# Bean storage



## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

Have a few questions for you guys


How do you store your beans? I have heard freezing ruins the taste?

will my freshly roasted beans stay okay in my hopper? Or should I put beans in hopper in portions to keep them fresher?

Do you guys have subscriptions or do you buy when you need it? If you buy when you need then surely it's a case of buying 10 days before you actually need them to allow the new beans to rest? Surely problems will arise doing this?


Thanks all


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

1.THe whole freezing thing , depends who you ask . Lots of differing opinions. I occasionally freeze and defrost small amounts when i need. I personally feel they are never as good, but thats a subjective opinion, it beans debated endlessly on here and other forums. When i haven't got them in a hopper i store them in air tight jars tip i need them.

2.I keep about 200g in a hopper at most times, primarily coz its a big on demand grinder , it works better that way , and uses it to its best ability. Up to a day is ok for me in a hopper. Some people will single dose and keep airtight as much as they can.

3.Depends on how much you get through and what variety you want. I build in rest times now and order when i need, but i get through a fair bit of coffee in a week , plus i like to try different stuff a lot. I do though get 1 kg a month from from DSOL so a kind of subscription, and i have a local roaster in my town, where i can buy from at short notice.


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## danman2k (Aug 31, 2012)

only take out what you need for the day, no point in exposing the rest to oxygen while its waiting to be used. and buy coffee weekly for best results, try and think of storing coffee as you would bread, if you leave it out over night unwrapped, it will go stale, and stale after a while if even keep airtight after being opened for the first time.

i keep mine in a spring clip ceramic caddy with a rubber gasket, i was surprised at how it tasted even after 2 week in that, it was passable as a decent coffee.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

I roast my own. Keep it in valve bags while it is degassing and cannot personally taste any differences whatever in beans that I've kept in the freezer and those that I haven't!

DB


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Is anyone using these coffee bean vacuum storage cans yet?


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Glenn said:


> Is anyone using these coffee bean vacuum storage cans yet?


Oh no! Now you've become an enabler Glenn! I haven't tried one! Interesting concept though. Wonder if it really makes a difference! I have vacuum packed coffee for overseas trips but that was more for convenience.

Hmmmm. DB


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

David likes enablers


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## Nijntje (Oct 2, 2013)

Glenn said:


> Is anyone using these coffee bean vacuum storage cans yet?


They get mixed reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delonghi-5513290061-Vacuum-Coffee-Canister/dp/B0052CAZ2O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385501590&sr=8-2&keywords=delonghi+vacuum+storage

basically the same item...


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## Flibster (Aug 15, 2010)

Not used that one. I have used the Vacu Vin ones in the past.

They're ok for coffee that don't have ziplock and valves, but I'd rather just use one of the valve bags tbh.


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## ronsil (Mar 8, 2012)

I have something similar which I got from US.

The problem is always the same, continual opening & closing which does get to the beans.

If I'm not using the complete vacuum canister contents within a day of first opening I prefer to keep beans in small 80/100 gram containers & open as required to make 5 x 18 grams doses.


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Glenn said:


> Is anyone using these coffee bean vacuum storage cans yet?


I use one - The Delonghi version. I still keep my beans in a resealable one gas valve bag and just bung that in the container. When you close the lid air is dispelled mechanically to create a vacuum inside the container.

I don't know if it really makes much of a difference because that's what I've always done so have no benchmark to compare it to, also my beans don't normally hang around long enough. That said.... For me - psychologically it helps with the flavour


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

Do you store them in the vacuum box whilst letting them degas/rest after roasting?


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## CoffeeDoc (Dec 26, 2012)

I keep my beans in their bag, roll it up tight and then put an elastic band over the top, I have not yet managed to keep a bag long enough for me to taste any difference, but maybe that's my taste buds!

Paul


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Fevmeister said:


> Do you store them in the vacuum box whilst letting them degas/rest after roasting?


I don't roast, but I do put freshly roasted beans from the roasters in the container (sealed in the bag with one way valve). My view is that the beans can still degas as the container expels any air that's inside.

Every time you open the container and break the vacuum it reseals and re-vacuums when you close it. For me, during the day it's open and closed quite frequently - It remains sealed from the evening through to the following morning. I'm not sure if it helps the beans or not? Perhaps I'll try some tests with some beans in the container and some without to see if I can taste the difference.


