What is Digg?83 Comments
- rj118, on 05/19/2008, -6/+61*****' THING SUCKS
- TheCash, on 05/19/2008, -0/+31I thought Sharper Image went ***** up months ago.
- merdiesel, on 05/19/2008, -6/+26Did Yoda write the title for this?...
- WoundedCow, on 05/19/2008, -2/+17Shucks, that ain't nothing, I once had a girlfriend who could suck a basketball through a firehose....now that's a vacuum.
And like bincoder said, coffee doesn't stick around long enough to oxidize here...it goes straight into the I.V. bag then into my vein. - DjBlic, on 05/19/2008, -1/+11I thought Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy?
- encrypteduser, on 05/19/2008, -0/+8yep, they filed chapter 11. http://www.reuters.com/article/hotStocksNews/idUSW ...
- charlietuna, on 05/19/2008, -0/+8Spam
- BillDoE, on 05/19/2008, -0/+8Good place to store nugs?
- yunus, on 05/19/2008, -0/+7I suggest not buying anything from The Sharper Image. First off buying it online means you pay before you have the goods in your hand. With their past activities of declaring bankruptcy you may never see what you pay for and might have trouble getting your money back. Second I will never buy anything from them as they suspended all gift cards to their store.(dont know if they work again) They screwed over or attempted to screw over many customers and all I can do to pay them back is not buy from them and ask others to do the same.
- yunus, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5Their new coffee vacuum will turn around the company.
- betona, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5...which means you can probably buy the exact same thing somewhere else for about 20% less.
- SillyRabbits, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5I'm not even a coffee snob, but I've definitely noticed decreasing quality of coffee about a week after I open a bag of beans. I never used to notice when I used lots of cream, but now that cut the cream and only go with sugar - it's hard to ignore. I had been considering buying a vacuum bagger to divide up a bag once I opened it. Maybe this is a better option.
- reparsed, on 05/19/2008, -0/+5The darker the roast, the oilier the beans. An oily sheen on the bean has nothing to do with freshness, only degree of roast.
- j0hnk377y, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6People dying in rubble, gas prices through the roof, 18 year olds half way around the world being blown up....."Hey 40 bucks for a coffee fluffer seems like a decent price".
- saxreturns, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6I dugg you, only because you actually used that meme in a relevant way!
- ibeetle, on 05/19/2008, -1/+6Bean Vac- $40
Tupperware container -$10
And people wonder why Sharper Image is going out of business. - GiJoeBob, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4I've used this for over a year. It actually works great. I am the only coffee drinker in the house so we don't go through a pound like most households. A pound will last me about two weeks and this makes sure the last cup is as good as the first. Two ***** up from GIJoeBob.
- charlietuna, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4http://www.coffee-makers-cafe.com/coffee-bean-stor ...
Coffee Bean Storage & Freshness
How to Buy Fresh Beans and Keep them that Way
Updated Jan 2006
Many people new to coffee do not realise just how significant the taste difference is between coffee that is a week or two old, and fresh roasted coffee. It can be quite staggering and if you have ever tried coffee cupping, you will be convinced that buying fresh roasted beans and grinding them yourself is well worth the effort. Also well worth the effort is learning about coffee bean storage and the best ways to keep beans fresh..
Coffee Freshness is determined by the time since roasting, as opposed to when the beans were harvested. In the right conditions, coffee beans will keep for years until they are roasted. Once roasted however, the flavorsome coffee oils are brought to the surface of the bean and will deteriorate and rapidly become rancid. Also after roasting, coffee beans produce coffee gasses (mostly carbon dioxide) for a little over week, with most of the gasses being released in the first 2-3 days. Once the gasses have been completely released, the coffee is stale. The method of coffee bean storage you use can delay this deterioration.
The two main enemies of freshly roasted coffee are oxygen and moisture. In order to reduce moisture contact with the beans you should make sure your supplier uses air to cool the beans after roasting. Some suppliers will quench the beans with water to cool them. This is undesirable as it can leave residual moisture on the beans. In order to reduce the oxygen contact with the beans, suppliers should use nitrogen-flushed bags that are fitted with a one-way valve. Nitrogen is an inert gas, so it will not react with your coffee beans in any way. It is used to displace all the oxygen from the bag before it is sealed. The valve allows the coffee gasses from the roasted beans to escape from the bag without letting oxygen in. This is the best method of coffee bean storage because it keeps the beans dry and oxygen-free (at least until the bag is opened). Also, keeping your beans in a cool, dark place will counteract the negative effects of heat and light.
