Mark MorphewYou wouldn’t think that the humble coffee canister design could be improved. It’s just a container and a lid.
Over the years, nothing much has changed with coffee vacuum storage technology. However, that is about to change.
Thanks to the team over at Soulhand, I have managed to be one of the lucky first few to get their hands on Soulhand’s latest coffee product.
Just when you’ve seen it all, a new and improved coffee product appears that’s bigger and better than anything else.
Soulhand Electric Coffee Canister At A Glance
I’m going to start by saying that this coffee canister is impressive. In all my years, I have never seen a coffee storage container that literally sucks out all of the air with a push of a button.
Sure, canisters do a similar thing, such as the Ankomn Turn-N-Seal, but you still have to physically twist the device on the lid to create the vacuum.
You wouldn’t even notice that there’s anything out of the ordinary at first glance, but the Soulhand canister is completely automatic, and it houses an entire compressor, battery, and other electronic components inside of the lid.
Design And Aesthetics
There’s not much to it; it looks and feels just like any other coffee storage canister. But looks can be deceiving as you’re about to find out.
There are two variations at the time of writing: a clear glass version and a stainless steel option.
Both operate in the same way. It comes down to what you find more aesthetically pleasing.
I will say that the opaque stainless steel version is probably the better option to keep the damaging effects of the sunlight from ever reaching your coffee beans.
But if you are storing your coffee in a pantry or a dark cupboard away from direct sunlight, the clear glass option is pretty neat, and personally, I love to see the whole bean coffee through the glass.
Construction Material
Compared to other glass coffee jars, the glass of the actual canister does feel delicate, even though it is manufactured from durable borosilicate.
I’m sure it would smash into a thousand pieces if knocked or dropped, but I’m not going to test that theory out.
The ABS plastic and silicone lid feels durable and long-lasting, but also relatively heavy.
That’s probably due to all of the electronic components that are hidden inside.
On the surface of the lid, you are greeted with a selection of pushbuttons. One allows you to suck out the air to create a vacuum, another to release the lid, and finally a button to power on the device.
There’s also a simple battery charging indicator to indicate the charging level.
Operating The Soulhand Coffee Canister
Inside the box, you will find a USB charging cable that attaches to the side of the lid.
It takes about 3 hours to charge the Lithium-ion battery completely. But once charged, you can open and close (creating a vacuum and releasing the vacuum) up to 300 times before a recharge is required.
Using the canister is the same as any other.
Add your whole bean coffee inside the glass jar, attach the lid.
The difference with the Soulhand container is that once the lid has been attached, you press the power button and hit the vacuum button. The air is then sucked out, creating a low oxygen and dry environment of 30 kPa below the atmosphere.
Once sealed, the oxidation process will slow, and your coffee will stay fresher for longer – in fact, by removing almost all of the air, you can increase the life of your whole coffee beans by 50%.
Pretty impressive, and all with a push of a button.
How Does The Soulhand Electric Coffee Canister Compare?
Compared to regular coffee containers, the Soulhand is definitely a step up with its innovative functionality, it’s battery-powered after all, and the build quality is good.
The only downside I can see is you have to keep charging the canister to continue using it. But, with one 3 hours charge lasting for up to 300 opens and closes, it shouldn’t need charging all that often.
I added some whole coffee beans and vacuum sealed the jar. A week later, I went back to see if the vacuum seal was still strong.
The lid is still firmly locked in place and keeping the coffee locked away from the elements.
I have found that regular coffee canisters tend to lose their vacuum seal after a week or two, but the Soulhand is performing impressively well so far.
Is It Worth A Buy?
Short answer, yes, definitely.
However, The Soulhand electronic coffee canister hasn’t officially been released yet on their website, so, unfortunately, you can’t get your hands on one.
However, if you can’t wait for the official release, you can head to their Kickstarter campaign and back this project. By doing so, you can lock in some exclusive early-bird rewards to go along with your coffee canister when they ship them out later this year.
Want to see the other coffee products Soulhand produces? Browse their website and discover coffee grinders, awesome pour-over kettles, cold coffee brewers, and more!
Update: the Soulhand coffee canister is now available on their website, go get yours from here
When he's not fiddling around with a new coffee gadget, you'll find him busy doing DIY projects around the home and taking his German Shepherd for a walk, who funnily enough is called Kona!
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Since the creation of the Bean Ground coffee blog in 2014, Mark and a small circle of coffee hobbyists have rigorously tested, reviewed, and researched coffee gear. In most cases, they have purchased the items themselves with the sole intention of rating and evaluating.
In that time, they have built up a list of quality points to look for and what makes specific equipment better than others. They cut through the noise and marketing hype that often surrounds products to give you their unbiased opinions so you can make clear decisions on your next purchase.
