turning green coffee beans into delightful cups of coffee

Rectangular storage jars are ideal for keeping roasted coffee beans. They use available space more efficiently than round jars.

But even more important--square jars are perfect for easy labeling. The size of the jar is perfect for two batches of 150 grams, which is the typical amount of coffee that I might roast in an afternoon.

These are so-called apothecary jars. The beauty of the apothecary style is that normally the lid just sits there, making an air-tight seal. However, as we all know, in the days after roasting, the coffee beans give off gas. So the extra pressure from the added gas simply pushes its way out. It's like a one-way valve.

It's quite simple, really. The label prints on regular 8 1/2 by 11 paper. There are lines showing you where to fold. After folding, slide the label down between the beans and the glass. The beans hold the paper against the glass, and it's easy to read.

When the jar is almost empty, and there are not enough beans to hold the label against the glass. The label will fall back onto the beans. Simply unfold the "wings" of the label, which will hold it upright.