How to tell if Beans are Fresh
Freshness Test - You've just bought some beans from a new supplier and you're wondering whether they're as fresh as you were led to believe. If you're not sure, there's an easy way to tell. Just place a handful of the beans in a plastic bag, squeeze out all the air and seal the bag with a knot (or perhaps use a zip-lock bag). Leave the bag sealed until the next day. If the beans are freshly roasted, as you have been told, then the bag will be puffed up from the coffee gasses. If the beans are very freshly roasted, the bag may even burst. If, on the other hand, the bag remains flat, then the beans are not producing any more coffee gasses. This indicates that it has been over a week since the beans were roasted.
Other Freshness Indicators - here are some of the things you should look for when buying beans as signs that they are freshly roasted:
1. Minimal Surface Oil - (article update 31-Jan-2006)This article previously stated that freshly roasted beans will have a glossy shine due to the oils still sitting on the surface of the bean. This is actually not completely true. The amount of oil on the surface of freshly roasted beans depends on the degree of the roast. Light-to-medium roasts will appear matt and almost no oil will be apparent. Dark roasts will have tiny specks of oil on the surface of the bean… and the darker the roast, the more oil. If the beans are very shiny (wet-look), this is an almost certain sign that the beans are old. They are old enough for all the oils to have made their way to the bean’s surface. To confirm your suspicions, breathe in the aroma. A sour or cigarette-like aroma confirms the beans are stale. A wonderful, sweet toasted-caramel aroma proves the beans are delightfully fresh!
2. Wonderful Aroma - the aroma of freshly roasted beans is wonderfully thick and intense. If you can't smell the aroma of the beans wafting out from the shopping bag as you're driving home, then they aren't fresh.
3. Frothy Brew - known as the bloom, the coffee gasses released from freshly roasted beans will cause your brew to froth as you pour on the water.
4. Full Flavor - freshly roasted coffee will have a full, complete flavor. If your coffee tastes bland and lacks interest, then it is not fresh.
If you are looking to buy coffee beans online, Peet's delivers fresh coffee that is roasted to order. Try Peet's Coffee & Tea. Deep-roasted, delivered fresh, since 1966.
DOs and DON'Ts for Buying Fresh Beans
DO ask your retailer when the beans were roasted. If the retailer is selling from open bags or coffee bean storage bins, then don't accept any more than one or two days since roasting. If the retailer is selling beans in nitrogen injection packaging, then you can allow up to a week. Coffee has a generally accepted resting-period of 1-3 days after roasting. Ideally, it should spend this resting period in a nitrogen-flushed bag, as described above.
DO buy whole beans and grind them yourself at home.
DO beware of estate beans - these may have been sitting in the shop for quite some time due to their high price. Double check the date of roasting with the merchant.
DO buy smaller amounts of coffee more frequently. Buy as much as you would use in a week, on a weekly basis.
DO buy from a reputable retailer.
DON'T buy coffee in vacuum sealed bricks. In order to package coffee in brick-form, the coffee beans must be fully degassed before packing. This means the beans are already 'old' before they are packed.
DOs and DON'Ts for Coffee Bean Storage
DO store your beans in an air-tight, light-proof container. If you have a vacuum container, then use that. Otherwise, store the beans in the original vacuum bag.
DON'T store your beans in the refrigerator or freezer. Although the cooler temperature will slow the deterioration of the bean, it will not stop it. You are likely to notice the beans will absorb the smell of foods in the refrigerator. In addition, condensation forms on the beans each time you remove them from the cold. - nvisn, on 05/19/2008, -1/+5I love that expression.
- arizonabay, on 05/19/2008, -0/+4you mean: write it, he did
- rpad, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3This seems a bit excessive. A good air-tight jar should be fine for coffee fiends. It's also a lot cheaper and it doesn't consumer batteries.
- whoami76, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3Awesome! Let me use my $300 gift card to order one... oh wait....
- geauxtig3rs, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3No, there still are stores, just alot went out. This thing definitely isn't new though, i was a sharper image store manager from 2004-2005, we've had these things since then....
