I don't know if this sort of thing has ever been posted, but for those of you looking to store your roasts, this is an environmentally friendly method, that does not cost a bean

Obviously the coffee has to be packed within an hour or so after roasting. The article and how to make instructions is on my web site and is one of the "Espresso Lab" series I am writing, basically a set of idle musings. Enjoy!

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/coffeetime/_sgg/m2m6_1.htm

A picture of my first attempt below

I was just thinking about this last night as a way to use up old mason jars. Good idea!

Hah, I was actually planning on making some of these, same exact idea. Maybe I'll get around to it some time, Nice work.

DaveC wrote:I don't know if this sort of thing has ever been posted, but for those of you looking to store your roasts, this is an environmentally friendly method, that does not cost a bean

It's come up before, but not easily found... I searched under "mason jar valve" to find Reusing valve bags, do they wear out? and a few related threads under "coffee storage":

• Refrigerator or Freezer for Coffee Storage?
• Why coffee needs to ''rest'' before making espresso
• What is the latest on the storage of greens?
• Storage of Roasted Beans to Maximize Flavor

rudedog wrote:Not sure where I came up with this idea or whether it is something that has been done before.

I found that while I wanted to reuse my old coffee bags that once housed that precious fresh roast...
The plastic of those one way valve resealable coffee bags seemed to retain an awful lot of smell, and not always good.
Yes, I cleaned them but they just did not seem as easy to clean as a good old mason jar.

So with the help of a drill bit and a very old Dremel I was able to carve out a nice round hole in the lid of a mason jar.
I cut out the one way valve from the stinky bag and trimmed off any of the remaining plastic bag from the valve.
And with a little glue applied all around the underside lip of the valve pressed it on the lid.
In 24 hours the lid was ready to go on the jar and vent out gasses from the fresh roast.

Some other ideas are: tinted jars and or jar art. Yes, I found jar art for mason jars available on line.
Either of these options could shield those beans from light.
Also, jars are available in a larger size or wide-mouth and lids can be bought separately as well.

Sorry about the pic. That UFO looking disk on top of the jar is the one way valve.
After a few days, for espresso beans you can replace the vented lid with a regular one.
Can you tell I like this idea?

Ah...not heard of Mason jars, obviously an US specific thing

Your comment about Mason jars prompted me to look it up:

wikipedia wrote:John Landis Mason (1826 - February 1902) was a native of Philadelphia, a tinsmith and the patentee of the metal screw-on lid for fruit jars that have come to be known as Mason jars. Many such jars were printed with the line "Mason's Patent Nov 30th 1858".

...

The heyday for jars was probably 1860-1900, when an explosion of patents for various closures were issued, ranging from the effective to the absurd. The more absurd closures were quickly abandoned and often fetch high prices in today's market.

More...

I love trivia like this.

Well I don't want to really go off topic, BUT...in the UK we have something similar called a "Kilner Jar". You guessed it made by someone called Kilner. Looks very similar in some respects.

Kilner jar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A Kilner jar from no later than 1928 The open jar A modern "French Kilner" jarA Kilner jar is a rubber-sealed, screw-topped jar used for the storage of food, invented by the Kilner family and produced by John Kilner & Co, Yorkshire, England. Classically a glass plug with a rubber seal attached to it is placed in the top of the jar, the whole being secured with a metal screw-top lid. Contemporary "Kilner-style" jars usually have a lid made entirely of metal. Kilner jars are used for storing and preserving home-made jams, marmalades and other relishes. They are also used for pickling food such as eggs, onions and garlic.

Variants
Kilner Jars are often confused with a similar jar featuring a metal hinge and a rubber seal. In the UK, these are sometimes known as "French Kilner" jars.

History
Caleb Kilner created the concept of the jar, but it was not until his son John Kilner founded the John Kilner & Co glass company in 1842 that the jar was produced. Although enjoying commercial success, rival glass manufacturers were quick to create alternatives - and the Kilner family business (by then called Kilner Brothers Ltd) went bankrupt in 1937. The patents and trademarks of the Kilner Jar were sold to the United Glass Bottle Company in the same year, and Kilner jars are still produced today.

Trivia
British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson is the great-great-great-grandson of John Kilner.

But, enough of this frivolity; I think reusing jam jars and pickle/mayo jars is much "greener", plus they are free.

Hey, looks like we beat you to the patent

if you make the hole small enough you wont need glue. you can just press the valve into the hole. i used a socket wrench that fit over the valve and hammered the metal down around it. friction holds and seals it. i posted this on CG awhile back so i wont repost it here.

i do like the non-valved lids though.

it is nice to get that nice pop of freshness when you open the lid.

jon

LOL, I can tell you are in the UK. I don't know when I last saw a bottle of mincemeat in the USA.

I use a Mason jar or valve bag. I enjoy the 'PFFT' I get from a sealed jar. I just loosen the ring once a day and retighten. It is also a good way to tell when your beans have degassed, no more puffs, no more gas.

cannonfodder wrote:LOL, I can tell you are in the UK. I don't know when I last saw a bottle of mincemeat in the USA.

I use a Mason jar or valve bag. I enjoy the 'PFFT' I get from a sealed jar. I just loosen the ring once a day and retighten. It is also a good way to tell when your beans have degassed, no more puffs, no more gas.

My theory is: with no valve, as the jar pressurises the partial pressure of Oxygen rises within the jar, making whatever is in there far more reactive with the coffee (the reaction will tend to "go" faster). The valve is just to allow the CO2 to flush the O2 out of the jar, which I think is really important.

But hey...it's just a theory, certainly when I pack my roasts into valve bags, they do seem to stay fresher longer than any other way (apart from the jars I hope).

Mincemeat...really, you don't have it in the US, so what do you put in mince pies, I am sure I have had mince pies when I have visited the US?