High-quality coffee from well-known brands such as Starbucks comes in tightly sealed bags. Opening these bags can create a mess if you don’t use the right approach. That’s why we have compiled this guide. It contains an easy step-by-step method that will help you learn how to open a coffee bag.
How to Open a Coffee Bag
There are so many different ways that you can use to open a coffee bag. However, the following method will allow you to complete the process effectively without making a mess.
Step 1: Gather the Supplies
You’ll need to use the following supplies to open a coffee bag.
- Scissors
- Food bag sealing clip or resealable tape
Step 2: Remove the Tape
Most coffee bags come with tape located on the upper side. You’ll need to remove this tape in order to pull the folded top flap up. You can simply pull the tape with your hand or cut it using a pair of scissors.
Step 3: Pull the Metal Tabs
Pulling the top flap up will reveal the opening of the coffee bag as well as metal tabs. These metal tabs are used to keep the coffee bag sealed once it’s opened. They’ll be in the folded form and you’ll need to unfold them by pulling their edges outwards.
Step 4: Open the Bag
Now you can use two approaches for opening the coffee bag. The first approach is to use your hands by following the steps listed below:
- Stand up and keep the bag at your hip level.
- Grab each side of the top flap from the center using your index fingers and thumbs.
- Start pulling your both hands away from each other slowly.
- Make sure that you increase the pressure gradually until you see the glue begin to tear. Increasing the pressure will open the coffee bag within seconds.
While this method will open your coffee bag, it requires effort and time. Additionally, it also has a high risk of tearing the bag and spilling out coffee beans on the ground. That’s why we recommend you not to use this method unless you don’t have scissors at hand.
The second approach is to use a pair of scissors and it’s the most effective way to open the coffee bag. You need to grab the tool in your dominant hand and place it right below the glue line at the top of the bag to cut the bag open.
You’ll end up with a long strip of packaging that you just cut and an opened coffee bag. Discard the strip and start using your medium roast Kona coffee beans.
Step 5: Seal the Coffee Bag
Once you have removed some coffee beans that you need to use to make coffee, you’ll need to seal the bag. While you can use the metal tabs to seal the coffee bag, we recommend you use a food bag sealing clip or resealable tape for this purpose.
That’s because the metal tabs don’t seal the coffee bag properly, which means your coffee beans will start losing their aroma and flavor.
Make sure that you fold the opening of your coffee bag a couple of times before applying resealable tape or a food bag sealing clip.
Why Do Most Coffee Bags Have a Valve?
Most coffee bags come with a valve on the top front side. Most people think that the function of the valve is to allow people to smell coffee beans. While it serves this purpose, the main function of this valve is entirely different.
It’s a one-way valve that allows the carbon dioxide to escape from the inside but it doesn’t allow any gas to get inside. Coffee beans release carbon dioxide, which can lead the coffee bags to burst open on the shelves if it has no way to escape.
Additionally, coffee beans start losing their flavor and aroma if they’re not stored in an airtight container. It means that a one-way valve not only keeps the bag intact but it also keeps the coffee beans fresh. That’s why manufacturers install it in their coffee bags.
What’s the Best Way to Store Coffee Beans?
As mentioned earlier, you can seal the coffee bag using a resealable tape or a food bag clip. However, it’s not the best way to store your coffee beans. That’s because none of these methods will seal the bag perfectly and your beans will start to age. It means they’ll begin losing their aroma and flavor.
Typically, coffee beans stay fresh in their opened bag for up to two to four weeks and they’ll go stale after that. If you want to increase that time, we recommend you use an airtight container to store your coffee beans.
In addition, it’s also important to make sure that you place the container in a dry, dark, and cool place. This way, your coffee beans will stay fresh for up to six to nine months.
What are Single Serve Coffee Bags and How to Open them?
You only need to prepare a cup of hot water and place a single-serve bag inside. Then you can use a spoon to make a hot cup of coffee. One single-serve coffee bag usually contains about nine to 11 grams of coffee, which is enough to produce a dominant flavor.
You don’t need to open single-serve coffee bags as you only need to dip them in hot water to make a cup of coffee. You can use the same approach mentioned above to open the bag of single-serve coffee pouches.
However, you’ll need to make sure that you use an airtight container instead of the coffee bag to store these pouches. That’s because they contain ground coffee which loses flavor and aroma much faster than coffee beans.
Final Words
Using a pair of scissors is the best way to open a coffee bag. If you don’t have scissors, you can use your hands for the same purpose as well. However, you’ll need to be extra cautious to make sure that you don’t accidentally spill your coffee beans on the ground. You should also use an airtight container to store your coffee beans in order to preserve their aroma and flavor.
