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The Best Coffee Storage Canister
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- I remain pretty surprised about the tasting, and the differences not being particularly pronounced. Below are the links to the canisters and containers tested, and I'd love to hear people's thoughts on them.
This review is powered by my Patreon: / jameshoffmann
Fellow Atmos: geni.us/fellowatmos
Airscape: geni.us/airscape
CoffeeVac: geni.us/coffeevac
Ankomn: geni.us/ankomn
Vacuum Coffee Saver: geni.us/vacuumcoffeesaver
Miir: geni.us/miircoffeecanister
Prepara Evak: geni.us/preparaevak
Hario: geni.us/hariocanister
Oxo: geni.us/oxopopcoffee
Bodum: geni.us/bodumpresso
Friis: geni.us/friiscoffeevault
Links:
My Books:
The World Atlas of Coffee: geni.us/atlasofcoffee
The Best of Jimseven: geni.us/bestofjimseven
Limited Edition Merch: www.tenshundredsthousands.com
Instagram: / jimseven
Twitter: / jimseven
My glasses: bit.ly/boldlondon
My hair product of choice: geni.us/forthehair
Neewer Products I Use:
geni.us/neewer-C-stand
geni.us/neewersl60
geni.us/neewerslider
A few quick responses to recurring questions:
1. The containers were opened regularly during the six weeks to mimic daily usage. (As I said, six weeks is a long but I hoped it would help produce more dramatic results)
2. Why no control? A good question, with a two-part, dull answer:
- The coffee I used came from a 2kg bag so I could be confident it was the same roasting batch. I couldn’t reseal that batch. If I had used a retail type bag from that day I couldn’t be 100% sure it had come from exactly the same batch/blending session and it felt like introducing a variable.
- The bigger idea of the testing was to look at the impact of broad technologies. Most resealable bags would work like displacement containers - so they’d work well, but not quite as well as vacuum storage. However, the differences in taste would be pretty minor.
In the end my recommendations from each category as much reflect their taste impact as they do the broader experience of owning and using one. Hence I felt comfortable recommending the Airspace even though it wasn’t tested.
It'd be interesting to see how the plastics and rubber permeate the coffee. It'd also be interesting to see how the acidity reacts with the metal containers. Surely all these materials alter flavour in some way. What might a oak, manuka or maple wood storage container do to the flavour?
What about a resealable bag with the water immersion technique? Theoretically it should be the budget version of the vacuum canisters (just like your sieve + paper towel method with blade grinders as a proper grinder replacement). Much less comfortable to use, but in theory I don't see any reason why the result should be different.
There is another control case that I would be interested in seeing: a non-airtight container. I store mine in a '50s style tin on the countertop, but I try to use it within 10 days or so. It would be interesting to see the difference between that and a couple of the best performers in this test
I mean you definitely could use a bag sealer (those do exist) but okey
I had the Fellow canister for several months and it did not keep the seal. After several days of the canister sitting on my shelf I could take the top off without doing anything. I noticed that after I sealed it the seal would weaken after several days. I contacted Fellow and they said that was normal and supposed to happen. So I bought the Miir canister when it was on Kickstarter. I have the same issue with trying to seal it as you did, but it works. I wish the Fellow canister could maintain its seal for longer than a few days but within a day or two it begins to lose its seal. Thanks for this review!
This guy could be talking about different kinds of dust he found on his hallway floor today and I would still watch.
Right?? 🤣 Like, some of the things he reviews, there is a 0% chance I would ever buy, but I watch anyway
I checked the comments before playing the video and you just got me excited. I thought he would actually be talking about how the different kinds of dust in his hallway indicate different types of storage climate conditions.
Has he finally made the video about hallway dust? I would definitely watch it.
You guys need to socialise more 😂
I was bought a Fellow atoms base on his review. Maybe I did not know coffee as well as him. But I know atoms are definitely not a great coffee container. Not even close.
me, sipping my reheated coffee made from preground coffee that I store in a tupperware container: ah, interesting
😂😂😂
Saving money mode
I save my coffee with the paper bag it comes with and seal it with rubberband 🤣.
I’m guilty of reheating coffee too. Once my pot has been brewed (Technivorm) I immediately turn it off and remove the pot from the machine to cool quickly. I actually like the taste of the reheated stuff - deeper darkness with a hint of tar. Then again, I’m also guilty of adding cream (whipping cream) but no sugar.
I buy coffee in a top rated brulerie / roaster who was often ranked in the best, worldwide. It does not come cheap, the coffee is not acid, nor bitter. And my tiny plastic container, is doing wonders... Just cook the inside with 14° vinegar for few days to seal the molecules. then it acts like glass.
I would have loved to have seen a resealable bag and an open-air container or something to have been included in the test. Could be fun to see how much worth it would be to buy ANY for-coffee-crafted container of any kind versus just keeping the grounds in the bag or just keeping them in a place where some or a lot of air might come in contact with the beans.
