to a sealed glass jar to lock the flavor.

I have been looking for the valves to make some jars, but they are difficult to find. So I have been trying to think of alternatives. What's wrong in this theory as a substitute?

I know that if you don't think too good you shouldn't think too much, but I can't help myself. I just need more information.

Thanks,
Barry

bdbayer wrote:If I put fresh roasted beans in a sealed jar with a very small hole in the lid, does the degassing not force a positive air flow out of the hole? My thinking is that if positive force (CO2) is making its way out... then oxygen can't be coming back in. After 24 hrs, when the degassing slows, couldn't I just transfer the beans to a sealed glass jar to lock the flavor.

I have been looking for the valves to make some jars, but they are difficult to find. So I have been trying to think of alternatives. What's wrong in this theory as a substitute?

I know that if you don't think too good you shouldn't think too much, but I can't help myself. I just need more information.

You would have to ask Adolf Fick about his Second Law of Diffusion. Or buy some bags and cut the valves out.

Regards
Timo

bdbayer wrote:Please don't beat up on me, I've only been roasting for 2 weeks. In doing so I am learning, thinking, and thinking about learning. Sometimes I know I think too much, but help me see the flaw in my train of thought.

If I put fresh roasted beans in a sealed jar with a very small hole in the lid, does the degassing not force a positive air flow out of the hole? My thinking is that if positive force (CO2) is making its way out... then oxygen can't be coming back in. After 24 hrs, when the degassing slows, couldn't I just transfer the beans to a sealed glass jar to lock the flavor.

I have been looking for the valves to make some jars, but they are difficult to find. So I have been trying to think of alternatives. What's wrong in this theory as a substitute?

I know that if you don't think too good you shouldn't think too much, but I can't help myself. I just need more information.

Thanks,
Barry

Use the jar but skip the hole in the seal. I put my roasts in quart mason jars and keep them in the cabinet I store my greens in. Once a day I just loosen the ring, you get a quick PFSST and wonderful aroma. Tighten the ring back down and put back in the cabinet. After the second or third day there is no need to do it any longer and if you forget to do it for a day or two it is no big deal. Don't overcomplicate the process, it is just coffee. Keep your freshly roasted beans in a cool, dark location in an air tight container and all is well.

cannonfodder wrote: Don't overcomplicate the process, it is just coffee.

Right.

bdbayer wrote:I have been looking for the valves to make some jars, but they are difficult to find.

Barry, PM me your address and I'll post you some valves from old bags.... I've been tossing my bags of late, but I still have a good bit saved up.

Timo, haha.

jesawdy wrote:Barry, PM me your address and I'll post you some valves from old bags.... I've been tossing my bags of late, but I still have a good bit saved up.

I usually buy beans from Schomer in Seattle. They come in nice little reuseable 1/2 lb bags which I save until I'm overrun and then throw them away. If anyone wants any let me know.
Bill