I only order 5lb bags as in my mind it saves on shipping footprint

250g or 12oz preferred for a new coffee. 1kg or 2 lbs for a daily driver I'm familiar with.

I usually buy 2lb/1kg, at least if there is a price savings over smaller bags. With 12oz bags, I feel like too much of the bag is spent trying to dial in my shots.

For those of you getting 2 lbs at a time, how are you keeping the beans fresh?

I actually have 2x 1lb Planetary Design coffee canister, but I eventually realized that without an active vacuum, it was useless. Beans sitting outside (12 oz lasts slightly less than three weeks for me) eventually got quite stale.

I've now resorted to taking out ~110 g each time and freezing the rest. Keeps the beans fresher for longer, but I've always have heard about potential issues from condensation.

e-chappy wrote:For those of you getting 2 lbs at a time, how are you keeping the beans fresh?

I weigh and repackage the beans into 250g/8oz portions, usually vacuum sealed, and then freeze them. It works well but it's kind of PITA and does take the beans out of their (hopefully well sealed) original packaging. If the price difference isn't too great I much prefer to simply buy 250g/8oz bags in the first place.

Just recently I bought 1kg of beans and discovered that getting a 1kg sized bag would only save me $4. So I bought 4x250g bags. Given the value of my time and the extra packaging I think I came out ahead. I wouldn't have tried this particular coffee in the first place if the roaster didn't offer 250g bags. Too often I buy a coffee based on a recommendation that I end up disliking.

I keep thinking: I should just roast my own coffee. Then I can use whatever sized container pleases me.

I prefer when roasters sell their beans in 1lb bags (I'm nodding at you, Third Coast Coffee in Austin ). The trend of roasters selling smaller 12oz or 300g (ish) bags can be annoying if you find a coffee that's a little more difficult to dial in. by the time you get it 'right', you're almost out of coffee.

If I buy larger quantities in bulk, I end up putting them in Mason jars in the freezer. When my hopper is almost empty, I just pull a jar out and let it defrost on the counter overnight so it's ready the next morning.

I'll have to re-think my storage situation a bit if my 78s ever ships. Maybe I'll just use a small airscape container or something similar.

e-chappy wrote:For those of you getting 2 lbs at a time, how are you keeping the beans fresh?

I guess it depends on how fast you use them. I probably go through 2lb+ a month, so for me it isn't a big deal; if I went through 4oz/week, I'd def either buy smaller bags, or individually vacuum seal and freeze smaller portions. That's what I do if I buy a 5lb bag, which I only do if I'm reasonably confident I'll like it as a daily driver. I use a chamber vacuum sealer and portion it out into 1lb bags and toss them in the freezer if that's the case. But most roasters don't offer a big discount for 5lb over 2lb, and often 2lb, or at least 2lb + a small bag of something interesting, is enough to hit free shipping, so I just do that whenever i'm down to about half a bag.

thanks for the responses

jpender wrote:I weigh and repackage the beans into 250g/8oz portions, usually vacuum sealed, and then freeze them. It works well but it's kind of PITA and does take the beans out of their (hopefully well sealed) original packaging. If the price difference isn't too great I much prefer to simply buy 250g/8oz bags in the first place.

Just recently I bought 1kg of beans and discovered that getting a 1kg sized bag would only save me $4. So I bought 4x250g bags. Given the value of my time and the extra packaging I think I came out ahead. I wouldn't have tried this particular coffee in the first place if the roaster didn't offer 250g bags. Too often I buy a coffee based on a recommendation that I end up disliking.

I keep thinking: I should just roast my own coffee. Then I can use whatever sized container pleases me.

My wife has indulged me with many other purchases I've made. I'm afraid that a roaster might be one of the few to which she says no.

Back in the day when I was stuck with buying roasted the only option for my use was 5 lb bags... anything less just didn't keep up with my typical use and wasn't worth the ridiculous shipping quite often encountered.

Almost always 2 pounds or 1 kg....mostly because this ends up quite a bit cheaper per ounce.

I prefer about 20 ounces per bag. Counter Culture does 24 ounce bags.