Agreed I would like to see this too
In the comments he mentioned that it would be as good as a displacement device; not a good as a vacuum, but good enough to use
James, just as a suggestion, when you review so many products, it may be worthwhile to showcase their names in the video while you're summarizing the key take aways! One has to rewind to say, which was which. Or maybe keep them in the same frame as at say 5:50? Thanks as always for answering every darn question i could ultimately imagine! You rock! 🙊
i wonder how i'll completely ignore the teachings of this video and keep making boring cheap mediocre at best coffee this time
I'll do it by storing the beans in the bag they came in, and maybe using a bag clip on it if I'm feeling extravagent.
If anything, a lot of his videos prove going to extremes doesn't get you a whole lot further.
@@applec2400 the law of diminishing returns is a harsh mistress
@@BBB_025 yeah but she's sexy af
@Mike Strawson Yep. After a certain point, all you will get with hardware upgrades is benchmark upgrades - numbers that give overall performance a number that is easy to compare with previous benchmark numbers, but nothing noticeable in terms of daily use.
*stares at my bag of supermarket beans sealed with a clothes peg*
Lol.
😂😂
Stares at my bag of supermarket grounds rolled down without a clip
I just use the tab that comes with the bag. This video might just inspire me to get an actual coffee canister.
oof
My wife doesn’t understand me anymore after she saw me watching this video
did she understand you before it?
Haha
That made me laugh loudly! Thank you. : )
breadbutt - come to think of it.....no
@@teskio 🤣
I use brown beer bottles with vacuum wine stoppers, which works well, and there’s something rather satisfying about pouring coffee beans out of a glass bottle.
You're a genius, that's creativity!
👍👍👍
That's great recycling application !
Are they really vacuum stoppers or do they just seal really well
@@ty_tcm9509 Yes, you can buy them with a small pump. The sound of air being sucked in when you re-open tells you that the seal is good. There’ll still be some air in there. It’s only a partial vacuum.
As a newbie to the finer coffee world, I’d like to have seen a Control Batch... just the original coffee bag opened and closed and extra air manually squeezed out... seen just how much doing anything with any of these options actually accomplishes... haven said that, I’ve been looking at the fellows option myself... glad to know I was on the right track... thanks for the review!!!
"The backwards and forwards was not quite as nice"
- James Hoffmann
James "I have reasonably large hands" Hoffmann
txaggieaero woooooooooosh
We need a device which leverages a middle-out compression mechanism 😏
@@redmenace3921 That's an excellent idea! The drawback the evacuate ones have is that they would probably prove too fiddly if you are using several times a day.
A simple mechanism (such as found on wine bottle resealers) would be idea.
Hmmmmm.....
I think I see a project coming on
"My preference would be the Fellow"
I don’t think I’ve ever watched a more detailed and in-depth review of anything! The time and effort you must have put into this, along with your professionalism and expertise are all very impressive and much appreciated.
So sad that James didn't include the original 12oz coffee bags (both zip and gold) in this test.
I just love how James is like an overexcited dad with his child after school at the end of every video :D.
Did you enjoy your day?
Were the children nice to you?
Did you have P.E.?
Are you hungry?
How were your classes?
Was your lunch money enough?
Did Karen call the manager?
Have you bugged my house and heard those questions with my kids 😁
Think he would be far more interested in his coffee than his family.
Might be all that coffee he just drank ;)
I read this in his voice...
I bought an Airscape from my favourite local roaster at their recommendation and it works pretty well. They give a discount when I bring it in to get refilled, too, so it's pretty near paid for itself at this point. Like James says, I don't know if it's significantly better than a well-sealed bag, but it's durable and dark, and since the roaster will fill it directly (and will again post-Pandemic, I hope...) means I'm not generating a lot of plastic waste.
Ohh that's a super cool service! More companies should do this!
That's nice! I wish my roaster would do this.
That's a neat idea. I wonder if my local roaster would be interested in a scheme like that after the pandemic calms down.
Same scenario here, I’ve had the Airscape for apps. six years and it does a fine job of storage but then I buy beans every two weeks give or take so haven’t really noticed any issues.
I also have a CoffeeVac and it shares a similar performance to the Airscape, works just fine.
I’ve also experimented with true vacuum containers and with the frequent opening and resealing I just didn’t experience any advantage
If your roaster doesn't do a bulk refill...maybe ask them! I bet it would save them some money on packaging.
A method that I find works to keep the freshness longer is to store the coffees in smaller containers of maybe 100-200 grams each. The reason for this in my opinion is because you reduce the number of times each container is opened. With smaller containers, the container might only be opened 3-4 times as opposed to a larger container that might be opened 10-20 times which exposes it to fresh air each time.
@@user-lv7ph7hs7l Wait, stored....toast?
@@PhotonChief Yeah man, they also buy stored frozen water over there in good ol' USA. And canned bread.
@@user-lv7ph7hs7lYou dont just put bread in a toaster? Do you like reheat the toast?
This has genuinely blown my mind what
@@user-lv7ph7hs7l I think their confusion comes from the fact that in a lot of places, what you call toast is called white bread.
@@user-lv7ph7hs7l Well they were certainly confused lol.
When Hoffmann says "it's the most expensive" I expect several hundred pounds at a mininum. Was pleasantly surprised!
The depth at which you tested these was impressive. Appreciate all the details and time you put into this one (as always).
The level of care and thought put into this video was nothing short of outstanding. Well organized, clearly focused on the data, and it was very clear no company was pushing their product as superior. Really interesting and awesome video.
