Vacuum Sealing Coffee for Freshness
If you’re like me and you want to make a high quality cup of coffee, then whole bean, fresh ground coffee is a must. One of the problems with brewing a high quality cup of coffee is that it can start to get expensive. To keep costs low and quality high, I started buying my beans in bulk, usually 5 lbs at a time, and then vacuum sealing them in quart mason jars for freshness. I’ve cut my cost for high quality beans to about $5 USD a week by buying in bulk and vacuum sealing.
How It Works
To get the best tasting cup of coffee, you need fresh roasted, high quality beans. The enemies of coffee freshness are air, moisture, heat, and light. Once you expose coffee beans or grounds to the air they start oxidizing. The process of oxidation is complex, and the different compounds in coffee react different ways, but simply put oxygen causes some of the best flavor and aroma compounds in coffee to break down in to things like acids and give your coffee a stale or bitter flavor. For further reading you can search for coffee oxidation, but be prepared to brew a cup of coffee because there is a lot to read.
The easiest way to prevent oxidation is vacuum sealing. This can be done at home in about 10 minutes, and the equipment to get started will cost you about $40 USD, and will pay for itself in about 6 months if you follow my instructions.
What You Need
- Food Saver Hand Held Vacuum Sealer
- Wide Mouth Jar Adapter
- 32 oz (quart) Wide Mouth Jars
- Coffee Beans (I really like Lava Java for drip and cold brew, and Kicking Horse 454 for espresso)
Instructions
- Buy your favorite coffee beans in bulk.
- Divide the beans into the 32 oz (quart) size mason jars.
- Put the lid on jar, but not the screw on part, and then put the wide mouth jar adapter on top of it. Be careful not to unseat the lid or you’ll have to do it again.
- Press the hand held vacuum sealer down firmly on the adapter to get a good seal, and then suck all the air out of the jar. It usually takes about 30 seconds to a minute depending on how much air is in the jar. If you are having trouble getting a good seal, use electrical tape to make a ring of tape around the top of the adapter.
- When done sucking the air out, remove the adapter, and verify that the air has been sucked out by tipping the jar upside down. The vacuum will hold the lid on.
- Screw on the rest of the jar lid to ensure that it wont come loose.
- Repeat until all your coffee is vacuum sealed.
Tips
- If you’re having trouble getting a good seal with the vacuum sealer and adapter, use electrical tape to make a ring of tape around the top of the adapter.
- Make sure to store your coffee on a cool, dark place.
Conclusion
In my experience 5 lbs of coffee beans will fill about 7 and a half 32 oz quart jars. I go through one jar a week, so 5 lbs lasts me about 2 months. I look for beans that cost 6 to 8 dollars a pound, and so I spend about 5 dollars a week on coffee beans. This is the cheapest way I know of to get really high quality coffee at home, and only having to buy once every 2 months is very convenient.
Buy Now
- Food Saver Hand Held Vacuum Sealer
- Wide Mouth Jar Adapter
- 32 oz (quart) Wide Mouth Jars
- Coffee Beans (I really like Lava Java for drip and cold brew, and Kicking Horse 454 for espresso)
