How To Store Coffee Beans

This is my latest video on simplifying home espresso, and in this one, we're discussing coffee bean storage and how/why it can impact on dialing in.

Links:
Simplifying Espresso - Ratio

Links:

Current Gear:

I'm listing the current setup first that the pros are using, and then my original more budget setup.

Sennheiser MKH 60
Sanken Cos 11 Lavalier

My budget setup (prior to working with Brickoven):

Please note, affiliate links included above.

Timecodes:

0:00 Intro
0:26 The First Rule...
1:07 Coffee Storage Tick List
2:28 Fridge?
2:52 Freezer?
3:15 Hopper?
5:13 So where SHOULD we store coffee beans?
6:28 One final tip
6:58 Useless movie fact
7:22 Tatty Bye

#coffeebeans #coffeestorage #homebarista #coffee #coffeelover #coffeeaddict #espresso #coffeestorage #flatwhite #latte #coffeebeans #airscape #coffeevac #espressocoffee #coffeelife

[Toschez]

In defence of hoppers (of clear container variety), they are primarily meant to be used in a cafe where beans go quickly and you want to see how much left. They also look nice which is important for a cafe. So yeah, they are not meant to be a storage space.

[stillnessnmindelaine]

You tube algorithms are OFF! The quality of your videos are in the top 1-5%. Your follower count deserves to be in the high 6 figures. And you make me laugh whilst getting me to make better espresso.

[claudiozucchelli]

Totally agree about hopper storage leading to wild changes in espresso. Took me ages to figure it out! I think sunlight coming through a nearby window was the worst cause; changing the temperature in the hopper as the sun moved through the sky.

[MrsAnsah]

Life saver! Just got fresh roasted beans delivered 10 mins ago and had no idea if the air value on the packet was okay to leave them in or if I needed to find a better container. My coffee grinder hasn't arrived yet so this video just saved me from making the mistake of opening the packets and ruining my fresh beans ❤

[-Gunnarsson-]

I just bought a cheap vacuum container that comes with A manual pump. Removes air and moist. You can combine it with absorption bags also.

[pompeyexileuk]

I store my beans in the freezer. I have a work flow where from decanting 18g resealing the bag putting the bag back in the freezer and starting the grind in my Niche Zero takes about 30 seconds in total. I have also collected a few small empty herb jars with scew lids that hold 36g and often when I gat a bag of beans decant into those and freeze them so I'm not opening and closing a whole bag. Works a treat.

[savvysurveyor]

Great to see your subscriber count shoot up. Well deserved as you can tell the amount of planning involved and a few Gremlins along the way. Keep it going 👊🏼

[mikeh]

Hi Kev, thank you so much for a very useful video. On my Sage Barista Pro I had been filling my hopper with your delicious beans but I had multiple dialling in issues. Like you said I’d dial in and get it spot on then a short while later had to redial in again! I resisted kicking the machine but it has been so frustrating. I do not fill my hopper any more and use a steel sealed storage container. You have saved what little sanity I have, happy days!

[cinemapigeon]

I re-use a big coffee tin with a plastic lid. I'm not sure it's not perfect, but it's fairly air tight, and I store the beans in their bag inside the tin can, so there's some double packaging going on which I hope improves their freshness.

[frankweaver]

All you say is sensible and I already apply most of it. For the bean I currently use I know I need 21/22g of ground coffee so I put only that amount in the grinder.

[donnagoodson]

thankyou so much for this information. I've been keeping mine in my hopper on my grinder and wondering why it tastes so bad when I'm coming to the last beans. Obviously it's getting slowly worse as days go by. I will now invest in a airscape container.
As ever a very useful and full of great info video. thanks Kev

[ruslanvoitenko]

I buy 1 kilo, whole beans, normally Cosco. split between 4 vacuum bags. Open 1 bag, get 3 days worth beans, pump air out. Works well for me, $10 bags + good deal for beans + always fresh coffee

[moosemoose]

I have a couple of the Fellow Atmos canisters with the pump built in to the lid. I wondered if they might not last long, but I’ve had one for about three years and it still feels fine, so I’m happy to recommend. Airscape also seems v good. Thank you for another great video.

[ianwilson]

Nice well explained video.I live in Cyprus where, as you’d expect it’s very warm. My machine is an Oracle. The coffee is for me, usually one per day, sometimes two, plus the occasional drink for any visitors. I buy a 1kg bag of beans from my local roaster, which lasts 4-5 weeks. I divide that into 4 250g portions, and put 3 into vacuum sealed bags which are frozen and the remaining 250g goes into the Oracle hopper, so those beans are effectively exposed to heat etc for around 7 days.

I do notice that if I do 2 consecutive drinks, the second one will usually yield a bigger dose, based on what I’ve read I suspect this could be down to the heat in the grinder. I also think there is a fair bit of retention in the grinder, so the next day the first bit of the grind is ‘old’ coffee, so a quick grind of a couple of grams can help ensure the fresher beans in the hopper are ground.

As I’m learning, I think in future, if the grinder were to fail, I’d invest in a good single dose grinder and use the Oracle for extraction and steaming. I’d keep the storage regime the same but go for something like the AirScape - which I first heard about on a James Hoffman video, and dose the grinder from that.

[Sara-zylr]

I shared the video to my husband. This morning when he brought me my morning cuppa he said...I thought going too the cinema was expensive but after watching your video said he's now going to be £60 lighter 😆😂..Great video..explains a lot about the timing of our shots 😊👍.

[johne]

I use the original bags. I only put as much as I'm going to need into the hopper and I re-close by rolling the top down as far as possible and put a clothes-peg on it. If I'm careful I can get a scoop of coffee out of the bag without opening it very wide.

BTW, since the Airscape piston is going to suck in a lot of fresh O2 as you withdraw it, you could limit this by breathing into it as you do so. Just don't tell anybody.

[richardchipchase]

I ordered a Gaggia Anima which arrives tomorrow. I also ordered some of your coffee beans so this has been an ideal video to watch when it comes to storing them.

[testvalleycycling]

It is usually more economic to buy roasted coffee beans in 1 kg lots rather than smaller amount. As a sole coffee drinker, usually with several different beans on the go, a long term storage strategy is required. I buy 1 kg bags of beans roasted the day before and rest them for a week at room temperature to de-gas. Beans I intend to use over the next month I decant into 250 gram CO2 valve, resealable coffee bags. The remainder I double-seal under vacuum in 250 gram lots in heat-sealable, 15 x 25cm storage bags in the deep freezer. The bags are transparent, making it easy to include a typed label of their contents. The special storage bags are food grade, BPA-free and very cheap. Suitable vacuum food sealer machines can be bought online for little more than the price of a 1kg Airscape container. The bags retain their vacuum, and take much less space in the freezer than round containers. In the bags the beans pack like hard bricks, retaining their shape, and separating readily when the vacuum is released, ready for immediate use. This method protects the beans from light, air, humidity and room temperature and I have noted no deterioration in their quality after several months storage.

[L-M-MOfficial]

I love the term Coffee Botherers 😂 Love these videos, very informative and approachable 👍🏻

[AwesomeSauceShow]

Plastic temperature conduction coefficient is much lover than from steal, which is why you get silicon/plastic spatulas for cooking, so in this regard, plastic storage has an advantage over the one out of steal.