Love these videos, James' vast knowledge, keen scientific approach and impeccable delivery is always a pleasure to watch. And just as a shout-out to the channel & team as a whole, the whole production - such as the camerawork, lighting, editing and graphics - is simply 10/10. Keep up the great work!
Can we just appreciate the absurd lengths James goes to for us?
After years of using the Coffeevac, I can tell you: I have observed cracks in the bottom of the containers, eventually making them unusable. Remember, they're made of plastic, so they will have an "exipry date".
I have recently moved to the Airscape, for three reasons. 1. they will never have cracks, since they're stainless steel. 2. you can buy REPLACEMENT lids, both for the inner and the outer lid! 3. there's less air sealed in than with the Coffeevac.
Coll😮
James, great content as always! I actually bought the Fellow Atmos Canister after a bit of research, your review definitely influenced my decision.
I need to inform you that there seems to be an issue with the lid. The pumping mechanism is failing on my Atmos, it stopped functioning after only two weeks of use.
I've contacted the company and they replied that they recently identified an issue with the sealing component of the Atmos lids. In light of this discovery, they have stopped shipping the Atmos canisters until they can guarantee quality.
The good thing is that the Fellow company is aware of the issue and is transparent about it. They are also keen to send a new lid, once they fix the issue, but there is no ETA for that. Finally, they allow you to request a full refund.
Thanks for the info, good to know. I’ve literally today had the same issue on one I bought a few weeks ago. Only opened it around half dozen times and it no longer pulls vac.
It’s being returned to Amazon for a refund. Might try the beer bottle trick someone mentioned in the mean time.
@@bezza1404 I have problem with mine too
@@homeleexie I have a problem with mine too @James Hoffmann
Thanks for the incredible amount of time and effort that you must have gone through to get all this data. I immediately went online and ordered the Airscape.
I've had my Coffeevac for about two years and bought the Airscape for my parents as a gift quite recently. Good to know they seem like the ones for the job!
Watching anxiously after having just purchased the Fellow Atmos.
I got mine a few days ago and I couldn't agree with you more on this feeling. Just anxiously waiting to see if I made the right choice.
Same. My Fellow Atmos came yesterday and I was nervous for a moment.
it’s alright if you use the same one every day, the seal lasts that long, but it only lasts a couple days at best, never even close to a week for me. I have two and i seem to just go back to using my amber mason jars
I own three atmos's and they are great, they seal well, if you tighten them up a lot (more than when the dot drops) they shall remain sealed for a long time. They work great, they get the job done and I love them. Never going back to storing coffee without an atmos
So glad he made this before I bought anything.
As is usual with James, the beyond thorough systematic review and deconstruction is maddening - I love it!
I so appreciate the hard work that has gone into making this video! Great info ❤️
James, I really appreciated this test! I have a Fellow Atmos and I enjoy it. It isn’t a night and day difference, but it does seem to extend the “golden period” of the coffee by another week. Secondly, you absolutely can take the metal disc out of the top! You simply remove the rubber gasket and remove the metal piece and cloth thingy below it. I wouldn’t clean the cloth, but I have washed the metal disc.
Thank you for covering this. Im so happy i can barely contain myself.
I'm at the very beginning of my coffee journey and yet I'm watching this middle of the day. Hoffman is an addiction.
I have 2 large and 2 small Airscapes. 1 bronze, 2 black with logos and one retro red with logo. Have 3 coffees in each one and homemade granola in another. Love when coffeehouses have their logo on them. And will always buy more when I see one! ☕🙋♂️📖 And by the way I cut the bag label off with roast date and day opened date and tape it to the lid. Just works for me. Thanks for your videos James.
The dot popping up on the Atmos has quietly annoyed me to no end, it now makes sense, thank you!
missing a control.
Should have coffee exposed to the elements, in a beans original bag.
Would have been nice to hear the difference to the containers
Just any chance to make James taste bad coffee ;)
Ya I wanted to see the oldest and most popular coffee storage method, squeezing the air out of the bag you bought the coffee in.
Yep, my thoughts too. A resealable bag and a bag simply clipped shut would be great controls to add to this experiment!
@@__Razer Yep, squeeze the air out and roll up the opening. Works on everything from bread and chips all the way to coffee lol.
That control which is the original bag, is the best option as long as the bags have resealable ziplocs and beans are freshly roasted. Pouring the beans into canisters is the dumbest thing you can do to significantly reduce the freshness. You spent money on these to keep freshness and you pour the beans into the canister... what are people thinking..? Just leave the beans in the bag and finish it within 2-3 weeks.
Thank you for this... I ended up getting myself a CoffeeVac, even though I hadn't even been thinking about my coffee storage. Why? Because you made me think about coffee storage. Because, as a household of one, the coffee consumption here is at such a slow rate that my coffee is going to be sitting around getting stale simply because I can't drink it all before it does, so getting better coffee storage makes sense, if I don't have to spend an arm and a leg on it. And the CoffeeVac looked like very good value for money in that regard. So thank you.
