Whether you’ve purchased ground coffee or whole beans, coffee lovers know that the shelf life of coffee is important. How to open coffee bag is an important aspect of convenience as well as enjoying fresh coffee.
Every coffee drinker’s desire is to enjoy fresh coffee and knowing the functionality of a coffee bag is a great way to become familiar with that, along with other best ways to store coffee to maximize freshness.
Best Way to Store Coffee
How coffee is stored matters because it will make or break its freshness.
Below are our recommended methods to store your coffee depending on whether it’s already been opened.
Unopened Coffee Bag
The first option is storing an unopened coffee bag. If your coffee is still sealed in its original packaging, that’s the best place to leave it until you’re ready to use it.
Keeping it sealed will keep it in a controlled environment that will maintain the best freshness possible.
Your unopened bag of coffee should be stored in a cool, dark, dry location for the best results.
Opened Coffee Bag
The second option is storing an opened coffee bag.
Assuming you don’t use all your coffee beans or grounds in the initial brew, you’ll want to take care in properly storing the remainder for next time.
There are a couple of possibilities for storing coffee that’s been opened.
Airtight Glass Jars. For the best coffee, transfer opened coffee beans or coffee grounds to a sealed glass jar. Mason jars work well for this. Then place the jar in a cool, dark place.
Resealable Coffee Bag. If your coffee came in a resealable bag and you’ve opened it in such a way that it’s reusable, perhaps you’ll prefer to store your unused coffee in its original packaging.
For the best results, place coffee bag in a cool, dry location.
According to the National Coffee Association, it’s also valuable to only buy the quantity of coffee that you anticipate needing. This will help to keep your coffee from going stale before you use it.
How Long Does Coffee Last After You Open the Bag?
For the best results, you’ll want to use your coffee within 2-4 weeks from when it’s opened.
Coffee that sits around longer than that will tend to have compromised quality and freshness.
How Does a Coffee Bag Work?
A coffee bag is generally the original packaging for whole bean coffee as well as coffee grounds. And a coffee bag is specially designed to maximize freshness while the coffee is stored.
One of the most important aspects of a coffee bag is its one-way valve. This feature is valuable as the oxidation process takes place; it allows carbon dioxide gas to be released without allowing the external oxygen in.
The one-way valve works well whether the coffee is stored at room temperature or in a cooled climate such as inside the refrigerator.
You’ll not want to allow your coffee to have excessive exposure to sunlight.
Parts of a Coffee Bag
Let’s look at each of the specific parts of a coffee bag and how it’s specially designed to help keep the product fresh.
Top of the Bag
The top of the coffee bag contains a few important elements such as the top flap, top opening, and roast date.
The top flap is the portion of the top of the bag that generally contains the seal, the top opening, and in some cases the loop zippers.
It can be rolled down and pinched to be resealed to be stored for later use.
You can usually find the roast date stamped near the top of the bag. This is the date on which the coffee beans were processed and roasted.
Bag Seal
A resealable coffee bag as well as non-resealable bag contains the bag seal. It usually includes the tin tie.
The tin tie includes wire ties that allow the bag to be pinched shut once again after it’s opened.
Resealable coffee packaging is handy because it conveniently allows unused coffee to be stored in resealable bags without having to be transferred to another airtight storage method.
One-Way Valve
The one-way valve is a plastic valve that’s strategically placed in the wall of a foil coffee bag. It contains a small hole that allows carbon dioxide gas to be released while keeping oxygen out.
The purpose of coffee bag valves is to maintain freshness while releasing gases which would otherwise build up and potentially cause the bag to burst.
Back of the Coffee Bag
The back of the package of coffee generally is industry standard and contains any pertinent ingredients as well as nutrition facts.
Types of Coffee Bag Packaging
The main types of coffee bags include flat bottom bags, quad seal bags, pillow bags, and doypack. We’ll describe the two most popular types below.
Flat Bottom Bag. A flat bottom bag is exactly as the name sounds. The bag has a flat bottom that allows the bag stand alone and makes it easy to display. It is a popular coffee bag style.
Quad Seal Bags. Quad seal bags are like the flat bottom bag in appearance, but the side of the bag is also sealed which give them a square look, rather than rounded sides like the flat bottom bag.
Quad seal bags are more expensive to make.
Coffee Bag Design
Coffee bag design is important because there has been much time devoted to keeping the coffee fresh. And that sealed bag does exactly that.
