It’s no secret: we love coffee! From the aroma to the notes of flavor, we’re obsessed. That’s why it’s such a bummer to take a sip of your brew and find that it tastes flat or stale. If coffee isn’t stored properly, it doesn’t take much time at all for all of the beautiful flavors to disappear.
Luckily, there are products on the market that can serve as a shield against coffee going stale. We’ve prepared a comparison of two popular lines of coffee canisters, Fellow Atmos and Airscape. Take a look at the table below to get a sneak peek at the differences between these two canisters, then read on for our detailed comparison.
| Fellow Atmos | Airscape | |
|---|---|---|
| How much coffee will it hold? | 6 oz (small) 10 oz (medium) 16 oz (large) | 8 oz (small) 16 oz (medium) 1.5 lb (large) 2.5 lb (kilo) 5 gallons (in a bucket with a bucket insert) |
| Material | Glass or stainless steel | Plastic, glass, stainless steel, or ceramic (small-large size) Galvanized steel (Kilo) |
| Sealing Mechanism | Manual vacuum pump | Air displacement via an inner plunger lid |
| Color | Matte black, matte white, or clear glass | 9 color options (Classic) black, white, or gray (Kilo) |
History of Fellow Atmos
Fellow was founded by Jake Miller, launching first as a Kickstarter campaign in 2013 and then premiering as a company in 2016. The goal of the company is to produce functional and beautiful products with an elegant, modern aesthetic.
The first product from this San Francisco- based company was the Duo Coffee Steeper, and they’ve since launched over 20 products, including the Fellow Atmos line of coffee containers.
Overview of Fellow Atmos
In order to understand why the Fellow Atmos container is so successful in keeping your coffee fresh, let’s take a step back and look at what makes coffee go stale.
The biggest factor that impacts the freshness of coffee is exposure to oxygen. An airtight storage container is helpful for keeping your precious coffee beans fresh, but there’s still oxygen on the inside of the container to contend with. To truly keep the coffee fresh, you need to remove the oxygen from your container
The Fellow Atmos is a vacuum canister and uses a vacuum pump to remove the air from the canister. To operate the pump, you simply twist the lid back and forth until a small green indicator on the top of the canister indicates that it’s fully pressurized.
If you don’t use your coffee daily, keep an eye on that indicator. The Fellow Atmos loses pressure over time (this is by design) and you may need to give it a twist after a few days to repressurize.
Ready to crack open your container and enjoy a fresh cup of coffee? Just press a button on the top of the container to release the pressure, and the lid will lift off easily.
Unfortunately, some users have reported defective lids with this canister. There’s a 30-day warranty period for Fellow’s coffee storage products, so be sure to initiate a return right away if you experience problems.
The Fellow Atmos comes in three sizes, holding from 6 oz to 16 oz of coffee. They’re available as matte black, matte white, and clear glass containers. All three look stylish and would fit well in a modern kitchen, but we recommend that you only purchase the glass version if you can keep it in a cupboard, away from light.
Who Is It For?
The Fellow Atmos is perfect for anyone who wants to store their coffee in a stylish, effective container. This container matches Fellow’s other high-quality coffee products, such as the Stagg Kettle, so it makes a nice addition to your coffee gear.
You may also find the Fellow Atmos helpful if you like to switch things up from day to day between different brews. You can keep different beans at peak freshness in your Atmos containers, even if it takes a little while to use them all up.
What We Like
- Keeps coffee extremely fresh
- Stylish, modern appearance
- Helpful pressure indicator lets you know when to repressurize
What We Don’t
- Manual pressurization can be tedious, or even too difficult for those with mobility or dexterity challenges
- Can’t be used with ground coffee
- Lids can be prone to failure
History of Planetary Design: The Company Behind Airscape
Planetary Design, the company behind Airscape, came about to solve an important problem: how can coffee lovers enjoy a quality brew while adventuring?
Their product lines are designed to allow foodies, coffee aficionados, and tea lovers to enjoy their favorite foods and beverages while camping or backpacking, and they’re equally useful even within the comfort of your own home.
Their first product was a stainless steel travel French press, and other products, like the Airscape line of containers, followed later.
This Bonner, Montana- based company continues to manufacture a wide range of products with great features aimed at coffee-loving adventurers.
Overview of Airscape
As we mentioned before, to maintain the freshness of your coffee, it’s crucial to not only seal it from air but also minimize oxygen trapped in the container. Vacuum canisters are one way to achieve this, but the Airscape takes a different and novel approach.
Airscape containers have two lids: an inner lid and a top lid. The inner lid functions like a plunger, which you press down into the container until it’s flush with your coffee beans. This displaces the oxygen from the container, pushing it out through a two-way valve. Once the inner lid is in place, you flip the handle to the side to close the valve. Voila! No extra oxygen attacking your beans.
The top lid, which is made of plastic or bamboo, depending upon the design of the canister, fits on top to create an extra layer of airtight protection.
Airscape containers are available in glass, plastic, ceramic, or food-grade stainless steel in sizes small (for 8 oz of beans) and medium (for 16 oz of beans). There is also a size large (1.5 lb), available in plastic only, and a Kilo size (2.5 lb), available in galvanized steel.
If the Airscape Kilo isn’t large enough for your needs, you’re in luck – Airscape also makes a plunger lid that fits inside a five-gallon bucket.
The Airscape Classic comes in a wide variety of colors, from the standard black and white to a vibrant turquoise that went on my must-have list as soon as I spotted it.
Replacement lids and gaskets are available for a reasonable price on Planetary Design’s website.
Who Is It For?
It’s always best to keep your fresh coffee beans whole and grind right before use because the clock really starts ticking on your coffee’s flavor once it’s ground. However, we understand that some people buy pre-ground coffee or get their coffee ground at a coffee shop.
For ground coffee, the Airscape is a better choice than the Fellow Atmos. The ground coffee won’t interfere with the use of the inner plunger, but it could clog the vacuum pump of the Atmos.
The Airscape is also a better choice for those with limited physical mobility or hand strength because it doesn’t require the manual cranking that the Atmos does.
If you enjoy backpacking or camping, these containers might be a great choice for you. The stainless steel and plastic versions, in particular, and quite lightweight and can keep your coffee and other foods fresh while you travel.
Airscape containers may also be a good choice for you if you go through coffee at lightning speed or order it in bulk. With so many sizes to choose from, you’re sure to be able to store any quantity you need.
What We Like
- Wide range of sizes, materials, and colors
- No manual cranking
- Affordable replacement parts
What We Don’t
- You’ll have to degas freshly roasted beans before putting them in
Which Coffee Canister Should You Choose?
If you’re a true coffee devotee who wants to enjoy every note of your beans’ flavor for as long as possible, then you definitely want to step up your coffee bean storage from the coffee bag to a canister that minimizes oxygen exposure.
While the Fellow Atmos and the Airscape containers both do a great job locking in maximum freshness, we think that Airscape containers are a better choice. They come in a wider variety of sizes and materials, and the simpler air displacement method is less prone to failure than the Atmos’ manual vacuum pump.
However, if you really love the modern aesthetic of the Fellow Atmos, this canister will do a great job keeping your coffee beans fresh, too.
Happy Caffeinating!