One thing I'll note with the vacuum coffee saver, it's part of the Vacu-Vin line of product and I have a set of the "corks". The pump does actually have a way to let you know if you've pumped enough as it will start to produce a metallic click when you try to draw more vacuum after it's done as much as it can
Also, to release the vacuum, just nudge the nubbin at the centre of the cork
Good eyes, I noticed that too :) I actually have their "instant marinator" which came with a slightly beefier pump that does not click - you can just go as far as your strength goes, and it works with the normal wine stoppers as well.
Very true
I love how I'm gonna watch this video and then continue to keep coffee in the little tin it comes in
Two things James:
1) How would the coffee kept in the packaging do?
2) I would never keep coffee for that long! Ha!
Agreed, need a control open air and possibly coffee stored in the factory bag
He does reference factory bags at least twice in the video, and says he'd just as soon use them over a canister. I expect the ziplock bags with a one-way air hole should, in theory, be sliiightly better than displacement (because the sides aren't solid so you can get more air out), and the roll-top bags would basically be sliiightly worse than displacement (because it's harder to get all the air out)? I do put mine in a second ziplock bag just in case tho, especially if it's roll top, since the plastic lining in those paper bags trends to be pretty thin and I don't trust the seal.
Your reviews are very helpful. educated us and helped save us time and money and especially we avoid the disappointment using "wrong" equipments/products.
Thanks a lot.
Extremely informative video! I'm glad someone went through the time and effort to evaluate these storage technologies. Since the difference in results are relatively small, the more significant factors in storing are IMO: 1) opacity so light doesn't accelerate the reaction to any remaining air, 2) fewer parts probably means more durability, 3) pick one that's easier to use (large hands and small openings are a pain). Thank you so much for this video!
When I started using my new Airscape canisters, I was surprised at how much longer my coffee retained good flavor. I especially noted how roasts I was familiar with had an extended “break-in” period-over 6 days-before they started peaking in flavor and no longer tasted grassy. Also, I highly recommend buying 2 small canisters instead of one large canister. I keep approx. 1/2 lb. in both, and avoid opening the second one until the first one is empty.
barkingburro: good idea. Personally a pound of beans doesn’t last long enough here. I do use the Airscape (comes in pretty colours too). Although I have most of a bag of flavoured beans (I’m not a fan but a visiting niece likes hazelnut) and what is left I vacuum sealed in 50 gram portions in a food saver and tossed into the freezer for next time.
Ugh, that makes total sense to have two! I only drink a cup or two a day. Thank you!
Your comment about having 2 instead of 1 container was all I needed to hear. Genius! Thank you. I have the large Airscape and will soon have 2 of them!
We like our Airscape, but have not tried any of the vacuum sealed options. I use large Airscapes for whole grain flour & find that it keeps much longer than an an ordinary airtight canister or Mason jar.
the return of james “i have reasonably large hands” hoffman
the largeness of my hands is completely reasonable.
Me when he said that 👁️👄👁️
🤣
James Hoffman on Tinder... I love coffee, travel, and I've got reasonably large hands ;)
Size matters.
Thank you for such an informative video!
I actually bought both the Miir container and the Fellow, and found that I gravitated towards the Miir out of convenience. To twist the Fellow tight every time I wanted to make coffee ended up being very cumbersome to me. I definitely appreciate the comments from others about storing batches of smaller coffee to reduce the amount of opening times which I never thought of. Thanks for all this great content!
After watching a few of your videos, I could successfully shortlist the coffee I'd like to buy, had a long discussion over it at local stores around me, and could order a batch online too alongside a suitable container. Fascinating how little things like a coffee ritual can affect a life! Thank you Mr. Hoffmann. :)
I appreciate the comment at the end about keeping the coffee in a resealable bag. My method is to leave the coffee in whatever bag it comes in, squeeze out as much air as possible, put that bag in a freezer gallon bag and again squeeze out as much air as possible.
I’m convinced that oxidation is more a function of free air exchange and less about total air-tightness
*me, storing my coffee beans in an airtight tupperware*
James: the fellow is probably the best
me: yeah, damn exactly, thought so too
If it's dark, not transparent, then it's ok.
@@antoniomendez4855 I doubt that applies to anything other than direct sunlight, which let's be honest, I doubt anyone does. It's not like people keep mason jars full of beans out on the window sill.
If you do use mason jars, you could vacuum seal in appropriate measurements for your preferred brew using the food saver jar sealer. No wasted plastic and you reuse the lids too so no waste. A can of spray paint will take care of sunlight coming through the glass. Now it won’t last forever. For me with one pound of coffee that would mean 7 jars sealed (you could easily keep two days worth without doing anything special). Only if you’ve got loads of time to fiddle away. I don’t do any of that though. An Aerscape canister or a plain steel tin with a wooden lid seems fine in the time it takes me to use it up - 9 mornings, if I don’t have company; which I do often.
@@antoniomendez4855 My beans are stored in transparent mason jars. In the cupboard, so in the dark.
Thanks James, another amazing review. I have Air scape the smaller size black color, I am very happy with results it really keep my coffee fresh longer than the normal bag especially when I want to drink two different coffee beans.
I absolutely love your videos Mr. Hoffmann! I have been taking my careful steps into the wonderful world of coffee, and have been enjoying your videos thus far!
