For those who recommend vacuum sealing, is there a particular brand or machine you use?

I'm looking at some FoodSaver machines on Amazon. Some folks are complaining that the vacuum's not sealing out all the air. Certain models seem to be better at sealing out the air...

Also, I noticed most of the folks here prefer to seal their coffee in a jar. Why not in a bag?

I'm thinking of going this route for freshness sake... I didn't have much of a problem when I was buying Intelligentsia beans, 'cause they seal their beans pretty nicely, and the roast date's never more than 3 days old.

However I've been going to Cafecito Organico recently, 'cause it's closer to my area, and it's just more convenient - no long lines. The only problem is, they don't seem to roast their beans very often. Sometimes the roast date is a week old. I've also seen roast dates on some bags that were 2+ weeks old, which is unforgivable. To compound the staleness, they don't seal their bags...

The most common objection I've seen about using plastic bags instead of glass jars is that the former may impart flavors (or worse) to the beans over time.

FWIW, my current sense -- based on anecdotal evidence here and elsewhere -- is that unless one is going to keep roasted beans frozen for more than 6 months, the advantages of vacuum packing, if any, are extremely small. It would be interesting to have the results of double blind testing to see to what extent this is true.

Balthazar_B wrote:The most common objection I've seen about using plastic bags instead of glass jars is that the former may impart flavors (or worse) to the beans over time.

FWIW, my current sense -- based on anecdotal evidence here and elsewhere -- is that unless one is going to keep roasted beans frozen for more than 6 months, the advantages of vacuum packing, if any, are extremely small. It would be interesting to have the results of double blind testing to see to what extent this is true.

Yeah, the reason why I'm considering a vacuum sealer, is because I was thinking of just buying a 5 lb bag that should last me around 3 months. Getting kinda tired of driving to a local roaster every other week...

As for bags vs jars, two things concern me when it comes to jars...

1. How tight is the vacuum seal on a jar? It's hard to measure it, because it's not visible to the naked eye. With a bag, you can see it crinkle before your eyes.

2. It appears that "Ball" jars are the most accessible mason jars on Amazon, but those reportedly have BPA... I don't get how and why companies continue to employ BPA in their products despite all the awareness that's been brought to the mainstream. I read the extra cost to use BPA-free materials is trivial.

I'd be concerned about BPA if I were canning foods at high temperatures and/or where the food was in contact with the plastic sealant, but one doesn't apply to freezing beans and the other can be avoided if one wishes. But do agree in principle that it shouldn't be there.

Sherman, what's the longest you keep your roasted coffee frozen?

I've got 5 lbs of Red Bird arriving in the next day or two, most of which I'll freeze up (and all of which should be gone by early February*) in mason jars sans vacuum. I'll report back on how it does. Unless I note a drop-off in quality I'll stay the course.

* I'm considering keeping one jar around for an additional 2-3 months just to see how the coffee does. I realize it can be difficult comparing two roastings of even the same espresso blend, but it will be interesting to compare two Red Bird samples, one frozen for a few months, one more or less fresh.

I don't think home vacuum packaging systems pull sufficient vacuum to abate oxidative staling. It takes very little oxygen to stale coffee. Spend your money on a better freezer.

barry wrote:I don't think home vacuum packaging systems pull sufficient vacuum to abate oxidative staling. It takes very little oxygen to stale coffee. Spend your money on a better freezer.

I see opinions like this posted regularly & they usually (always?) come from someone that doesn't own a good home vacuum machine. I never see any current facts to back this opinion up. I've been using Foodsaver vac baggers for many years to extend the freezer life of our garden produce & the bulk meats we buy. I've used it to do the same for the green & roasted coffee I freeze in our storage freezer for over 3 years now. I know from reading the freezing "studies" done on H-B & the information posted by those that use the canning jar method that I see a much slower staling rate with vac bagging/freezing. If I have a roasted blend that starts to peak 7 days post roast I'll freeze it on day 6 & that coffee will still be in that same window 2-3 months later if I haven't used it up by then.

As for the vacuum the machine pulls it will pop in the seal on a canning jar & lock the lid on as tight if not tighter then a boiling water processing. I usually let my home roasted coffees degas for a few days in a valve bag before freezing. If I drop the folded/clipped valve bag into a vac bag & seal it the machine will not only pull the vac bag down tight around the valve bag but it also draws the air out of the valve bag pulling it down tightly around the beans inside. If the machine was pulling any more of a vacuum it would pull the beans through the side of the bag.