bean storage test

[namballe]

just did a bean storage test today. in Lima, it has been in the low 80's with 70% humidity. the beans i have in storage are in the parchment shell. last week i shelled 5 lbs. of beans to see what would happen after a week in a sealed container. i took a handful of previously shelled coffee, and took another handful of "just shelled", and the result is astonishing to say the least. there is obvious white areas on the week old beans, and they are also much softer. in conclusion, high humidity and heat will quickly destroy a green bean! pic on left is week old beans. pic on right is freshly shelled beans.

 

[Bardo]

Does the difference in look necessarily mean the bean is degraded for roasting? Have you tried roasting the two samples? Just curious.

 

[namballe]

hi Bardo, i have been doing a lot of research on this subject. was reading an article that states the cup profile as, "moldy/earthy" flavors. i will do a couple of roasts to see if there's a difference. although, after opening the container, it didn't smell moldy. still had a strong grassy smell.

 

[JumpinJakJava]

That is amazing after one week! I would never have thought is was possible, even in that climate.
Thanks for the research and posting here. Have you ever tried the GrainPro bags? GrainPro, Inc. | Experts in Ultra Hermetic? Solutions
They claim to keep current crop coffee preserved for 1 year. A rep for the company told me years ago,
"we cannot make bad coffee good, but we can preserve good coffee for a year".
I have a few bags, they have worked well for me. I store in a dry/cool/less lighted room.
Put the green in the Grainpro, then place them in the original jute bag.

There are a few more options. (1)Climate controlled storage room.
(2)Vacuum sealing.
Or perhaps the obvious,
a real challenge for your time table-----(3)shell, then roast immediately!

It will become like a grind then brew process.

 

[namballe]

That is amazing after one week! I would never have thought is was possible, even in that climate.
Thanks for the research and posting here. Have you ever tried the GrainPro bags? GrainPro, Inc. | Experts in Ultra Hermetic? Solutions
They claim to keep current crop coffee preserved for 1 year. A rep for the company told me years ago,
"we cannot make bad coffee good, but we can preserve good coffee for a year".
I have a few bags, they have worked well for me. I store in a dry/cool/less lighted room.
Put the green in the Grainpro, then place them in the original jute bag.

There are a few more options. (1)Climate controlled storage room.
(2)Vacuum sealing.
Or perhaps the obvious,
a real challenge for your time table-----(3)shell, then roast immediately!

It will become like a grind then brew process.

JJJ,
i have no climate control here, so i will just shell as needed, then roast. if you saw my other post how i store my beans, i'm using a 7 liter plastic bottle w/screw on lid. i would have thought it would have preserved the coffee better. maybe building up condensation on the inside. i will test for moisture.

 

[namballe]

moisture reading today was 10.3% which is very acceptable. so it's not taking on any added moisture and no condensation. when i 1st. purchased the beans, the meter gave a reading of 12%.

 

[namballe]

hopefully i found the problem! the room in which they were stored has 2 windows. between the hours of 3-4 p.m. the sun shines directly through the windows onto the containers. i have since moved everything to a small (150 sq. ft.), cool, dark concrete windowless room.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

I store my beans in cool, breezy, climate controlled room. I do not have special equipment or anything. I never ran into problem. NEver really compromised quality of the beans.