I started off with the standard pre-ground coffee from Tim Hortons, brewed in the K-Cup Keurig machine I have from my college days. Now I have a little electric coffee grinder and a De'Longhi Dedica I got off kijiji a while back and have been having a lot of fun learning how to properly make espresso, and it is absolutely delicious! Haven't splurged yet and gotten any specialty beans or upgrade my espresso machine as of yet, but I'm excited to continue moving into the wonderful world of coffee.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge on coffee science! It is very much enjoyable to see!
Seeing something you own in these: "You can do it, I know you can. (please validate your existence on my shelf)"
Although I learn a lot from you, I am not nearly so fussy about coffee as you are.
Finally, a test that has a direct impact on my coffee life!
The reason vacuum-sealing did not result in significant outgassing is because after the initial purge of air those beans were never exposed to air again until shortly before use. Had you opened the container daily and re-established vacuum (as I would use such a container rather than inexpensive vacuum bags) you might have produced a different result.
Always interesting, informative, entertaining -- I enjoy your channel and I wish we lived at least in the same hemisphere so we could be friends IRL.
Which is the downfall of vacuum jars. Don't see the point of them
@@YunisRajab Maybe they're useful if you get 1kg of beans and want to store half of them in one of these for a while. Getting beans at a local brick store is pretty hard around here, and ordering half a kg makes them rather expensive as it adds 4-7 euros to an order (thus adding 8-14 euros to the kg price). Luckily most just come in half kg bags and there is seemingly little need for these.
I'll be honest I've tried all sorts of coffee beans and ready ground. With so many variables such as the water flavour etc, I find little differnce. I grind 200 grammes at a time and put it in a container. By the time I get to the bottom there is sod all difference and yes I have tested it against freshly ground. Haven't I just. I really do believe that there is so much hot air and snobbery around coffee it's all down to personal taste.
I think I cut something in the edit - these containers were opened reguarly during the six weeks to mimic usage.
@@jameshoffmann Oh good, I was concerned that hadn't been done and therefore didn't mimic usage. The one other thing I would have liked to see is using the original bag as a baseline in comparison to all these.
my partner has an airspace and she got me one recently. I love it. Very convenient and you trust it's keeping the air out. Great video as always
Good to see you still going during this time. Hope you are well senor James. Big love from Tasmania.
This was well thought out bar the missing control. If there is no discernible difference between storage in a bag or in a container then these products are less important.
Although it’s the only solution I’ve used, the airscape does do a fairly good job of increasing the “enjoyable” shelf life of coffee.
I also have an airscape and for at least 4 or so years. Coffee is good (we keep the beans for about a week to 10 days). Durable, washable and its biggest advantage-simplicity. My technology-challenged husband has no trouble with it (except occasionally not having beans and air extractor level).
Good video!! I really appreciate the comment about how the green ring disappeared in my fellow atmos. I thought that the lid might be defective and even Fellow replaced the lid sending me a new one from US to Spain. The green ring kept disappearing.
So in the end: happy with my fellow, congratulations to Fellow and its customers for the great service and congratulations to you, James, for your wonderful channel.
So proud to be one of your patreons and watching your videos!
James, this was really interesting. I have three cylindrical 'Vacuvin' vacuum jars that I bought, many years ago, from a Whittards high street store (I'd guess around 30 years ago!). I've used them for all manner of things, but primarily storing coffee, and found them to be very effective at extending storage life. The ones I have look a little easier to use than the vacuum jar you have, to release the pressure on the rubber valve, you just squeeze the sides of the rubber bung. It's also easy to judge when you hit the maximum evacuation, as you can tell from the feel of the pump. Another interesting element (given your video about freezing coffee) is if you have a large bag in the freezer, you can quickly pour out some into the vac jar, evacuate it and there's no condensation or moisture build up on the coffee, as you let it defrost. They were discontinued years ago, but it looks like the unit you tested is a spin-off: www.shopvacuvin.com/Tomorrows-Kitchen-Medium-Vacuum-Storage-Container-p/28733606.htm
Mine look like this: lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ACtC-3fWJp_-9viaUF6pzkrDHvSDQwlFKhPGUBd0UenB1kzFfmkj_xAUsSLs-cJfekenyEu6PYO2PU8OhvUUgfpk21eJmF5_9hcOSMigA5npUap_ky8PDTDlENibBlVxQLZwt1eKBlc6DnVNuroZlXbEGdBWYw=w958-h539-no?authuser=0
P.s. they're great for rapid marinading of food too!
As I watched this I realized that it wouldn’t change a darn thing about how I store coffee. I just like to hear James talk. :)
And how do you store your coffee out of curiosity??
@@mariosavva999 I do it all wrong. ;) Just store it in the bags. It still tastes good.
@@cynthiasymons lol same, I keep it in an old coffee tin, tastes OK to me :)
I've had an Airscape canister for almost two years now. I've been very happy with it. I've started ordering 2lbs at a time from a nearby roaster. I vac seal 1lb in the freezer, and keep the other 1lb in my Airscape. I haven't noticed any big changes between the last cup from the canister, and the first cup from the thawed freezer bag.
