storing after roasting and before using...

ArabBeaker

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Sep 19, 2008
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New Zealand
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I'm new to roasting and enjoying the ride very much. After I roast, I'm cooling the beans down fast in a little mesh screen I put together on Saturday. It seems to work well. Then the cool beans go into an airtight container. I know this is not recommended, so what I've been doing is to open up the container a couple of times a day, singing a little lullaby to them, making sure they are cumfy and shuting the lid again.

Am I doing enough to release the CO2 ?

What is the absolute best way to treat/store freshly roasted beans during this CO2 venting period ?
Thanks. Arab.
 
Hey Arab. I would suggest as you progress look at some other ways of degassing your vauable roasted treasures. Opening the lid does let the CO2 out, but of course it also lets in O2...which once in will be detrimental to your beans. Of course one of the beauties of home roasting is the volume is relatively small, so you can quickly get through what you have produced. I would recommend either buying a sealer and some bags fitted with valves, or (as a South African Homeroaster friend of mine did), use a beer flaggon for storage and put a home brew water release valve on top. You have probably seen the old home brew kits- its the plastis bit with a cork that plugs the brewing beer, lets the gas out but no 02 in
 

shadow745

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Aug 15, 2005
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Central North Carolina
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I've tried a few different things over the last few years. I order from a local roaster (Counter Culture in Durham, NC) and I receive the beans 1 day after roasting. I let them sit in the cabinet (dark and cool) for at least 4-5 days until most of the CO2 has been released. I just leave them in the sealed bags they come in with the one-way valve. Then as I use them I squeeze the air out of the bags and put them in an airtight canister and pull the excess air out with a FoodSaver device. This seems to keep them fresher than any other method I've tried and I can usually get about 4 weeks out of them after the roast date. And this is for espresso only and at that 4 week point it is still quite drinkable. Not fantastic taste or texture, but OK. Later!
 

Davec

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Oct 18, 2006
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Old England (UK)
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My personal preference nowadays, is the Vacu Seal system, but I don't know if they are available where you are?

However, I do transfer the vacu sealed beans to a one way valve jar, when I finally unseal a pack ready for drinking, as it helps them loose some acidity as they react with oxygen in the air and produce CO2., otherwise this reaction happens when they are ground if they are taken straight from the vacu seal bags and they can have some extra acidity.
 
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