Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Yet another example in the marketplace of a company that destroyed a stellar product by deciding to cut corners and, to add insult to injury, completely ignores its customers. This product had no rivals for coffee bean storage (which was the primary impetus behind its original purpose). It was simply the finest and most unique product on the market for that purpose. In the old model, the outer canister lid had a one way valve built into it. When beans went into the cannister, the inner lid went into it, squeezing out all the air. The inner lid could be left in the open position allowing the beans to outgas Co2. The outer lid was then pressed into place and since it had a one way valve, the Co2 could escape the cannister and not reside in the cannister (the same concept upon which one way valve coffee bags are based). Since the inner lid and the outer lid both have rubber seals, oxygen getting back to the bean was essentially non existent. Thus, it was the gold standard for coffee bean storage....allowing the Co2 to escape entirely and eliminating oxygen absorption at the same time. This was especially valuable for folks who love their coffee so much, they roast it themselves ( which is akin to the difference between eating a sandwich vs. dining on filet mignon). That's because fresh roasted coffee can continue to outgas for up to 2 weeks after roasting and the Co2 needs somewhere to go. This cannister was the cream of the crop. Then, to cut corners, the manufacturer decided to remove the valve in the outer lid....seriously diminishing the cannister's ability to expel Co2 while keeping oxygen coming in at a minimum. They will tell you the valve served no real purpose....baloney. It did and it made a big difference. When I contacted the company after receiving to of the valve challenged products, I was ignored. Never again. Start away from planetary design folks. UPDATE: Due to R Feenstra's dislike of my review, let me add some clarity. While I do believe that there would be some modest difference in storing coffee beans that were bought from the store, that difference is going to be significantly less noticeable than if the beans are fresh roasted. Beans bought in a store are, very likely, going to be 30 - 60 days (or more) post-roasting and that means the truly bright, beautiful flavors are already long gone and the beans are well on their way to being stale. Furthermore, if you're buying the beans dark, then they have been roasted to the point where much of the out-gassing has already been done in the roasting process (much more and the bean would be burned dry). To get the absolute best and brightest flavors from the bean, it should be ground and brewed anywhere from 1 day to 5 days (max) post-roasting (depending upon the varietal). During that 1 to 5 day period, the beans will experience significant out-gassing and that's where this canister used to shine but now fails due to the removal of the external one-way valve by the manufacturer so they could make more $$ on an already very expensive product. Seriously, if you're going to spend this much on a canister, the manufacturer should be working to IMPROVE it...not cheapen it. So, no...it probably won't make that big of a difference if you buy your beans burned and already stale: the the canister will likely keep them that way for a while before they get even worse. But if you buy your beans light to medium roast and you know they are no more than a few days post-roast (or you roast them yourself), then you will want a canister like this one USED to be: not like it is now (i.e. stripped of its outer one-way valve).