Freshly Roasted Beans Deserve Better Than an Airtight Jar
Planetary Design Airscape canisters, Ceramic vaults and replacement lids, stocked in Sydney.
TL;DR: Planetary Design makes the Airscape canister. Its patented inner lid pushes air out of the vault; Classic Small, Medium and Kilo 1kg sizes plus Ceramic models are sold here.
Planetary Design started in Montana in 1993 with a backpacker who wanted properly fresh coffee away from home. The brand's answer is the Airscape, a canister whose patented inner lid forces air out instead of sealing it in. Coffee Parts stocks the Planetary Design Airscape range in Australia: Classic stainless steel vaults in three sizes, glazed Ceramic models with bamboo lids, and the replacement parts that keep them working for years.
Why air-out beats airtight
Most kitchen canisters are airtight, which simply locks the air in with your beans. The Airscape takes the opposite approach: you push the patented inner lid down onto the coffee, the trapped air escapes through its valve, and the lid locks at bean level. Oxygen is what stales roasted coffee, so removing it from the vault matters more than sealing the vault shut.
There is a second reason this works. Every time you scoop from a bag, the empty space above the beans grows, and that headspace holds more oxygen and moisture while giving aromas more room to escape. A canister with a movable lid behaves like a bag you have carefully squeezed flat, which is why we rate the Airscape approach so highly among the coffee storage options we sell.
Vacuum canisters such as the Fellow Atmos vacuum canister go a step further, pumping the headspace down to a weak vacuum. That slows oxidation, though it can speed up degassing once the canister is mostly empty. If you would rather avoid the headspace question altogether, single dose coffee tubes let you portion a fresh bag into small sealed doses on day one. For most households, a Classic Medium Airscape on the bench and a Kilo for the bulk bag is the practical middle ground.
Which Airscape size?
The Classic range comes in three stainless steel sizes. The Small Classic is the 4 inch model, suited to a bag of a single origin you want to keep separate. The Medium Classic is the 7 inch model and the natural fit for a standard retail bag. The Kilo is the 8 inch model, sized for a full 1kg bag, and the Airscape Large 1kg vault is what shoppers searching for the planetary design Airscape kilo are after.
Finishes and materials
Classic vaults are listed in Charcoal (matte black), Chalk White, Ash Grey, Brushed Steel, Fog (light blue), Matte Yellow, Copper and White, with availability varying by size and colour, so check the live listing for the one you want. The Ceramic Airscape pairs a glazed ceramic body in Snowflake White or Obsidian Black with a bamboo top lid and the same patented inner lid. A Glass model also exists, and we carry the bamboo top lid that fits it.
Beyond the bench
The Bucket Insert turns any 3 to 7 gallon bucket you supply into a preservation system, which suits home roasters and anyone buying beans in volume. The Mini BruTrek CargoCan holds 45g of whole beans, enough for a weekend away, with a writable top lid and a magnetic base; it sits naturally alongside our camping coffee gear. Shoppers do search for a Planetary Design travel mug, but Coffee Parts does not carry one, so this page is canisters and spares only.
Spares that keep it working
Lids and gaskets are the parts that wear. We stock the smoke top lid for Small and Medium, the smoke top lid for the Kilo, the inner plunger for the Kilo, and bamboo top lids for the Ceramic and Glass models, each top lid including its gasket. To compare against other brands, browse the wider coffee containers range.
Storage only pays off if the next steps are right. Keep a Medium Airscape beside a coffee grinder and grind just before brewing, and use coffee scales so each dose matches the last. For the road, the CargoCan pairs with a hand grinder and a compact brewer like the AeroPress. At home, the brand's outdoor roots make a French press a fitting companion.
I'll be honest about this one: a canister is not the exciting part of a coffee setup, but it is the part that decides whether the bag you paid for still tastes like itself on day twelve. The Airscapes on this page are the ones our team uses here at Coffee Parts, which is why we keep the spare lids and plungers in stock rather than treating the canister as disposable. We've been supplying, servicing and repairing espresso machines since 1999, and the same lesson keeps coming back: buy fewer things, look after them. A Kilo for the bulk bag, a Medium for this week's beans, done.
— Pedro Lara
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Airscape made of stainless steel?
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The Classic Small, Medium and Kilo vaults are stainless steel with a plastic top lid. The Ceramic models are glazed ceramic with a bamboo top lid, and a Glass model also exists. All of them use the same patented inner lid.
What size is the Kilo model?
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The Kilo is the 8 inch Airscape, sized to hold a full 1kg bag of whole beans. It uses its own top lid and inner plunger, both available here as spares.
How does the Airscape differ from an Atmos vacuum canister?
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Both deal with the air sitting above your beans. The Airscape does it mechanically: you push the inner lid down to bean level and the air escapes through its valve. A vacuum canister pumps the remaining headspace down to a weak vacuum, which slows oxidation further but can speed up degassing once the canister runs low.
Can I buy a replacement lid or inner plunger?
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Yes. We stock the smoke top lid for Small and Medium, the smoke top lid and inner plunger for the Kilo, and bamboo top lids for the Ceramic and Glass models. Each top lid ships with its gasket.
Does Planetary Design make a travel mug or coffee mug?
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Shoppers do search for a Planetary Design travel mug, but Coffee Parts does not carry one. Our range here covers the Airscape canisters, the Mini BruTrek CargoCan and replacement parts.
Do I need to press the inner lid down every time I take beans out?
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Yes. Push the inner lid down until it sits on the beans after each use, so the air you let in is forced back out and the headspace stays small. The outer lid then closes over the top.
What is the Bucket Insert for?
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It fits a 3 to 7 gallon bucket you supply, bringing the same patented air-removal lid to bulk storage for home roasters, cafes or anyone buying beans in volume.
