A very simple DIY hack to preserve coffee freshness in the hopper
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boren
- Posts: 1115
- Joined: 14 years ago
Leaving a large amount of beans in the hopper is a sure way to get stale coffee due to oxidation. This is the main reason I switched to single dosing, where I normally store vials of single doses in the freezer and just grind them without thawing. This has proved to be very effective solution, but it's also significantly more bother than simply leaving beans in the hopper and grinding on-demand.
With this in mind I think I found a simple way to get the convenience of on-demand grinding while maintaining beans freshness similar to single-dosing. The trick is to store the beans in way that prevents exposure to most of the air (using an almost air-tight bag) and letting out just enough beans for short-term consumption, i.e. immediately or within the same day. This is what I do:
1. Put the beans in a small plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, then twist the bag and attach a clip to hold it in place.
2. Cut a hole in one of the opposite corners of the bag and lay it on the anti-popcorning dome (if your grinder has one). This block entry of air into the bag while it's left in the hopper.
3. Whenever you want to add a portion of beans for grinding, just lift the bag to let beans drop into the bottom of the hopper, then lay it down when done, and put back the hopper cover to further reduce exposure to new air. You may want to twist the top of the bag again to remove any extra air that may be left.
This is how the bottom of the hopper looks before and after the bag of beans is put inside it.
With this in mind I think I found a simple way to get the convenience of on-demand grinding while maintaining beans freshness similar to single-dosing. The trick is to store the beans in way that prevents exposure to most of the air (using an almost air-tight bag) and letting out just enough beans for short-term consumption, i.e. immediately or within the same day. This is what I do:
1. Put the beans in a small plastic bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, then twist the bag and attach a clip to hold it in place.
2. Cut a hole in one of the opposite corners of the bag and lay it on the anti-popcorning dome (if your grinder has one). This block entry of air into the bag while it's left in the hopper.
3. Whenever you want to add a portion of beans for grinding, just lift the bag to let beans drop into the bottom of the hopper, then lay it down when done, and put back the hopper cover to further reduce exposure to new air. You may want to twist the top of the bag again to remove any extra air that may be left.
This is how the bottom of the hopper looks before and after the bag of beans is put inside it.
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thecoffeefield
- Posts: 557
- Joined: 8 years ago
This is very smart. On my Super Jolly I removed the finger guard and glued a plastic cup in and put some stale beans around it to make it look full but only had enough beans in the inner plastic cup
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Campisi
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 2 years ago
Nice solution, I think! How long from roasting complete to stale beans when sitting in the hopper?
Runners, yeah we're different.
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Jjsaustin
- Posts: 53
- Joined: 7 years ago
I would think an easier solution would be to put a very compressible sponge (a little bit bigger than your hopper) inside a plastic bag and put that on top of your beans. The sponge stays out compressed and as you use the beans, the sponge will expand to fill the void and keep the air out. In the pic above I just used Saran wrap around a sponge I had laying around the house.
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boren (original poster)
- Posts: 1115
- Joined: 14 years ago
@thecoffeefield - can you share a picture of your setup?thecoffeefield wrote:This is very smart. On my Super Jolly I removed the finger guard and glued a plastic cup in and put some stale beans around it to make it look full but only had enough beans in the inner plastic cup
@Campisi - I'm not sure if that's what you're asking about, but if I just leave beans in the hopper I can taste degradation after only a few days. I haven't used the plastic bag solution for long enough, but so far so good. I think it's making a difference.
@Jjsaustin - that looks like a really good solution. I wonder if it might be a bit more exposed to fresh air that comes from the burrs area? In any case the amount is probably negligible.
Does the sponge stay at the bottom of the hopper if the amount of beans is low, or does it slide up because of the conical shape of the hopper? I wish they made the hopper shaped like a cylinder, so that it could fit an AirScape piston.
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Jjsaustin
- Posts: 53
- Joined: 7 years ago
The goal would be for the sponge/foam to expand down to fill the space as the beans drop down. So when the hopper is filled the foam is compressed to maybe 1 inch. As the beans gets used, the foam stays at the top, but expands down 4 or 5 inches. Thus no air gets in and the amount of air in contact with the beans is minimal.
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iploya
- Posts: 705
- Joined: 12 years ago
I used to place Saran wrap on top of the beans, then placed a stone drink coaster on top to weight it down. I am not sure how well it worked but it made me feel better.
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EvanOz85
- Posts: 718
- Joined: 12 years ago
None of these "hacks" will achieve any noticeable results. If there is a hole in the bag, then there is fresh air getting into it. Grinders are not airtight. There is air entering the grinder from the exit chute, panels, buttons, etc. Especially on Sette of all things. Total waste of time.
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iploya
- Posts: 705
- Joined: 12 years ago
True, it is not air tight, but the surface area exposed to air must be reduced significantly. Plus, reducing or blocking airflow through the beans between the chute and hopper lid. Could be enough to make a difference if you go through your hopper in 2-3 days. Just my guess, obviously haven't tested.
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Jjsaustin
- Posts: 53
- Joined: 7 years ago
I would tend to agree with you... Less exposure should be better.
Maybe a simple analogy is a box of cereal is not air tight when it is sitting on the shelf in the store or after when you take it home and you open the bag. The cereal can stay fresher by rolling up the bag and taking out the extra air after each use. However if you just open up the bag and never close it until the cereal is gone, it will go stale quickly.
Maybe a simple analogy is a box of cereal is not air tight when it is sitting on the shelf in the store or after when you take it home and you open the bag. The cereal can stay fresher by rolling up the bag and taking out the extra air after each use. However if you just open up the bag and never close it until the cereal is gone, it will go stale quickly.