Whether your bag includes pocket zippers or is resealable by another means, there are different ways to store coffee including back in its original packaging as well as an airtight container.
How To Open a Sealed Coffee Bag
Below we’ve included a step-by-step guide for the best way to open a sealed coffee bag.
There is not necessarily a right way or wrong way. However, we’ll show you the easiest way possible. It’s a good idea to have a pair of scissors handy.
These 3 Quick Steps Will Help You Open Any Coffee Bag with Ease:
1 To open your new bag of coffee, begin by removing any tape that’s present on the top of the bag to help seal for freshness.
2 Next, use a pair of scissors and cut across the top of the bag on the marked line at the place of the seal.
3 Then, use your bare hands, on opposite sides of the bag to gently pull the bag apart.
Meanwhile, you can begin to prepare the hot water and be on your way to enjoying a fresh cup of coffee.
Why Coffee Bags Are So Hard to Open
Coffee bags that are purchased at the local grocery store or coffee shop tend to be challenging to open because they’re made from the best material, which is one of the best practices for keeping coffee fresh even in recyclable pouches.
Following our step-by-step guide for how to open a coffee bag above will help you open it with ease as well as allow you to store it back in its original packaging, which is one of the best coffee options for storage.
Here’s How to Re-seal A Coffee Bag After Opening
To reseal a coffee bag after opening it, press the two sides at the top of the bag together then use the metal clasps to fold over the side.
Next, fold the top of the bag over until you’ve created several folds. This will help to create an airtight coffee bag.
Air-tight containers are important for the freshness of the coffee and its shelf life.
What Happens If You Don’t Re-Seal A Coffee Bag?
Is not sealing a coffee bag after it’s been opened the end of the world? Probably not, but the quality coffee beans that you’ve purchased for your morning cup of joe will slowly begin to lose their freshness.
Whether you make a lot of coffee at home in your coffee machine, use your own coffee roaster, or have your favorite brew method down pat, resealing coffee in an airtight container or its original packaging will help maximize freshness.
Why Do Starbucks and Lavazza Store Coffee in Stronger Bags?
Starbucks and Lavazza branded coffee bags are stronger packages. They’re some of the top coffee bags and are made durable so that it’s practically impossible to just rip the bag opened.
They do this because they use specialized coffee systems that will ensure the quality of their coffee product and packaging is an important part of keeping that coffee fresh, so extra care is taken with the packaging.
The best way to open a Lavazza or Starbucks coffee bag is using a pair of scissors. The first thing you’ll want to do is remove the tape from the top of the bag. Then unroll the bag at the top and flatten it.
Next, use your scissors to cut across the line.
The most convenient way to finish opening the flexible packaging is to gently use your hands, grasping each side of the bag and slowly pull it apart, being careful not to rip the bag or allow the contents to go flying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are frequently asked questions that relate to how to open coffee bags. If you have a question that’s not answered here, feel free to drop it to us in the comments box below and we’ll be happy to respond to it.
How do you open a coffee bag seal?
Most prepackaged coffee bags are made with an airtight seal. The type of seal varies as some bags are made with a heat seal and others use a glue seal, depending on the brand and packaging type.
The easiest way to open a coffee bag’s seal is to use a pair of scissors and cut just below the line at the top of the bag.
Then gently pull the bag open using your hands to grab either side and give it a firm but gentle tug.
What is the valve on coffee bags?
You might notice that coffee that’s purchased in grocery stores or even coffee shops has a valve on the bag.
The valve serves a purpose which is to allow the coffee beans and grounds the ability to degas.
Chances are, before you brew your cup of coffee, the coffee has been packaged in the bag for a long time and the coffee beans or grounds slowly release carbon dioxide (CO2) and other volatile gases.
This allows those gases to release through the one-way valve without coming into contact with the outside air.
Do you need a valve on a coffee bag?
You don’t want your coffee to taste like old coffee before you even get to open the bag. Nor do you want the bag to explode or tear due to the buildup of gases resulting from the roasting process.
Whether you like dark roast or medium roasts, the roast level doesn’t really matter.
The thing that matters is that your coffee bag includes a one-way valve to allow the gases to be released without letting any moisture or oxygen into the bag which would allow the coffee to go stale.
How do you open a vacuum sealed coffee container?
The easy way to open a vacuum sealed coffee container is to use a pair of scissors and carefully cut across the top of the bag right under the seal.
If the coffee is not fully used at this point, the remaining portion should be stored in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container in a cool, dry location.
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