jpender wrote:Does that mean you're turning valves and reading pressure gauges manually?

Not all valves require a twist It's fixed psi, so no gauge reading. Your options are purged/atmospheric pressure or purged+15psi.

I have a CFS and I have used a serious vacuum sealing machine (VP215) .
This conflicts with other opinions on here but I think all vacuum style preservation systems just kill roasted coffee.
Roasted coffee is like a can of coke and vacuum systems must be just sucking all that co2 out or something. Come at me bruh :p Whatever is happening, vacuumed coffee just tastes dead to me somehow.

Bottom line, if you care about "value" or "cash money" just stick with ball jars and a freezer. If you are insane, get a CFS. I'm perpetually comparing freezing vs CFS but can't seem to decide, so it must be close.

Illy had a recall on pressurized cans without safety valves in 2018 where the lids could fly up and hit you in the face while opening. No injuries were reported.

shawndo wrote:Come at me bruh :p

LOL!

Some people are using less serious vacuum machines so the problem that you perceived may not apply to them. I compared an inexpensive Foodsaver device with just closing the coffee bags up in ziplocks (in a freezer) and couldn't really tell the difference. The Foodsaver pulled a vacuum, as measured within the sealed bag, of just 21 inHg. So it's not the same as what you were doing.

There is that bit in the Illy book about vacuum packaging having a longer shelf life than, say, sealed bags with one-way valves, at room temperature. I don't know how strong a vacuum they pull for those bags. And the notion of "shelf life" might not be what you care about as a coffee connoisseur either.

Whatever works. The CFS system looks great but it's expensive and maybe not really necessary to enjoy coffee. I don't know. Maybe we're all missing out somehow by not owning one. I'll probably never know.

yakster wrote:Illy had a recall on pressurized cans without safety valves in 2018 where the lids could fly up and hit you in the face while opening. No injuries were reported.

I read about that earlier today. I had no idea there were supposed be valves. The few cans that I purchased in the past did not have them. They didn't explode or anything either.

jpender wrote: I read about that earlier today. I had no idea there were supposed be valves. The few cans that I purchased in the past did not have them. They didn't explode or anything either.

The ground coffee cans are also pressurized. You are supposed to make a hole to relieve the pressure before yanking on the can's pull tab.

Well, I don't buy these cans but sometimes the Illy collection cups come with them. Worthless for espresso - So I gave one to my brother-in-law who took it to the kitchen. Next I hear a "boom - whoosh" sound and out comes my in-law completely covered with coffee. It was hilarious!

Hoppers in a freezer directly feeding EK's at Proud Mary in Portland ... image from the Daily Coffee News article: https://dailycoffeenews.com/2019/11/14/ ... ak-quality

For pourover, they vac-pack and freeze individual servings.

Most often vac'ing (Foodsaver with jar lid attachment) into glass jars and into -5°F deep freeze keeps beans in tasty form. However I've found doing the same to most/all natural processed beans results in significantly compromised flavor, most notably the big fruit is diminished or gone altogether.

I bought a Coffee Freshness System with several 400 gram canisters, and use a 10lb external CO2 tank. The initial cost is high, but I look at it as a long term investment. It keeps coffee perfectly fresh much, much longer than any other method that I had tried. I had previously tried Airscape, vacuum sealing in bags or mason jars or special canisters, refrigeration, freezing, dark places, and any of these methods kept my beans or grounds fresh for only a few days. The system with extra canisters compares with the cost of a really good grinder. Now my only cost is coffee and a few cents per day for CO2. A unique and superlative product, but due to the price, not for everyone.

shawndo wrote:I have a CFS and I have used a serious vacuum sealing machine (VP215) .
This conflicts with other opinions on here but I think all vacuum style preservation systems just kill roasted coffee.
Roasted coffee is like a can of coke and vacuum systems must be just sucking all that co2 out or something. Come at me bruh :p Whatever is happening, vacuumed coffee just tastes dead to me somehow.

Bottom line, if you care about "value" or "cash money" just stick with ball jars and a freezer. If you are insane, get a CFS. I'm perpetually comparing freezing vs CFS but can't seem to decide, so it must be close.

I couldn't agree with you more. Vacuum sealing causes faster staling of the beans, in my experience. I bought the CFS System with a few extra 400g canisters and it works great! BTW I am not insane.