- skipstar127, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3And I suppose this stops all internal reactions that occur in the bean between the starches, fatty acids, and caramelized sugars that cause coffee to go stale? You know, it's the suppression of knowledge that keeps the coffee industry afloat. When's the last time you saw a 'roast on date' on coffee? Why do they all say 'fresh roasted'? Why do they all say 'hand crafted'? Why do they all say 'custom roasted'? Why do they all say 'small batch'? As soon as the public learns and realizes and demands 'to know', we'll begin to see a positive change in the industry. Until then my fellow coffeegeeks...
- aenima987, on 05/19/2008, -0/+3no dude, trust me, he's not lying :)
- peestandingup, on 05/19/2008, -2/+4I drink A LOT of coffee & I've started getting really serious about making quality coffee at home instead of paying the premium at the shops, especially these days since money is getting tighter. This should do nicely.
- DeFex, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Plastic container with a lid like a Tupperware container. 6 for $2, or free with sliced meat.
- WoundedCow, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2ex-wives were once girlfriends, right?
- zcreem, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2The world is told to reduce its energy consumption to help global warming, and what do they come up with, yet another labour saving device. This just plain sucks.
- jayb1rd, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Can I use this to store my weed?
- bigsteve, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Your mom's a bean vacuum.
- chromerium, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2The other solution is to buy smaller bags of beans and drink more coffee. That's what I do! I go through a bag of beans in a week or so. :)
- ladbroke, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2I knew you were lying as soon as you said, "I once had a girlfriend...."
- commenter01, on 05/19/2008, -1/+3And I'll explain why: Sucking all the air out of the container does indeed prevent some oxidation; however, it decreases drastically the vapor pressure required for the volatile aromatics in the coffee bean to evaporate. In other words, flavor compounds leach out of the coffee (and fly away once you open the tin), effectively canceling any benefits from vaccuum containment.
- reparsed, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2I think an oxygen absorber packet would accomplish the same thing, maybe even toss in a silica gel packet for the moisture.
- DeFex, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Order of sentence, reversed it is.
- Vanda, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Putting your coffee in the freezer draws out the oils in the coffee, destroying the taste. The best is in an air tight container in a dry place, like the back of a cupboard.
- inactive, on 05/19/2008, -0/+2Huh. Is Sharper Image still trying to win?
- MixMastaKooz, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1How about something like a nitrogen cartridge that fills the can with some good ol', non-reactive N?
- WoundedCow, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1That sounds like a visual you like to keep in your mind....I'm just sayin'...you want to swing that way, go ahead...not me...not that there's anything wrong with it, mind you...just not my life style...being straight is the way I was created...but if you were created otherwise..hey, that's on you....you go right ahead....ewww factor 7.25.
- AlKo, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1... yes, cause nothing says "sharp" more than a gadget that sucks beans.
- peterinjapan, on 05/20/2008, -0/+1Wow, that rules. Thanks for the most interesting comment I'll read all day.
- matthewf01, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1My boss gave me one of these as a 'condo-warming gift'... she knows my coffee obsession since I keep a french press and grinder at work.
But this bad boy at home keeps my roasted-that-day Costco coffee fresh and oily-lookin' :) - deviationer, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1hmmm I have been doing this with my food saver for awhile now.
- novemberdream07, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1but that doesn't solve the vacuum situation.
- glinsvad, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1It's true that taking coffee in and out of the freezer creates condensation on the beans, thus allowing oxidization. That's why you store it in an air tight container - in the freezer.
Some people claim the freezing process physically changes the structure of the flavor oils - chemically speaking, this is BS.
Anyway, freshly roasted bean coffee ordinarily has a shelf life of 5 days max, but freezing it doubles that.
FAQs of coffee storage:
http://www.querycat.com/faq/8ae2c60cba9fcb622e433e ... - skipstar127, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1I actually tried this. It slows staling but doesn't stop it. There are internal reactions that go on in the bean for weeks post roast. Mostly with starches breaking down into fatty acids and sucrose. Now, if we figured out how to stop the reactions, we'd be billionaires considering coffee is the second most traded commodity on the planet. ;)
- zcreem, on 05/19/2008, -0/+1No need to explain the joke then.
- snohman, on 05/21/2008, -0/+1what a waste...
-
Show 51 - 83 of 83 discussions
Check out the new & improved 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is