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## Orangertange (Jul 4, 2013)

After doing a bit of research, and reading reviews on the tins, i ended getting a load of 100g ziplock bags with degassing valves from eBay,

pick buy 1kg of freshly roasted beans and decant them strait away, figure that as they degas they push all the oxygen out, , have tried sealing the valve and freezing them a few times, with mixed results, always seems to be something missing from the flavour after they defrost


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

I'm assuming for your post Daren that you single dose?

What would you do if you had an on demand grinder? Dump the whole bag of beans in the hopper then proceed til empty?


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

Fevmeister said:


> I'm assuming for your post Daren that you single dose?
> 
> What would you do if you had an on demand grinder? Dump the whole bag of beans in the hopper then proceed til empty?


Yes - single dose for me.

On demand grinders do function at there best with beans in the hopper as the weight helps provide the grind consistency. I think the optimum amount of beans required varies from model to model (and I'm sure someone will be along quickly to correct me). If I had* an on demand grinder I would probably empty the hopper if I wasn't going to be using it for a while. I don't know how easy, practical or worth doing it each evening would be? Really someone with that type of grinder would be best placed to answer.

* when I say "if I had" it should say "when I get". That's the next thing on my upgrade list!


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

I use a camera lens hood as a mini hopper with my RR55-OD because the hopper is frickin huge and there's no way I could get that into the kitchen, with the lens hood and the grinder throat I can get enough for 4-5 doubles and top up as required, unless its my last shot of the day and then topping up waits until the morning. It works consistently dose wise for me, I always weigh my 1st dose in the morning to check if the grinder needs much change, and then for the rest of the day just use the timed dose. I'm pretty sure the same holds true for any on demand grinder, just that the amount of beans needed will vary , as will the retention of the grinder. I have my single timed dose button set to 1.4 seconds and that always seems to clear the previous days retained grinds out of the chute and into the funnel.


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## Fevmeister (Oct 21, 2013)

what im after is an answer to whether an entire hopper (250-600g) of beans sat there until i have got through them (2 weeks) will go stale? or should i refil every few days or so to keep the beans in the hopper fresh?

what on demand grinders are you looking at daren?


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## coffeechap (Apr 5, 2012)

To be fair, most people that use od grinders, tend to put around 200 grams in them for a few days and they are good for that period, coffee deteriorates quickly once it is ground and should be fine in a hopper for a few days. A work around is to use less beans say 100 grams in a modified hopper, with a weight of some sort to aid with the grinding as on demand grinders require weight of bean to function correctly.


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

Guys, Please excuse the newbie question.

I'm getting a grinder tomorrow and have been told that it will take a lot of experimentation to get the hang of it. i was planning on getting a kilo of beans from Rave for this, but as i don't want to be shaking too much these will probably last a while. my plan was to get 4 of their valve bags and split the kilo into those and only open 1 at a time, grinding just what I need, keeping the rest fresh. Where is it best to keep my stash? How long should the beans be good for before going stale? Are any particular beans or blends easier/more forgiving for beginners to experiment on?


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## Charliej (Feb 25, 2012)

Expel as much air as possible from the bags once you have split the kg and sealed the bags, then keep them in a cool dark place. The question of how long beans last unground is kind of an open book, we have found through our Darker Side Of Life subscription "club" that some beans can be at their best rested for 14-21 days post roast, whereas conventional wisdom has said they need to degas and rest for maybe 5-6 days the use them fairly quickly, most Rave beans seem to benefit from a resting period of 7-14 days. Other Mignon owners will be best placed to advise you on how they use there's in terms of do they single dose or leave a few shots worth of beans in the hopper.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Dr Steve said:


> Guys, Please excuse the newbie question.
> 
> I'm getting a grinder tomorrow and have been told that it will take a lot of experimentation to get the hang of it. i was planning on getting a kilo of beans from Rave for this, but as i don't want to be shaking too much these will probably last a while. my plan was to get 4 of their valve bags and split the kilo into those and only open 1 at a time, grinding just what I need, keeping the rest fresh. Where is it best to keep my stash? How long should the beans be good for before going stale? Are any particular beans or blends easier/more forgiving for beginners to experiment on?


