Coffee, key to survival

[SabaGuy]

The weak link in my survival strategy is coffee. What's the best storage solution coffee, ground or beans? I've yet to find a storage method that will give me more than a few weeks. I would hope to be able to rotate my coffee stores no more than every 6 months or so.

[MikeK]

Green coffee beans store the best. You can roast them easily enough as you need them. Mylar and O2 absorbers will keep it for years. Roasted beans aren't going to store as long.

[Survivalguy72]

A few weeks? I have coffee a year old that tastes fine.

[charliemeyer007]

Chickory grows wild here, toss in some nodoze whaula coffie subsistute. In june when a alledgelly 3 # can of cheap coffie went from $6 to $12 I started looking a tea.

[dealfinder500]

I've just tried out a new coffee that ALDI has - it comes in foil wrapped bricks for $4.99. The use by dates on those are in 2013. I think coffee will stay good longer than most of us anticipate. Probably not years and years, but at least a good couple years. Of course, a lot of that depends on your taste, too.

Originally Posted by Survivalguy72

A few weeks? I have coffee a year old that tastes fine.

I have, too. Tastes fine to me. Maybe I'm just not very picky. Of course, if it's been OPENED for a while it doesn't taste as good to me. But as long as it's been sealed, I don't mind it.

[Survivalguy72]

You have coffee opened long enough to go stale? heehee

[harlequin]

beans in a can. grind as needed. keep them out of the light. you dont' need to freeze them.

[harlequin]

Originally Posted by Survivalguy72

A few weeks? I have coffee a year old that tastes fine.

folgers doesn't really count.

[WGSNewnan]

instant because WSHTF - you really wont care how bad it is.

[tonyt]

Go caffeine free, then it's one less thing to worry about.

[Wilson412]

I think that the best way to store it would be to purchase those small already sealed mylar bags full of coffee. Most of what I've seen recently has an expiration date well into 2013, so just keep rotating.

[DarknessFalls]

Instant, will be highly trade-able if there is no power. Are you willing to waste power, fuel, etc to roast, grind, and brew when you can use a little water you are boiling and make a cup of coffee and oatmeal for the whole family?

Instant tastes like crap but it is the most efficient and it does get the job done. Some people pay hundreds for the coffee beans that are crapped out the cats azz(kopi luwak), you can have that same taste at a much lower price less the kitty fecal matter.

[ChristyACB]

Coffee storage is very serious business for some of us!

There are multiple methods for a variety of situations.

If you have concerns about smells attracting attention...like if you're in the suburbs or near an urban center....then you need to be cautious of roasting your own beans as your primary storage. They have a distinctive and strong smell that carries a very long way. It is also one that can be recognized by many and scavengers would...quite reasonably...think if you have time, energy and supplies to roast coffee, then you probably have a good stash of other stuff.

Just something to consider.

Here is the strategy I use. I can not skip coffee...no way...until there is no other choice.

1) Short term SHTF: Keep a 3 month rotating stock instead of just a couple of weeks. This can be your regular brand. Just keep 3 months for a short term interruption.

2) Medium SHTF: I keep a stock of already roasted, but never flavored or any of that stuff, whole beans. Buy them in whatever way you like, then vacuum seal them in smaller mylar bags. Keep a manual grinder on hand. I have personally tested this and re-bagged beans taste just the same as the new beans. Ones left in the original bags or in the bigger bags taste off after about 2 years.

3) Long term SHTF: Same as above for some and then bag after bag of unroasted green beans. Also segregate them into smaller mylar bags and vac seal them. 1 gallon bags seem to do best for preserving. I'm not sure if it is because it keeps any beans affected by a bad bean in the bag to a minimum or what, but it does work better for LTS.

4) Emergency Coffee. Coffee brewing also has a smell. Keep a LARGE stock of freeze dried coffee. It will last for decades I believe. You might do better to repackage into glass jars and keep in an utterly dark place or cover the jars themselves in foil or some other light blocking material. Use canning jars and vac seal them with a seal a meal or the like. Works great.

Last but not at all least...have several ways to brew or heat to make it. Each one accommodating a different amount of expendable heat energy.

[realmcgyver]

I looked for a while for a good coffee with a long shelf life that I would enjoy. I found this a Wallyworld for $2.88 a can. Its getting more popular now best by dates of 2014 on the can I bought in August. Its a full flavor fine ground coffee. They do sell it by the case big or small cans and bags. The can is tin with and tid lid also. Other than green beans this coffee has the longest shelf life I have found and it tastes GOOD! Make it like regular coffee.

http://www.javacabana.com/?p=catalog&parent=2

http://cafebustelo.com/

[cranky1950]

Originally Posted by SabaGuy

The weak link in my survival strategy is coffee. What's the best storage solution coffee, ground or beans? I've yet to find a storage method that will give me more than a few weeks. I would hope to be able to rotate my coffee stores no more than every 6 months or so.

You only feel this way its not really true. Sometime you just have to suck it up and carryon. Now chocolate, there's a real survival necessity.

[BuginBoy]

Originally Posted by Survivalguy72

A few weeks? I have coffee a year old that tastes fine.

I think maybe SabaGuy is one of them "gourmet" coffee kind of guys. You know the type. After all anybody with "Saba" in his name.................!

[BuginBoy]

Originally Posted by Survivalguy72

You have coffee opened long enough to go stale? heehee

Good point. Anbody who'd DO such a thing shouldn't be allowed to even have coffee!

[BuginBoy]

Originally Posted by tonyt

Go caffeine free, then it's one less thing to worry about.

You've got a sick mind, Tony!

[monet108]

Not a great substitute but not a horrible substitute is instant coffee from Asian grocery stores. Like this link.

Nescafe Rich Aroma Instant Coffee - 3 in 1 - 30... Nescafe Rich Aroma Instant Coffee - 3 in 1 - 30...
Nescafe Rich Aroma Instant Coffee - 3 in 1 - 30...

If you have an Asian grocery store that has instant coffee you should give it a try. I have not found a comparable instant coffee being sold in regular grocery stores. Not sure why.

[Texas Patriot]

My understanding is freeze dried or instant coffee has an indefinite shelf life, if kept from moisture. Tea will keep indefinitely under those same conditions. Ok, here's what I have. I found ,in one of my old duffle bags, a 13 oz plastic bottle of Folger's ground coffee. This stuff is OLD! The expiration date is 03/1988! Twenty- three years old. I'm going into the kitchen to open it. Ok , I'm back. There was still a seal, I heard the vacuum break when I opened it. The coffee is not compacted, flows freely,it smells strongly, like fresh coffee. Since it is almost 2200, I'm not going to drink any till tomorrow morning...that will be the real test! This is fun! TP