🔒 Coffee Packaging for Freshness: Why Flexible Bags Beat the Supermarket "Brick"
Over the last 20 years, coffee packaging has improved substantially, moving away from simple paper bags to complex, multi-layered solutions. However, not all packaging lives up to the expectation of keeping freshly roasted coffee truly fresh.
The process used by many large retailers for common products actually eliminates the freshness before the coffee even reaches the shelf.
1. The Supermarket "Brick" Method: Pre-Staling Coffee
You may have seen the solid, vacuum-packed "bricks" of ground coffee sold in supermarkets. To achieve this solid shape without the bag bursting, the manufacturer must use a technique that actively degrades the coffee quality.
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The Process: Freshly roasted and ground coffee rapidly exhausts carbon dioxide CO2. To prevent swelling, the coffee must first be allowed to "stale" until the CO2 levels are significantly low.
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The Damage: This pre-staling process destroys the magical essence of the coffee—the aroma, volatile flavors, body, acidity, and aftertaste are eliminated.
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The Finish: The "no longer fresh" coffee is then filled into the tight package, and a nitrogen flush is applied to remove residual oxygen.
Conclusion: The coffee inside those "bricks" is a "dead" product. While the nitrogen flush helps slow down oxygenation after packing, significant staling was required before the process could even begin.
2. Degassing vs. Valve: Managing CO2 Release
Freshly roasted coffee produces CO2 for several days. Managing this off-gassing is crucial for packaging integrity and freshness.
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Degassing Chambers: Specialized degassing systems use nitrogen and high pressure to quickly force CO2 out of the coffee. While effective, these systems are expensive to own and operate, adding significant cost. They are typically used only for export or massive volume retail sales.
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Metal Cans and Tins: Historically, metal packaging required the coffee to age (stale) or be degassed before sealing. However, modern cans sometimes use the same effective one-way valve found on flexible bags.
3. The Best Solution: Flexible Bags with One-Way Valves
For cost-efficiency and maximum flavor preservation, the best packaging solution remains simple and flexible.
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The Mechanism: A food-grade, foil-lined, 3-layer flexible bag with a one-way valve is the most effective solution for fresh roasted coffee.
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How it Works: The one-way valve allows the natural CO2 gas escaping from the freshly roasted beans to be safely exhausted from the bag, preventing swelling and bursting. Crucially, the valve prevents oxygen from entering, which is the primary driver of staling.
This method allows the coffee to remain sealed immediately after roasting, preserving the maximum possible flavor and volatile compounds until you open the bag.
We continue to test new, environmentally friendly packaging materials to ensure the integrity and freshness of our premium coffee is always properly preserved, because nobody wants to drink stale coffee.
