I'm Off to College with a Dilemma

[achates]

Hello,

Since attending college, I've recently gotten into drinking coffee. First, it was with store bought whole beans, freshly ground with some heavy cream. Now, still with store bought bulk beans, I drink it black like my mother (Father still drinks it with some heavy cream). When our blistering and opressive summer chimed in, I got myself into makeshift home roasting. It's now time to go back to college.

The Dilemma.

I am not allowed to use my makeshift hot air popper roaster at my apartment. And I've gotten use (addicted?) to better tasting coffee by roasting my own beans (seeds). Now you should see my dilemma.

Fortunately, I go home every 2-3 weeks since I do not live terribly far away. Question is: is there a way I can roast at home, yet have freshly roasted, hence better tasting coffee while attending college too?

Will I get the same or very close to the same freshness of coffee in taste if I store the beans in a valve bag/tin or something otherwise 2-3 weeks immediately after roasting? Or perhaps another way?

I sincerely thank you for any advice.

[farmroast]

If you have access to a small freezer where your going to be living you could get a cheaper model Foodsaver food vacuum unit. And vac. and freeze with enough for 5 or so days in each bag. They will stay pretty good for the time inbetween. When you remove a bag let it come to room temp before opening to avoid condensation.
Once others at school find out about your roasts you may find someone willing to let you roast at their place for a slight bean fee
farm

[achates]

you could get a cheaper model Foodsaver food vacuum unit

I should mention that I am not the most financially well off type of student.

Are you saying the valve bag/tin idea won't cut it?

Thanks.

[farmroast]

2nd best would be to let degas for 2-3 days in a airtight container or valve bag then roll up tight in freezer zip lock and freeze the beans for the the latter part of time inbetween of time Some beans will last a good 14+ days where others tail off after 10-12.

[achates]

This is very much appreciated. I have heard, although, that freezing beans is not good whatsoever.

Also, I enjoy the Ethiopian Harar and Brazilian Cerrado DP Fazenda Aurea; will these bean varieties go 14+, assuming you've had experience with these varieties?

[martin]

If that's all you can do, that's all you can do. My own experience with keeping beans in valve bags was that by about a week out they were showing signs, and at two weeks, which was about how long a pound of roasted used to last here, they were not so good. But I was making that worse by dipping into the bag every day. Better to make up several smaller bags and work through each one before opening the next, as farmroast suggested. Another good, cheap choice for storage (and more reusable than the valve bags) are simple mason jars. You may want to "burp" the jars every few days to keep the pressure buildup under control .

The vacsealed, frozen bags would be the best choice, especially as the storage interval gets longer. But if all you can do is a few valve bags, well, it'll still be better than cheap storebought... for how long, you'll have to see.

[achates]

It seems both of you find the foodsaver method the best.

How about this sort of combo:

Handheld foodsaver
http://www.foodsaver.com/product.aspx?pid=7076

and

A foodsaver jar sealer
http://www.foodsaver.com/product.aspx?pid=9067
??

Though, I might first try using just my mason jars before investing in those products.

[carol]

Last winter I bought 4 oz zip bags from Uline, about $40 for 1,000 bags. I roasted and froze coffee in this little bags and drank it all last winter. They worked pretty good, I took one out the night before and let it warm on the counter over night, one Kenya coffee lost some of it's flavor but the rest were good. If your only talking 3 weeks, I think it would be worth experimenting. I've been considering this vaccum device for mason jars, use a car brake bleeder to pull the air out of the jar and seal the lid.
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Alv ... um-Sealer/
Seems like it would work for about $30 investment.