Has anyon done Long Term Storage of Ground Coffee ?

[monkeybird]

Lowdown speaks the truth. I truly love the flavor of fine dark roast coffee. In fact, until the price went up, I loved nothing better than a Starbucks Cappuccino. My favorite treat. However, the money to purchase and store green coffee beans, IMHO, could better be spent on food that will provide nutrition and calories.

In the civil war, southerners used chichory to make coffee. In fact, my grandmother and a few of her sisters were still drinking it in the 1950's. Don't even know if you can get it anymore. Anyway, there was no coffee after the war, and my grandmother, born in 1868, never tasted real coffee until WWI was over. After coffee become available, it was too expensive for the war savaged southerners, so they continue to drink chichory or a blend of coffee/chichory. I tasted it once, it's absolutely terrible!

While I'll miss my coffee in the PAW, I'll just have to be satisfied with more food. I have however stored many jars of freeze dried instant. While I hate instant, it last longer and will help me make the transition.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Mt Dew Rules! LOL
Easy there brother, we are not all caught up to you living off the land but we get along ok, even my dumb self losing my home. I have lived the land way before. I lived with my farming grandparents who didnt always have plumbing, electricity, even a solid roof and still had an outhouse even after I was around and they managed to drink coffee twice a day. Coffee, tobacco and other things were grown even during war, even over food at times. Speaking of that I know a bunch of vets who have had a cup even during the mix, hell if you are gonna die you just as well have a little enjoyment. Bet I can trade a little grind for a tater or 2. I don't drink it but I would stop no one from storing anything they will need to function. You are wrong about yahtzee time too, I have stored some games. Boredom is a great enemy and builds complacency. Ever been on long deployments in remote areas where you couldnt travel? Games and humor go a long ways towards mental stability.
" I could go on and on." Yes tell me how much rougher it will be than those before us faced and yet we still have coffee. As monkeybird stated it comes and goes with cost and availibilty but so does everything such as cars, entertainment, sex and quality food.
If I'm not fighting to make it better then what the heck am I doing? I plan on rebuilding maybe even better in the long run. I'm not gonna march back and forth on guard duty till I die and leave that legacy to my kids hidden in a cave afraid of everyone. You gotta look beyond just making it or it aint worth it.
Ok coming back up for air

[gkmiami]

Lowdown,

I certainly didn't mean to step on toes here and apologize if I did.

However, the main thrust of my post was concerning the best way to store coffee long term and saving money in the process. The price I'm paying now for the kind of coffee I consider good is not far off the everyday brands. This 'peasant' doesn't need to apologize for that. I live pretty darn rural and am not close enough to a Starbucks (or clone thereof) to get there in two hours at Interstate speeds and I don't drink lattes. At only one cup in the last month obviously your coffee bill is far less than mine and certainly a much lower priority. I simply enjoy good fresh dark roast coffee and enjoy being self sufficient enough to store and roast it myself.

"Yes, and I think I specifically stated that I'm not the kind of person that "has" to have fancy pants coffee I.e, a coffee snob. So YMMV on that."

"That has been and will remain my argument on the "we can't live without french roast" deal."

Nor I and I never said I couln't live without it I simply enjoy good dark roast coffee.

You speak the truth as to time being extra precious in the PAW, and I agree, but not everything we do today is done with PAW in mind. I also submit, as many would agree, that to have a few comforts after tshtf is a VERY good thing. That would be one of mine. I now drink on average about three cups in the morning but in dire times I may very well choose to savor the drink much less. The less I drink the less time I'll spend preparing it. I'm sure we ALL do things now that we know will not be prudent or possible when thshtf.

gk

[Klayton]

I have to agree with Matt here, if you do NOT have board games in your stash, you are seriously doing an injustice to your family.

Think of the morale of your family when you tell them no more tv, no more stereo, and yes little johnny no more family game night...

I personally have over 15 (if I remember right) of different board games to play. You HAVE TO keep your family going on something other than collecting eggs and watching security monitors...

just my 2 copper pieces...

[Lowdown3]

Dang it! Had a long reply and it vanished....

Suffice to say that I'm not saying "don't store coffee" nor did I say "don't keep board games."

The points I was attempting to make were about time, labor and manpower (lack thereof).

Deployed in the military wherein you know you have hundreds or possibly thousands of other soldiers to relay on is different than having only your family and perhaps a few friends with you.

I've met over a thousand like minded folks in my years and travels. I've met a grand total of ONE group that had more than 40 members. Numerous "groups" that weren't also. The average size of the functioning survival groups were around 20 including dependents.

The issue has and remains using labor and time savers where possible. Wish I hadn't lost that other reply......

[610Alpha]

Once again lowdown3 you are showing your thoroughness. I think I will store some freeze dried instant coffee, doesn't take a lot of work to make and I still get my caffeine fix.

We will all have to prioritize our activities, games and relaxation will be lower down on the list (gotta eat and drink etc.) but I believe that there was time for that back in the day before electricity. So if they could make the time back then I am sure that we would be able to find the time as well, whether it be a game of solitaire while on CQ duty.

[becky3086]

Ok, I really wanted to hear how anyone stores coffee besides the freezer. Whole bean has been mentioned, anyone else?

[610Alpha]

On the first page of this thread someone talked about vacuum sealing ground coffee. I personally am going to do long term storage the way Lowdown recommends, since he worked in that market, mylar bags + O2 absorbers + Food Grade buckets w/ gasket Lids. I will most likely use freeze dried and/or some other instant variation (not sure if there is more than 1 way to make instant coffee).

Someone else mentioned freezing in their deep freeze but I am trying to stick with non-electrical storage options.

Hope that helps.

[Davar]

There isn't going to be any Yahtzee time right away, but in the dead of winter where it gets cold and snowy, theres going to be time. Come spring, summer and fall, busy busy busy. If you have two ft of snow outside and single digit temps, theres not much outdoor activity that's gonna happen. I suspect that in these regions the first winter will be most people's last.

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