Silica gel + beans good? bad?

[hbuchtel]

I just wanted to get some educated opinions before I (possibly) ruin a jar of coffee beans.

What do you all think about using those little silica gel packets to keep beans dry and fresh?

Thanks in advance,

Henry

[shadowfax]

I would think sucking air from beans would make them degas and then ruin faster. I dunno though. You'd probably better make sure those are rated for food though, silica gel is extremely poisonous to ingest... And it smells utterly horrendous.

[HB]

Silca is a desiccant (drying agent); if the container is sealed in the first place, I don't see the need for it. Bob's writeup Storage of Roasted Beans to Maximize Flavor advocates a simple Mason jar and explains why it works (a pound of coffee beans divides nicely between six canning jars).

[scubadoo97]

My green beans are stored in our guest house sauna. It is way too humid out there so I have trays of silica kitty litter that helps keep the humidity down in the 60's. For roasted beans just use them up fast and there is no need to worry about storage issues.

[hbuchtel]

I'm in a very humid climate at the moment, about 80% humidity and raining several times a day.

I keep my beans in a well sealed glass jar but I've noticed after about 10 days of opening the jar once or twice a day they have a peculiar aroma about them . . . a very sharp, slightly unpleasant smell . . . difficult to describe. Although there is no moisture visable on the inside of the jar I am assuming it is the high humidity that is causing them to change in this way . . . but I'm not sure!

Henry

[malachi]

Back to my basic belief... if at all possible never buy more coffee than you can use in 4 days.

[hbuchtel]

heh heh . . maybe I'm asking this question on the wrong forum . . .

I should over to the "just found out that fresh-ground beans taste better" forums!

But thanks anyway for the replies, I'll post again when have some results.

Henry