borisblank wrote:How does one vacuum seal a jar, at home? The "FoodSaver" device?

I'm sure this has been asked/answered elsewhere, but while we're at it: it seems that vacuum sealing should increase the rate at which gas is evicted from beans. Is that right? I'm sure "aging" is much more than just CO2 loss (oxidation, loss of volatile organics, etc.), but that seems to be the proxy for "aging" used by most, including in the discussion in this thread.

That question HAS been asked before and I was trying to find the link where I saw it discussed. To sum, if I recall correctly, there is no evidence that vacuum sealing accelerates aging by rapidly removing CO2. Some have argued for it, but people who are far more experienced and understand the taste of their coffee after every day it ages have said to the contrary. Freezing coffee beans under vacuum seal is the best way to extend its life.

I was told, for a home freezer setup, it likely will age 1 day per month under theee conditions. That's probably adequate for most people.

marlodmb wrote:I'll have to pick up some mason jars. Am I able to just throw the bag that they came in into the freezer? Just got 2 bags of hayes valley espresso today.

I've seen people do that and I'm sure it's acceptable. I think one the primary reasons people open and redistribute is to divvy up the larger quantity into smaller portions, so unused coffee stays frozen longer until required. And that is another reason to purchase larger 5lbs portions that are cheaper per unit and often have free freight.

seakuv wrote:I just opened two mason jars of Redbird espresso beans from my freezer last night. They were 5 days off roast when I put them in the freezer (that's about as good as it gets with shipping to Alaska). There was a very audible release of gas when I broke the seal on the lids from both of the jars - I'm certain that they continued to offgas even while stored in a -10F freezer. I don't do anything special to the jars or beans when I freeze them - just dump from the bag into the jars, put the lids on and then screw the rings down - no vacuum packing or anything. I like using the jars better than ziplock bags just because I really don't like the rigamorole of washing and drying bags for reuse - the pint jars I use are easy.

I always freeze the beans I get immediately, but they've always had at least 4-5 days of off-gassing on the trip north, so I can't answer question #1 with any certitude.

The process works well for me and I believe does a good job of keeping my beans fresh. I usually buy 3-5 lbs at a time, and order about once a month, so I'm not storing them for a long time.

I freeze my RB beans in mason jars too. The sound when opening them is not release of CO2 pressure in mine. Freezing lowers the pressure of the residual air in the bottle, so the sound comes from air rushing in. If the sound is immediate when you unscrew the top's rim and the top center piece rises, you're getting gas out. But the top seal is held on by the lower pressure in the frozen bottle on mine, so I have to pry it off with my fingers (at which point the sound of gas exchange occurs). I too got a 5 lb bag last week - roasted on 1/16, arrived on 1/18.

BTW, not all mason jars are freezer safe. I buy the Ball jars with a blue "freezer safe" marking on the box label (12 to a box).

PS: for those who remember that I've been a La Colombe Nizza user for years, I ran out of beans a week early because I retired Dec 31 and started pulling morning shots. I decided to try a pound of Redbird espresso and couldn't believe how much I love it - very full mouth feel with classic taste, chocolate notes, no serious fruit or flowers. So I got a 5 lb bag and grind for my wife's drip too. She also loves it.

If you are going to freeze your coffee in the valve bag it ships in be sure to tape over the valve as they can stick open in the freezer. You might want to consider putting the valve bag in a large zip lock freezer bag.

="bluesman"
BTW, not all mason jars are freezer safe. I buy the Ball jars with a blue "freezer safe" marking on the box label (12 to a box).

No idea what the difference is aside from the label but I've been using the standard wide mouth jars in my freezer for years with no issues. Pint, quart & half gallon sizes.

We never noticed it before either. Maybe that label is new. I was walking toward checkout when I noticed the blue patch and "freezer safe" wording on the box last time I bought a dozen ( I make pickled eggs in them).

JohnB. wrote:No idea what the difference is aside from the label but I've been using the standard wide mouth jars in my freezer for years with no issues. Pint, quart & half gallon sizes.

Not sure about the US variety, but in Canada, our typical jars are from a company called Bernardin. They say that "All mason jars that have straight sides and no shoulders may be used for successful freezing"

So, perhaps if you're using wide mouth no shoulder jars, they're already appropriate for freezing?

I emailed Ball about the "freezer safe" label. We'll see what they have to say. They do state on their website that jars with straight sides work best for freezing. Only my pint jars have straight sides. The quart & half gallon sizes I use have shoulders. I'm guessing that straight sided jars would be better for freezing if the jars contain a liquid that could expand when frozen. This isn't an issue when storing coffee beans in the freezer.

I have Ball Jars that were reg, and ones that were marked "freezer safe".... been using both for years and no difference for freezing.

The straight sided jars are to be used for freezing high liquid content items as the contents will expand and potentially bust the shouldered jars. There is no issue with coffee beans. Furthermore there is no issue with shoulder jars as long as there is an adequate expansion volume above the nominal fill level and the shoulder to account for freezing expansion.