Vacuum sealed vs one-way air valve coffee bags. What’s the difference?
Depending on which coffee you buy, you may notice that sometimes companies opt to vacuum seal their coffee and some use one-way air valve (that includes us!) to package their coffee. This difference in packing is actually quite important for the freshness of the coffee and its shelf life.
Oxygen reduces the shelf life of coffee, so attempts to reduce interaction with oxygen is good for coffee. However, when a coffee is freshly roasted, CO2 gas comes out of the coffee. So it is actually impossible to vacuum seal freshly roasted whole bean coffee. The bag will keep on inflating and possibly explode. So if you’re buying whole bean coffee that was vacuum sealed, it means that they’ve already aired out their coffee. In turn, that means it’s already no longer as fresh as possible the moment it’s bagged. Some companies choose to vacuum seal their whole bean coffee because it will keep a longer shelf life as many grocery stores may end up having the coffee on the shelves for over a year. It also gives the illusion to some customers that the vacuum sealed may be fresher instead. If you’re looking for fresh whole bean coffee, always grab the one with one-way air valve as it means it’s likely packed immediately after roasting.
If you’re buying ground coffee, it has already been exposed to the air during the grinding process and is similar to aired out coffee. At this point, vacuum sealing coffee won’t have any negative effects that a whole bean coffee would.
What is your policy on returns and refunds?
With any foods, returns are not accepted as it is a food safety concern (any other company or grocery store accepting returns just throws them out). If there was a problem with your order, you may be eligible for a refund or a replacement. If your package had shipping damage, please make a claim with the store you purchased it from, such as Amazon. You will be entitled for a full refund for shipping damage. If you received coffee that is older than our guarantee written on the package, please contact us and we’ll send you a fresh roast as soon as possible directly from our roastery. If you have other concerns and/or the store you bought it from is unable to assist you, please contact us and we’ll try to arrange a refund or a replacement.
Where can I buy Gabé Coffee?
For consumer purchases, please look for our products on Amazon.ca. For bulk purchases or wholesale, please contact us.