The Various Types of Coffee Bags

So now you own the best coffee grinder you can get and it’s time to buy real coffee beans, so you now need a place to store your beans and what you grind.

There are many different types of coffee bags. This article will explain each type, what its used for,  and the advantages of one bag type over another.

While this article is my authority page on all types of coffee bags I would suggest you look at my other posts as they contain collectively far more information than what is provided here.

You will find everything from burlap coffee bags to an article about how important coffee bags are to our morning ritual. You’ll find product reviews. You’ll find general articles about terms like “ Coffee bean bags ”. Regardless of what you find, I hope I’ve helped you.

You’ll find that most paper coffee bags sold by vendors have very similar traits. They are typically sold in 3 sizes: 5 pound, 1 pound and half pound bags. They are perfect for weighing. They are also often used for other items such as candy or nuts.

Some people also buy them to be used to give small gifts or party favors. The uses are pretty limitless.

Also coffee bags come in a variety of colors. Long gone are the days of that old brown paper bag. The whole spectrum is now available so shop around for the color you want. A supplier somewhere likely has it.

Any paper coffee bag worth its weight has a polypropylene lined interior to keep the bag from getting damaged due to moisture. This also helps to keep the bag generally strong yet malleable. They traditionally have a tin tied closure to help keep their contents fresh and tasty.

Finally the bags should have gusseted sides allow for more room inside the bag. You can also choose bags that are windowed so you can see their contents.

If the bag you choose doesn’t have any of these qualities be wary, you’re likely getting a cheep coffee bag that you’ll regret buying. For businesses you’ll be getting hundreds of them. Make sure you check with your supplier before ordering just any old bag. Your customers will thank you.

Most vendors don’t sell coffee bags with printing on them. If you’re a business owner you’ll want to have a way to mark your coffee bags so people know where the coffee came from. It is fairly standard practice and also a cheep solution to have a rubber stamp made to mark your coffee bags.

You’ll also want to check with your vendor to make sure your coffee bags are biodegradable. Coffee is a hot (excuse the pun) commodity that creates hundreds of tons of trash every year. So do yourself and everyone else a favor and be sure your bags are Eco friendly. They are a bit more expensive but you’ll feel good knowing you made a choice that is healthy for our planet. And it doesn’t matter if they’re for an Espresso Maker or Coffee Maker.

The only part of the coffee bag that may not be biodegradable is the lining. A lot of coffee bag companies get linings from Tekpak Solutions. This company does provide biodegradable linings. I’ve seen the documents first hand. You can download them from the internet or send the company an email. They have excellent customer service and will get back to you promptly with more ideas.

The next popular coffee bag is the valve coffee bag. In the 1980s the coffee industry developed a one way valve for coffee bags . Before the inception of the valve there was a problem with gases being released from the beans. The gases would then build up inside of sealed bags causing them to explode.

As a result roasting companies would have to let beans sit in the open air for an extended period of time. The oxygen robbed the coffee of its freshness as they sat. The valve allowed roasting companies to package their beans immediately thus preventing the loss of flavor. The valve also kept coffee free from moisture.

The valve bags work by removing oxygen using an inert gas such as nitrogen. The freshly roasted coffee is then quickly put into the bag and gets sealed. Fortunately fresh roasted coffee produces carbon dioxide inside the bag that also helps protect the coffee from oxygen. The valve on the bag allows this excess carbon dioxide to escape while keeping oxygen out.

These bags come in a variety of colors. The most popular are opaque black and clear. The opaque black bags keep sunlight out of the bags . But the clear bags allow people to see the contents. Sun damage to coffee is minimal. But the true connoisseur will use only opaque black bags . Most of these bags also have a zippered top so that after they are opened they may be resealed.

Are you still with me? Because we’ve only got one more bag left to cover and its one you wont want to miss.

Its the ever sought after burlap coffee bag. These are the coffee bags that coffee farmers store the freshly harvested coffee in. The coffee is shipped to the the roasters in these bags .

Many people like to use burlap coffee bags to do arts and crafts. They have all sorts of designs printed on them which makes them popular for art installations. Some burlap coffee bags actually even end up in picture frames. Also they can be sown together to create things like curtains or wall hangings.

Burlap coffee bags bags are also used for landscaping. The company will cut weeds then put the bag down over top. The grass can grow though but the weeds cannot. There are countless lawns across the globe that have burlap coffee bags underneath helping to make them lush and beautiful.

Here’s a helpful tip for any of you chasing after these bags . I used to work in a cafe and I found out roasters often don’t know what to do with all the bags and often end up sending them off with their orders. The cafe I worked at had a massive pile of these just waiting to be used. Take a walk to local coffee shops and ask if they have any. In most cases I’m sure they would actually be grateful you wanted to take these coffee bags off their hands.

The burlap coffee bags can also be bought from online suppliers. They are typically used bags so make sure you ask for ones that are not damaged. I’ve even seen them for sale on Ebay. This is a good place to order from because you can see a picture of the bag before you buy it. You can expect to pay about $2.00/bag.

If any of you know more places to find burlap coffee bags , or uses for them I’d be interested. Send me an email and we can talk coffee bags .

I hope I didn’t miss anything coffee bag related. But to be fair, we did have a lot of “ground” to cover.