Vacuum Packaging for green coffee

[peterjschmidt]

Hey! Rose's PM worked! All is well here, just busier than I'd like and something had to give...

The vac-sealer I used was just a standard FoodSaver, Mr. Peaberry, so I don't know what their specs are.

I stopped vac-sealing, only because I got it through my thick skull that coffee, being an agricultural product, will have another harvest next year so there's no need to stock more than a year at the most.

I still think there's some value in the practice, with no downside other than the cost and time. If the beans are too moist to begin with, then I'd agree w/ WhyCoffee that it would trap that moisture in. But we're not dealing with beans that have that level of moisture are we?

I like that vac-seal bags have a very low permeability. For me, storing beans and roasting in my basement, humidity is the main enemy and w/ vac-sealed beans that was no longer an issue. Sucking out most of the oxygen should help w/ shelf life, but as I said above I no longer see the need to stock up on my favorites because there'll be another favorite next year.

I do like grain-pro a lot. But once a bag gets opened I leave it open and simply monitor and adjust my humidity levels w/ a dehumidifier.

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

Hey! Rose's PM worked! All is well here, just busier than I'd like and something had to give...

The vac-sealer I used was just a standard FoodSaver, Mr. Peaberry, so I don't know what their specs are.

I stopped vac-sealing, only because I got it through my thick skull that coffee, being an agricultural product, will have another harvest next year so there's no need to stock more than a year at the most.

I still think there's some value in the practice, with no downside other than the cost and time. If the beans are too moist to begin with, then I'd agree w/ WhyCoffee that it would trap that moisture in. But we're not dealing with beans that have that level of moisture are we?

I like that vac-seal bags have a very low permeability. For me, storing beans and roasting in my basement, humidity is the main enemy and w/ vac-sealed beans that was no longer an issue. Sucking out most of the oxygen should help w/ shelf life, but as I said above I no longer see the need to stock up on my favorites because there'll be another favorite next year.

I do like grain-pro a lot. But once a bag gets opened I leave it open and simply monitor and adjust my humidity levels w/ a dehumidifier.

Glad to see you're not taking the dirt nap, Peter! Seriously though...thanks for replying! I think one has to be processing quite a bit of greens in order to consider integrating vacuum packaging...or at least purchasing expensive beans such as those won at COE auctions as Alex suggests. I'm more into how to preserve roasted beans for storage via freezing. Degradation occurs at a much more rapid rate of course.

 

[topher]

There was a company in Costa Rica (the coffee source) back in 95 that vacuumed packed their coffee and put them in boxes. The selling point was storage. Boxes stacked great. I still talk to that rep who opened a brokerage a couple years later. He told me years later that in theory it was a great idea. He said that it was actually bad for the coffee. I am going to call him next week and have him explain why.

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

There was a company in Costa Rica (the coffee source) back in 95 that vacuumed packed their coffee and put them in boxes. The selling point was storage. Boxes stacked great. I still talk to that rep who opened a brokerage a couple years later. He told me years later that in theory it was a great idea. He said that it was actually bad for the coffee. I am going to call him next week and have him explain why.

You have my attention!

 

[calh]

+1 its great

 

[topher]

So what he said was that coffee is sensitive to moisture and require storage that allows circulation. If the coffee is packed too tightly condensation will build up within the container and cause them to deteriorate and rot..at this stage in the process the beans are basically alive so they need breathing room. He has been in the business forever and has actually shipped out coffee vacuum sealed and said it might look good on paper but its not.

 

[topher]

I understand what you are saying BIC...I just got a response to my email. Here is what he said.
"Well, perhaps I am wrong about being “alive”, but they need to breath or they get very funky. Just because they are at 11% moisture vs 22% does not necessarily mean they are dead, they just cant reproduce a tree.
Lastly, I do like possum stew"
Like I said earlier. I have no reason to buy vacuum sealed. What we do works. Then again we are not storing coffee. We blow through 120 bags a month and about to open 3 more stores...whoop whoop!

 

[topher]

lol...I stand corrected...my coffee is in jute as well as grainpro.

 

[topher]

lol...I stand corrected...my coffee is in jute as well as grainpro.

 

[Armani94]

Its Good One