I have been doing pretty much the same as you have, SlipshodAverage. I have been vac sealing the beans destined for the freezer right in the bag they come in. Saw how the FoodSavers can be “tricked” into working with regular ziplock bags too but I don’t bother doing that with the coffee beans as it creates so much plastic waste. However, I do seal in glass Mason jars. I find the 8 ounce jelly jars hold the right amount (50 grams in my coffee maker) for each pot. My pantry is like a very cold fridge much of the year. Oh: using Mason jars, you can reuse the lids too.
I had the Escape container for a couple of years and I love the experience and the taste of it, I would recommend it! also easy to clean, just have to let it dry well before reusing it. Thank you as always for your great tips mate! cheers.
I'm the sole coffee drinker in my house and wanted to have separate containers for espresso beans and decaf beans since 16oz of each will last quite some time. I ordered two of the Fellows this morning. I appreciate the thorough review of all options!
I own a Coffe Vac. The valve that you mentioned is also an oneway check valve allowing the CO2 to escape. That might be why you liked that one better than the others in that category.
If the CO2 is able to 'escape' into the ambient air pressure, then not only is the vacuum gone, but the pressure of CO2 is higher than the local air pressure. Furthermore, the vacuum is not being restored. On the upside, CO2 isn't degrading your coffee...other than it is an indication of getting stale...
@@thePronto CoffeeVac is not "vacuum" system. But it is not very good name - making confusion.
When I open a new bag of coffee, I divide the coffees and put them into 4 oz mason jars, which are then placed inside a cabinet. That way, I minimize air contact and "agitation" without breaking the bank. The jars are also easily stackable/rearrangeable for tight spaces.
50g of beans always "just fits", so far in those jars. I found some narrow kitchen trays that keep my vertical stacks of four 4 oz jars in the door's bottom shelf. So up to 200g each of caf, decaf, and espresso.
This is my current method. What kind of lid do you use, plastic or the 2-piece metal kind?
My go to method also. By keeping the coffee far back in my cabinet and in the lower portion I keep light off the very inexpensive jars.
I have been using a fellow Atmos for over a year now and thought mine was broken. Constantly the green ring disappeared and I never knew why, thank you for providing answers! 🙌
Been using the Airscape for a couple of years and super happy with them. I have a few canisters and write the roaster and tasting notes in washable marker on the outside to help me keep track of things.
I’ve been thinking about getting the atmos, but I saw some reviews about it losing a vacuum after a few days. Thanks for the explanation about that being caused by the gasses releasing from the beans! I hadn’t thought about that, it makes a lot of sense!
Same reason I came here! Did you ever try it out?
It would have been cool to see him test the theory - like is it really off-gassing or a shoddy seal? I suppose if you used an esp32 with WiFi and CO2 sensor and solid state barometer one could determine how much off-gassing is happening and pressure change is happening to determine if it’s a bad seal or just gas released from beans.
One thing James didn’t take into account is the amount of coffee being stored. I have the airscape and, what I like about it is the fact that the volume inside the container is essentially variable. It works just as well with a small amount of coffee as with the larger amount of coffee because you can push the lid down until it contacts the coffee.
I have a Starbucks branded Airscapes I bought as my first coffee storage method and haven’t looked back since. I love the feel of the metal casing and hearing that suction as I pull up the “plunger” valve is quite satisfying.
I use a decently wide and simple container of the "just airtight" type, and I keep the coffee in the bag that I get it in, inside the container. I cut the top off the bag and then keep it closed using a plastic clip. That allows for minimizing the volume of air above the coffee, just like for the "second" category of container, but in a simple and cheap container. Double-sealed system (together with the container lid) and non-transparent because of the bag, for cheaper than a complicated solution.
I use very dark roasts, and I do notice a definite difference in smell when I open a new bag of beans compared to one that has been open for a while, but I haven't made any back-to-back tests like this. There have been other things that have impacted the coffee flavor more for me, and I'm glad to say that this channel has given me a lot of ideas and opened my mind to how to start going about making my coffee taste better!
Hi James! This is a small note but the date dial on the Friis container isn't actually for the coffee (but it could be!), its for keeping track of when you last put a new C02 filter in the lid, which in theory should be replaced each month, hence the 31 days
As a comparison I ran an experiment a while ago with vacuum seal bags.
Right after roasting I sealed 1oz of coffee in each of two small bags. One bag I left at room temperature. The second bag was immediately placed in the deep freezer.
Results:
The bag at room temperature was puffed out after just one day from off gassing and was ready to pop after a few days.
The second bag in the freezer maintained a perfect vacuum for weeks. I then took it out of the freezer and it did exactly what the first bag did. Puffed up after one day and ready to pop after a few days. So the freezer totally prevented off gassing.
So it seems that by putting freshly roasted coffee in vacuum bags and freezing you can have almost indefinite perfect storage with identical taste to the freshly roasted that wasn't frozen.
Note: I only do pour overs so I don't know what effect it would have on crema or other things in espresso.
Well done video which covers some of the science behind the effects of sunlight, CO2 and air on coffee beans, as well as the practical aspects of each container for daily use. The man jams in prevalent knowledge at just the right clip, keeping those questioning the need for a 16 minute video on coffee containers engaged to the end.
