What Our Packaging Actually Is (and Why We Made the Choices We Made)
We get a fair amount of email about the bag. Some of it is "what does the freshness valve do." Some of it is "is your bag recyclable" (we'll get to that). Some of it is "why isn't this in a tin." All of it is fair questions.
This is the honest answer. The bag, the materials, the choices, and the tradeoffs behind each one.
What the bag actually is
The outer bag: A 3-ply laminated bag with a matte finish. The outer layer is a biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film that gives the bag its structure and printable surface. The middle layer is metallized polyester (the silver foil you can see when you look inside the bag) — this is the oxygen and moisture barrier. The inner layer is food-grade polyethylene, which is what actually touches the coffee.
The freshness valve: A small one-way plastic valve on the front of the bag. It lets CO2 escape (freshly roasted coffee off-gasses for several days) without letting oxygen in. Without the valve, the bag would either burst from the CO2 or stay puffed and stale.
The zipper: A re-sealable press zipper at the top of the bag. Not all coffee bags have this; we added it because customers asked for it. Once you open a bag, the valve can't do its job without a good reseal.
The label: A paper label glued to the front of the bag with the name, origin, roast date, and tasting notes. The back of the bag has a small printed area with the ingredient list (just "coffee"), the roasting date, and our contact info.
The size: 12 oz for most of our lineup. This is the standard specialty coffee bag size — big enough for a week of morning coffee for two people, small enough that the beans don't go stale before you finish them.
Why we chose this bag
The barrier matters more than anything else. Coffee stales primarily through oxidation. The metallized polyester layer in our bag blocks oxygen transfer. Without that barrier, even the best coffee in the world goes stale in a few weeks.
The valve is non-negotiable. Without it, we can't use a sealed bag. Without a sealed bag, the coffee goes stale faster. The valve costs about $0.15 per bag, which is meaningful but worth it.
The zipper was a customer request. Before we had the zipper, customers told us the bags didn't reseal well. We tested it. It's a small cost increase and a big quality-of-life improvement.
The matte finish is aesthetic. BOPP matte finish looks better on a shelf than a glossy finish, but doesn't change the functional performance. It's an aesthetic choice we made because we wanted the bag to feel more like a small-batch product and less like a commodity.
What the bag is NOT
It's not biodegradable. Multi-layer laminated bags are not biodegradable. The metallized layer makes them difficult to recycle in most municipal systems. This is the honest part — we're not going to claim our bag is compostable when it's not.
It's not resealable forever. The zipper works for the life of the bag (a few months for most customers). But if you open the bag and leave it open for a week, the freshness drops regardless.
It's not the only option. Tin containers, paper bags with tin ties, compostable single-material bags, refillable canisters — all are alternatives. Each has tradeoffs.
Why we don't use tin**
People ask why we don't use tin canisters like some specialty roasters.
Tin is heavier and more expensive to ship. A 12 oz tin weighs about 4 oz empty. Multiply that by the weight of the bag, the coffee, and the shipping materials, and you're adding 25–30% to the shipping cost per order.
Tin doesn't reseal as well as people think. Tin lids are pressure-fit. After a few openings, the seal loosens. The press zipper on our bag is more reliable over time.
Tin doesn't have a freshness valve. Unless the tin is engineered with a special valve (rare and expensive), the CO2 from fresh coffee builds up and either vents (losing freshness) or pops the lid.
Tin is more recyclable in theory but often not in practice. Most municipal recycling programs don't accept small tin containers. Many that do require the metal lid and label to be separated, which most people don't do.
Why we don't use compostable bags
There are now compostable coffee bags on the market. We've researched them. Here's what we found:
Compostable bags have a worse oxygen barrier. The compostable materials don't block oxygen as well as metallized polyester. Coffee stales faster in them.
Compostable bags are more expensive. 30–50% more expensive per bag. For a 12 oz bag, that's about $0.30 more per bag, which compounds across our production.
Compostable bags still require industrial composting. Most consumer home composting setups don't reach the temperatures needed to break down these materials. So "compostable" often means "compostable in a specific facility, not in your backyard."
Customers can't actually compost most of them. Even customers who want to compost often can't because of the local composting infrastructure.
If the technology improves, we'll consider it. For now, the bag we use does the job of keeping coffee fresh, and we're honest about what it is.
What we're working on
A bag return program. We've been exploring a take-back scheme where customers can send empty bags back to us, and we pay to have them properly recycled through a specialty recycler. This isn't live yet — it's a logistics problem we're working through.
Smaller bags for sample sizes. Customers have asked for 4 oz and 8 oz sample bags. We're testing those now. Same materials, smaller format.
Refill discounts for reusable containers. Some customers want to bring their own containers and get a discount. We're exploring this — the issue is food-safety and labeling requirements.
What you can do at home
Once opened, store the bag in a cool, dark place. Not the fridge (the moisture interferes), not on the counter in direct sunlight (the heat and light accelerate staling). A pantry or cupboard is fine.
Roll the top and use a clip. The zipper is good but not perfect. If you're not going to use the bag within a week, transfer to an airtight container.
Buy smaller bags more often. This is the simplest solution. A 12 oz bag is the right size for two people drinking daily. If you're a once-a-week coffee drinker, an 8 oz or 4 oz bag will keep the coffee fresher.
For more on how to keep coffee fresh once you've opened the bag, our storage guide covers the basics.
The honest summary
Our bag is a multi-layer laminated bag with a one-way valve and a resealable zipper. It's not biodegradable. It's not the cheapest option. It's not the most sustainable option by every metric.
But it does the job of keeping coffee fresh for 4–6 weeks after roasting, which is what matters for the experience you have when you brew it.
When better options exist at a comparable cost and barrier performance, we'll switch. For now, this is what we're using, and this is why.
Brew slow. — Seraphina, founder
P.S. The most common follow-up question is "where do I recycle the bag." If your municipal recycling accepts multi-layer plastic bags (grocery bags, bread bags, etc.), drop the clean empty bag there. Otherwise, we accept returned bags with your next order and pay shipping for the recycling. Email us for details.