Normally, you wouldn’t think anyone would need a manual to open a coffee bag, but some modern brands have made their coffee bags hard to open with your bare hands. Learning how to open a coffee bag can make all the difference between having a hot cup of coffee in the morning in seconds, or wasting a lot of coffee and time cleaning up the mess afterward.
Contents
How to Open a Coffee Bag
Understanding the functions of a coffee bag can help you open it with confidence. Each coffee bag is designed to be airtight so that the coffee beans inside it preserve their taste and aroma. Some even have a hole or a valve that helps the coffee retain its quality.
Opening a coffee bag isn’t that complicated, but it requires a bit of care on your part. Please don’t treat the bag roughly and refrain from opening it haphazardly. Instead, try and follow these steps to ensure you open the coffee bag in the right way:
- Inspect the coffee bag and see if there’s any tape securing the top in place.
- Once you locate the tape, gently unclasp it. Don’t remove the tape entirely.
- Let the tape remain partly stuck to the surface of the bag as it will come in handy later.
- Take a closer look, and you will inevitably find a dotted line or a guide as to where you need to make an incision.
- Once you see the line, proceed to make an incision with a pair of kitchen scissors.
- Take out as many coffee beans as you need and place them in an airtight jar.
- If you wish to reseal the bag, fold the top of the bag so that no air can enter.
- Use the tape to secure the folded top of the bag.
Benefits of Modern Coffee Bags
A myriad of benefits modern coffee bags brings your way. Here I have explained some:
Helps Maintain Dryness and Taste of Coffee
Modern packaging has revolutionized the way I can take care of edible items. Most coffee bags designed today are made to sustain the dryness and taste of the coffee bag. The bag is created to protect the coffee from unwanted moisture.
Preventing excess moisture from entering the bag has a meaningful impact on the coffee’s lifespan. The result is sweet and simple; the coffee remains in a condition that can keep you pleased for a long time.
Allows Proper Ventilation in Coffee
Modern coffee bags are designed in a way that allows the carbon dioxide to leave the bag without having to compromise on freshness.
Holes or valves in the coffee bags are the reason why ventilation is enabled in coffee bags. Oxygen can’t enter the bag and wreak havoc on the best coffee beans you have.
Enables You to Smell the Aroma if You Squeeze the Bag
Did you know that the holes in coffee bags are also referred to as ‘smell holes’? As the name suggests, you can have a whiff of the coffee’s aroma without opening the bag in its entirety.
All you are required to do is squeeze the bag slightly and position your bag below your face. There is a high chance you get a good smell of the beautiful coffee hiding within.
Tips for Storing Coffee Bags Once They’re Open
General guidelines for storing coffee bags once they’re opened include: placing them in a cool spot away from light sources. You can even consider storing them away in airtight jars. Your beloved coffee bags need to be held with care to ensure the coffee doesn’t lose its flavor or freshness.
Store Coffee Bags in a Cool Spot
Your coffee doesn’t tolerate heat well, so keep the coffee bag away from the obvious heat sources in the kitchen, such as the oven and the stove.
One of the worst things a person can do is keep their coffee bags near a warm spot. Consider storing them away in a cabinet where no heat source will meddle with the coffee.
Even the National Coffee Association of the U.S.A, states that air, moisture, heat, and light are not to be trusted around your best coffee beans.
Keep Them Away From Light
Light is your coffee bag’s enemy, so keep it in the dark place.
Coffee bags need to be placed in a location that doesn’t expose them to too much light. Any place near a stove or a windowsill is a big no. Keep your coffee in the dark unless you want it to lose out on its richness.
If you want to keep your coffee accessible on a counter, invest in thick, opaque canisters that block out any light from reaching the beans.
Seal Bags in an Airtight Box
Lastly, don’t ignore the situation if you feel like the coffee bag is too damaged. The flavor of coffee in an opened bag will start to fade in about two weeks and can be lost completely in four weeks.
In such a situation, the best thing you can do is shift the coffee beans or ground coffee into an airtight box. Doing so will protect the coffee without having to compromise on its longevity. You can also keep the open bag in the freezer, it will retain its taste for two years.
However, if you have not broken the seal on a coffee bag, the taste of coffee in the bag will be retained for a good five to six months. If frozen, the coffee bag will be good for anywhere between two to three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is It Important to Open a Coffee Bag Properly?
If the morning kick of caffeine means the world to you, you wouldn’t want it to lose its aroma, freshness, and taste. Carelessly opening the coffee bag can make it difficult to reseal the bag. The coffee is essentially overexposed to oxygen and will lose its charm if this happens.
Let’s face it; coffee beans are precious, so you can’t be careless when opening a coffee bag. In fact, Christopher H. Hendon, an assistant professor from the University of Oregon, states that the freshness of coffee determines how perfect your cup will turn out.
Why Is There a Hole or a Valve in a Coffee Bag?
If you look closely at the coffee bag in your possession, you might find a hole or a valve in it.
If you’re wondering why holes and valves have made their way to coffee bags, the answer is preservation. Without them, coffee is likely to go stale.
A hole or a valve allows for dioxide to leave the coffee bag without allowing oxygen to enter. Roasted coffee produces carbon dioxide, and without a way for it to escape the bag, the packaging will just burst. Therefore, a hole or a valve saves the day by preventing this from happening.
Why Are Starbucks Coffee Bags So Hard to Open?
In a coffee-obsessed world, Starbucks happens to be a great place to get caffeinated beverages and coffee-based products. If you get a coffee bag from there, you are likely to be stunned at how difficult it can be to open it.
Opening Starbucks Coffee Bags is challenging because the company has top-tier machinery which seals the bags wonderfully. After being thoroughly sealed, it is near impossible to tear the packaging by mistake. Intentionally opening the coffee bag is the only way of accessing the coffee.
How Long Does Coffee in a Bag Stay Good?
You can keep your favorite coffee fresh for up to two years if you store it correctly. Store the roasted beans in an airtight container or vacuum-sealed bag and they’ll stay tasty measurement after time runs out on their shelf life; but once oxidation sets in (which happens quickly), expect a significant decrease of flavor qualities over three to six months depending upon ground/bean variety use.
How Do You Reseal a Coffee Bag?
Resealing your coffee is an easy and straightforward process. Simply roll down the top of both bagged and tied together, then fold over each side so that it meets in the middle with an overlap on either end where there’s no metal seam or fastener going through them; done properly this should look similar to how they do when you first buy some beans at Walmart!
What Is the Preferred Way to Store Unopened Coffee Bags?
I recommend storing your ground coffee in a cool, dry place so it doesn’t get moldy. If you have refrigerated or if there are shelves above where the stove is located then those spots may be too moisture-rich for storage and will only cause problems with coffee quality over time.
The best bet when trying to maintain freshly roasted beans was keeping them away from any areas that could promote unwanted flavors like an attic full of light bulbs.
Conclusion
Opening a coffee bag consists of a few steps. After successfully locating and pulling the black tape on the top of the bag, make an incision with scissors. Once the desired quantity of coffee is extracted, reseal the bag with the black tape pulled earlier. Store the coffee bag safely in a dry and dark environment at room temperature to enhance its longevity.