I needed this video about 6 weeks ago I bought a larger bag of coffee and needed to store it! I opted for Mason Jars because I had them lying about, but it’s nice to know air-tight bags will work just as well. I keep my coffee supplies in a cupboard so sunlight isn’t an issue
Another alternative to consider is using gas displacement. I've tried using many of the canisters you've reviewed here, and while I had best results with vacuum canisters, they're just too fiddly to use in the morning.
My alternative is to use an opaque one liter airtight canister, that I fill half way with coffee, roughly ~220 grams, which is enough for 5-10 days of espressos for me. I then fill the container with an ounce of carbon dioxide from a small tank, the sort sold to use with home soda machines, which holds ~14 ounces of gas. This is more than enough to repeatedly fill the one liter volume of the air tight canister. It's not a precision operation; since CO2 is heavier than air, as long as there's enough gas to cover the coffee, a gas barrier forms and oxidization is significantly reduced, and one ounce of CO2 is enough to displace a liter of air several times over.
A little air will get mixed in every time the lid is opened or coffee is scooped out from the top, but it's not significant when coffee only lives in the container for around a week. When I run out of coffee, I transfer a week's worth from the freezer, and shoot another ounce of gas into the canister.
I've also tried using argon gas displacement, which works as well as CO2, but there wasn't any discernible difference in taste, and recharging a small CO2 tank costs significantly less than having a tank charged with argon.
comment section VIP right here
I’ve had the coffeevac for years and I’m pretty content with it. It very well could be a placebo effect but it’s nice knowing my coffee is safe from light and is reasonably well sealed.
Same here. Glad to see it was a contender and did fairly well.
Just wanted to say, thank you for these videos. Im in quarantine and far away from my boyfriend right now and your videos keep me calm and remind me of my boyfriend cause he is a barista and a weeeird coffee person😂 and its the same with watching your videos, i dont understand a whole lot about coffee but i just love how passionate you guys talk about coffee😊💚
Got mine a few months ago for storing a green plant legal in my state.
After getting ridiculously good results with it keeping that product
fresh and tasting great, I got one for coffee (but the medium size) and
really like how it keeps coffee fresh. I used mason jars for both of
those products before and the Atmos has definitely shown a difference in
quality over time stored.
Hey James, I know this is an old video but wanted to give you another experiment you could do with these.
In the food packaging industry, part of the calculation for shelf life of dry goods includes weighing the food at certain intervals to see how much moisture it has taken up. If you were to design an experiment around weighing the beans before and after 6 weeks in each container, you should be able to see which system has the most integrity by seeing which one gained the least weight.
Not sure that a test would be necessary for that, its obvious that the vacuum sealed containers would perform the best because there is the least air in those containers. At the end, the most important thing is the taste and he already tested that.
@@gray_gogy That also depends on how leaky the vacuum canisters are. A poor vacuum seal means moisture will get in over time.
That experiment is highly dependent on the humidity at the place of storage. It will be very difficult to test.
@@iteese For long term storage of dried goods, I agree. So for green coffee beans a proper vacuum seal would be important. For roasted coffee not so much. My 1lb of roasted coffee doesn't last 2 weeks. Using a displacement system, even a resealable bag rolled up, is all that is required. It's also cheap. ;)
I’ve tried several canisters, but was never convinced they worked to extend freshness or flavor. I eventually just started using rubber straps to seal the coffee in the original foil-lined bags I purchased them in. When I pull out the beans for the day, I fold the bag over to remove as much air as possible, and then place a large rubber strap around the bag to keep it flat/sealed.
I just store my beans in my belly and boil myself when I want coffee.
Good information. Most of the micro-roasters I buy from have excellent bag designs and I like to display them on the counter in the coffee area. Good quality bags are inherently good displacement devices. I think high quality bags really add value. You convinced me that I am not losing anything--as I go though bags in 2-3 weeks.
James, this is awesome. I am slowly evolving my coffee setup and this is the first step (i have too much coffee due to not going through it fast enough before my next subscription shipment comes in);
This really helped me figure out how i can store the coffee in something other than the non-zip bags they came in where i am forced to use a clip.
Currently torn between Atmos and CoffeeVac
I use the Fellow and it’s been great. If you use the coffee daily it never looses pressure in my experience. I stick with one bag of coffee until used and I get a better cup at the end of the bag with the Fellow vs when I used just an airtight container.
I'm continuously surprised and impressed at the depth and thoughtfulness in your videos. You truly take the time to think through all the variables and explain your whole through process and give practical advice.
I'm also very fond of the way you talk about price ranges. You seem to have a great grasp on the fact that most of us are dealing with a few hundred dollars to spare, not thousands, and do not belittle the options we can get in that price range.
My favorite RUclipsr by far, even though I just started watching you. You really are a master of your craft and I'm very impressed by the content you produce, and what's more, the coffee I can now produce because of aforementioned content :)
Thank you!
I love, love, love how thorough these coffee tests are while at the same time, there is no claim of causation based on correlations. This is a great example of good science that provides helpful recommendations without falsifying reasoning.
Also my tl;dw: the resealable coffee bags are great, just use them. Or a mason jar. Unless you think the Fellow is pretty enough to spend some coin.
Fantastic video! I've been waiting for something like this, thank you!!