Shouldn't take too much experimentation to dial in your grinder. Main thing is to be systematic. Weigh your shot, tamp and time the extraction. Aim to get 1.5 times the dosage out. Adjust your grind incrementally until you are hitting that output and your grinder is dialled in for that bean. Remember though, as beans age, you may need to tweak your grind a bit. I use the resealable bags Rave sell and split a kilo into four packs. As long as your beans are not subjected to temperature extremes, they should be OK in a kitchen cupboard - or somewhere a little cooler - under the stairs perhaps?


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks guys,

The beans in bags will join the dogs in the garage then, and I'll keep one in the kitchen to drink/experiment on.

Is there any point putting the bags in a sealable box or is this overkill?


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Dr Steve said:


> Is there any point putting the bags in a sealable box or is this overkill?


Yes! Rave resealable bags are sufficient by themselves. They have a one way valve to allow beans to de-gas which is important and necessary.


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

Coffee flavoured dogs it is then. that should be an improvement in itself!


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## reneb (Nov 2, 2011)

Dr Steve said:


> Coffee flavoured dogs it is then. that should be an improvement in itself!


let's hope you don't end up with dog flavoured coffee









re beans in the mignon hopper, i tend to put about 100g in and top up as required as i don't single dose and you do need some weight above the beans for the grinder to work properly and consistently. if i'm not going to be using the grinder for a day or so i pour the beans out of the hopper into a resealable bag. can't say i've tested whether this makes a difference, but it just seems to make sense to me, and this is the advice glenn gave me a while back.

dialling in the grinder is fairly straightforward and won't take long. there are other threads on this somewhere, i'll see if i can find them and post a link.


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## Dr Steve (Nov 25, 2013)

I look forward to the link reneb.. there is just too much information here!

I was thinking of leaving a small supply in the hopper, enough for a day or 2 at the most, as from what i read this shouldn't let them get too stable. 15g a shot, 5 shots a day comes to 150g

I'll try not to grind the dogs, unless they eat the beans in which case the gloves come off.


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## reneb (Nov 2, 2011)

dr steve, very useful thread here posted by coffeechap on stripping down and rebuilding a mignon which includes some advice on dialling in:

http://coffeeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?10187-Stripping-and-rebuilding-a-mignon/page3

i've linked to the page where the discussion on dialling in begins. hope this helps. i'm sure there are other threads on this as well.


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## Olliehulla (Feb 26, 2013)

I just bought 3 glass storage jars from Ikea this weekend - 80p each - take about 250g each. Filled them up as much as I could and stuck them at the back of the cupboard, the rest of the 1kg bag went into the hopper - usually get through 250g every 3-4 days. Not noticed any degradation from having them in the hopper for that long.


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Glenn said:


> Is anyone using these coffee bean vacuum storage cans yet?


Well, I bit the bullet and bought one - mainly because BB had six quid off! It arrived yesterday so I put four brand new Duracells in today (it comes without!) and put some beans in. VERY, VERY disappointed that (with it set to auto (i.e. start the vacuum when you close the lid)) it seems to last about two hours before the vacuum indicator pops up indicating no vacuum!

I'm going to drop Claudette a line and see if anyone else has had problems. If I had seen it before I bought I would probably have left it alone. It does not have a quality feel to it!

David


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## Daren (Jan 16, 2012)

I've got the Delonghi version (I'm sure it's the same but rebadged). My vacuum indicator stays down for days if left. I take it the seal is clean around the lid David?


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Daren said:


> I've got the Delonghi version (I'm sure it's the same but rebadged). My vacuum indicator stays down for days if left. I take it the seal is clean around the lid David?


Yes. It seems to be. I've got it on a timer now to see how it lasts after wiping round the seal. We'll see!!!

DB


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## Yes Row (Jan 23, 2013)

I have added this to my Xmas pressie list

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000XTFQZM/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_gb?ie=UTF8

Just not sure if 1kg of beans will fit, if no good it can be returned


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

I think that your one would have been a better bet. Mine hold vacuum for just two hours. I've cleaned it again and I'm just doing a roast. I'll see if it is better with some beans in it otherwise it's going back to BB and I'll get the vacuvin one!

Disappointed in the BB one!!

DB


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