Re-vac-sealing a HopUnion bag?

Has anyone tried to reseal their Hopunion whole leaf bags in a FoodSaver before?

I'm just curious about it. Some bags can be vac sealed if the outer material is rough enough for the clamp-n-seal system to work. But with the hot roller for melting the plastic for a seal, I have concerns about even trying.

I've got 1lb of Centennial here, and was thinking about trying to reseal some of it instead of my usual method of breaking them down into 2-4oz individual Foodsaver bags.

We get 11lb bags and reseal them with a seal a meal type bag outside the original bag. I haven't tried resealing the actual HU bag because I always thought it wouldn't hold up well to multiple cut and seal processes.

Hmmm never thought to try.....

Hmm, yeah I'd never thought to try til now. Next time I brew up something with Centennial, I'm gonna check it out and try. As for repeated cut and seals -- that shouldn't matter. With the number of hops in these bags, the bag won't look all funky when it starts packing down, not to mention the contents decrease, and you cut the bag down to size.

My guess is that it's not going to work. FoodSaver bags work because one side of the bag has a rough texture. The clamp-n-seal system can suck air through the rough textured area, but not the slick/smooth side. The Hopunion bag is completely smooth, so I'm guessing it won't work.

In my experience the FoodSaver won't vacuum seal bags other than the type specifically designed for it. However, the seal function will seal many types of plastic bags. I always repackage mine in 1 and 2 ounce portions and then vacuum seal with the FoodSaver.

BTW, I have attempted to cut a small section of the rough part of a FoodSaver bag and put that between two smooth sides of another bag. I was able to get it to vacuum; however, I could not get a seal. Perhaps rigging something up to mostly seal the bag, then using the vacuum hose attachment and then sealing the rest off might work...probably need one of those As Seen On TV potatoe chip bag sealers to work that though.

I just put the original 1 pound bag inside a food saver bag that is big enough to open and reseal several times. When it sucks the air out, it will pull the air out of both the opened hopunion bag and the vacuum pack bag. Leave the bag big enough to open and reseal as many times as you think you may need to do that.

Also remember seeing someone post something about putting a strip of the vacuum bag placed just inside the opened hopunion bag to help with the sealing process. Maybe someone else knows more about that . . . .I have not done that.

I have no luck resealing a hop union bag with a foodsaver. The heat range of a foodsaver is specific to the bags they supply. The Hop Union bags will sort of melt together but you can easily reopen them at the seal. What I do is after opening a bag and using what I need is I put 9oz into a wide mouth canning jar and use the sealer to vacuum pack them. I take the rest and seal them into a foodsaver bag along with the cut out label (hop type alpha acid %) from the hop union bag. When I need more hops I unseal the canning jar, take what I need and reseal the jar. When the jar is gone I open the bag, pour that into the jar and etc.

iaefebs said:

I have no luck resealing a hop union bag with a foodsaver. The heat range of a foodsaver is specific to the bags they supply. The Hop Union bags will sort of melt together but you can easily reopen them at the seal. What I do is after opening a bag and using what I need is I put 9oz into a wide mouth canning jar and use the sealer to vacuum pack them. I take the rest and seal them into a foodsaver bag along with the cut out label (hop type alpha acid %) from the hop union bag. When I need more hops I unseal the canning jar, take what I need and reseal the jar. When the jar is gone I open the bag, pour that into the jar and etc.

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Good to hear confirmation of what I figured. I usually just take my 1lb bags, split them into two 8oz FoodSaver bags, then slowly work on each bag. That or occasionally I'll break them down to 2oz increments.