It’s easy to open and re-seal a coffee bag once you know how it works. While you can tear some bags open with your hands, it’s not the best idea or the easiest way to do it. Most bags have tape or a factory vacuum seal. Use scissors to cut apart the seal and refold it using the original tin clasps or tape to keep it airtight.
Key Takeaways
This article discusses how coffee bags work, why they are so fussy to open, and how to properly re-seal them to keep coffee fresh.
- Key Takeaways
- How Do Coffee Bags Work?
- How To Open A Sealed Coffee Bag
- These 3 Quick Steps Will Help You Open Any Coffee Bag With Ease:
- Why Coffee Bags Are So Hard To Open
- Here's How To Re-seal A Coffee Bag After Opening
- What Happens If You Don't Re-seal A Coffee Bag?
- How Long Does Coffee Last After You Open the Bag?
- What Is The Valve On A Coffee Bag?
- Why Do Starbucks and Lavazza Store Coffee In Stronger Bags?
- The Bottom Line On How To Open A Coffee Bag
How Do Coffee Bags Work?
Bagged coffee that you can buy in a store, online, or at a coffee shop is sealed to prevent tampering and to preserve the coffee flavor to give consumers a better experience.
You may notice that many coffee bags also come with a secured top and a round valve that prevents coffee quality from going stale and losing flavor prematurely.
How To Open A Sealed Coffee Bag
Before you rip into a coffee bag with your bare hands, stop and check the thick band of tape that runs horizontally across the top of the bag.
Peel back this tape (usually black or transparent) or tin tie from one side of the bag to the other. Now you can see the sealed plastic edge.
Next, unclasp the ends of the tape (or tin tie/clasp) embedded in the bag’s sides.
Once you’ve removed the tape on each side, you can try to tear open the top of the bag. This option is hard for most people because the bag material is difficult to tear.
Torn bags are messy and don’t keep coffee fresh.
The second option is to cut across the seal with a pair of kitchen scissors. Then, snip along the line along the top of the flap that closes the coffee bag.
This is the best way to open a coffee bag since it doesn’t ruin the top and makes it easy to seal again (using tape or clasps).
These 3 Quick Steps Will Help You Open Any Coffee Bag With Ease:
- Pull the entire tape away from the top of the bag.
- Use scissors to cut across the top of the bag’s seal or marked line.
- Carefully separate the seal by gently pulling each side of the bag outward.
Why Coffee Bags Are So Hard To Open
Many coffee bags are hard to open because they’re made from durable material with a laminated film that acts as a barrier to prevent moisture and preserve the coffee’s integrity.
Coffee brands such as Starbucks and Lavazza use a high-quality heat seal to close the opening.
This thick, well-made seal makes it harder to tear a bag open with your hands without making a hole or breaking the delicate valve area.
More on Starbucks and Lazzava bags later.
Here’s How To Re-seal A Coffee Bag After Opening
- Just fold over the top edge of the coffee bag
- Give it a squeeze to get as much air out as you can.
- Then clasp tin ties over each side of the bag or the top if it was sealed with tape.
Alternatively, pour the beans or ground coffee into an airtight storage container and live happy knowing your coffee is safe and secure!
What Happens If You Don’t Re-seal A Coffee Bag?
It’s a good idea to always seal the coffee bag after you open it. If you don’t re-seal the bag and keep it closed, the coffee will degrade and lose flavor quickly.
How Long Does Coffee Last After You Open the Bag?
Once you’ve opened the bag to enjoy your brewed coffee, this breaks the seal and brings the coffee into contact with oxygen.
When coffee is exposed to the air, this will cause your beans to start to oxidize and gradually lose taste and aroma quality over time.
If you prefer to store your opened coffee in the bag, the beans will stay fresh and flavorful for around 2-4 weeks. Ground coffee will last only a few days.
What Is The Valve On A Coffee Bag?
You’ve probably noticed a small, round valve on your coffee bag and may have wondered what it does.
Manufacturers include a degassing valve due to the chemical reactions during the roasting process.
It’s a one-way vent that allows for the slow release of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the coffee.
This removes volatile gases from the bag without bringing the beans into contact with outside air, which can degrade the beans faster.
The valve also helps preserve freshness.
The second reason for the coffee bag valve is to enable you to smell the aroma of the coffee beans outside of the sealed bag.
Why Do Starbucks and Lavazza Store Coffee In Stronger Bags?
Starbucks and Lavazza seal coffee in durable bags that are difficult to tear open.
They use specialized coffee processing systems to ensure the consistency and quality of their coffees.
And the packaging is key to keeping their coffees fresh. So they take extra care with this.
It’s best to open a Starbucks or Lavazza bag across from one corner across the top with scissors.
Then separate the seal by carefully pulling it apart. Go gentle – you don’t want your coffee or beans flying out like lava from a volcano.
Then re-seal it with the provided tape or stick a piece of Scotch tape over the rolled end of the open bag. They come with tin clasps as well.
Or, store it in an airtight container if you toss the bag.
The Bottom Line On How To Open A Coffee Bag
Opening and re-sealing a bag of coffee the right way are simple. Just take a little care not to damage the bag so that it can be re-sealed to keep the coffee fresher longer.
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