Hey James, great review! Next time around for a test like this, would you mind adding a control? I feel like it would have been a nice addition if you had tasted a regular bag of coffee beans that you had opened at the beginning of the 6 weeks.
Keep up the good work, I love your videos!
Totally agree with this. I would have really liked to have seen a regular zip bag of the same coffee tested along with the others. Otherwise great video as always.
I was curious about this as well!
I was also was wondering about how the ratio of air to coffee impacted the results. A smaller container would have less air in it, and so maybe wouldn't stale as quickly?
Waiting for James to reveal that he carries the beans in his "fairly large hands" until they're ready for use. Fourth-wave coffee type stuff.
I use the Fellow containers and I find them amazing, although I did purchase a glass model in which I do see a slight difference in taste over longer periods. It's nothing to dramatic but i hide it from the sun lol. My brother has recently got into fresh coffee though, I came here for advice, and i reckon I'll get him the Airspace, for the simple fact he can buy in bulk and see how much coffee he has left via the level of the inner lid, without removing the top piece.
Thankyou for your videos James. As a few others have said you include amazing detail and work hard to give accurate, non biased reviews. As a self taught coffee lover, you're a great teacher
Such a great vlog! Thank you for making this particular video.
James, I would like to see you do a test to see if the vacuum storage does harm during the first few days by prematurely removing the CO2 and allowing oxygen to contact more surface area after grinding. Since fresh roasted coffee outgasses CO2, it would seem that repeatedly vacuuming out the CO2 would encourage oxidation of grinds. You would need to repeatedly open and seal the container, say, two or three times a day for two days. Then on the third day, let the just-ground coffee sit for one, two, and five minutes (three different trials). The control would be the same batch of coffee kept in its bag or an Airscape container that is unopened for two days. We want to see if there is some point at which enough CO2 remains in the control so as to produce good flavor after outgassing, compared to the vacuum treated coffee that has had more of its CO2 removed so that the grinds quickly stale after 1, 2, or 5 minutes.
Love that you did blind tasting! I'd go further and include two cups of each so we can see the variance in your judgements. IE how consistently you rank each pair similarly. Because you are all over the place, then you can't pick a clear winner, and if you are consistent, you can give more confident recommendations.
Thank you for the information, James! I appreciate the info! I can make my own informed decisions and not have to worry. Cheers!
Thanks for this James. I had the vacuvin vacuum pump one, but I single dose and felt my coffee was getting less and less intense due to pumping the air out every time. That may just be psychological, but certainly the aroma disappeared towards the end of a bag. I am getting on better with the Airscape.
I’ve been using the airscape for a few years now, and I’m extremely happy with it. It pulls the air out nicely and keep the beans super fresh for the two weeks it takes to deplete my bag’s worth. It’s very easy to clean as well!
Something that might be worth considering: how much water/humidity is lost from the beans stored in air-tight container vs vacuum-sealed. Although the beans are all supposed to be equal in weight for each test in the espresso section, perhaps the density of the beans are different due to how they are stored--and hence they behave different when ground wrt channelling?
I have had the coffeevac and airscape. Both great. I use the airscape in large 2lb form and transfer to a smaller coffeevac for a weekly supply.
I don't know why this didn't occur to me sooner, but this made me realize my vacuum sealer has a hose attachment for use with containers. Looks like I finally have a use for it! As you said in your video on freezing it seemed wasteful to use bags for coffee, but this seems like the perfect solution and should make a better vacuum than any of these containers. Thanks Mr. Hoffmann!
P.S. As someone who works in a research lab, there's no such thing as a 'perfect' vacuum, even in space ;)
Just watching this to justify my Fellow addiction. Love how aesthetic, simple and minimalist all their products are!
Are you by any chance planning on reviewing the Ode Brew Grinder as well?
From the Ankomn product page you linked:
"In every lid you can find a silicon indicator, this sinks down when there is a vacuum present, so you always know at a glance. "
That's true, Ankomn has an similar indicator like Fellow - in fellow its a green line, in Ankomn its the rubber valve which is sucked inside while vacuum.
3:36 i just wanna say that i DEEPLY respect the amount of work you go to for these things. even just brewing 10 cups of coffee feels near overwhelming. not to mention sourcing all the containers, getting the beans ready, storing them for an extended time, and the methodical way you go about everything. i live for your comparisons! so good! so helpful! such science! lol. that's why you dipping into food AT ALL was so fascinating (like with the tiramisu).
i've only seen one other guy on YT have this method. Ethan Chlebowski (first one i saw was canned tomatoes and if san marzanos are really worth it. but he had another testing diff types of flour for pizza dough, which is best, or what the actual diff in results was, so you could decide your own preference.)
anyway, just want to say, thank you for your service!
i'm hoping you do an updated espresso machine line up vid, since you just did the grinders again recently. the $100 and $500 groups. i'm sure a lot is different now that it's been 3yrs. (just looked up the date stamps on those).
The little vacuum pump from the Vacuum coffee saver or any similar pump will also work with the standard valved ziplock sealable coffee bags the beans come in.
You can easily remove most of the air prior to sealing, then pump out the remainder through the one way valve.
The bag also pulls tight against the beans letting you know you still have vacuum.