# What's the best way to store tea & coffee?



## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

One of our local grocerers has tea for a really good price this week. I would like to stock up, but not sure the best way to store it. Any ideas?


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## tortminder (Oct 15, 2008)

Foodsaver vacuum seal


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

As above but also keep in a cool, dark, dry place.

If the coffee / tea is on a really good special, double-check the expiry-date. My rule of thumb is that it should be good for upto 1 year past expiry if stored properly.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

My standard answer is always a dessicant and O2 absorber, stored in a cool, dark place.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

I'm a Maxwell House kind of guy.

I buy it in those 2.5# cans with the vacuum seal. We also buy in bulk when it's on sale. I've never really kept track of shelf-life but I'm sure some cans are at least a couple years old and we've never had a problem with quality.


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

bczoom said:


> I'm a Maxwell House kind of guy.


 Arrrrrgggghhh! Spit, sputter. 

Just pullin' your leg, bc. I'm not a Maxwell House guy (are they the same people who make Maxi-pads?), but I say the same thing about Miller Lite. Folgers dark roast gets me going in the morning. So, if ya ever want a cup of REAL coffee, stop on in and my better half will top it off with some of her homemade peach jelly on toast.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

horseman09 said:


> So, if ya ever want a cup of REAL coffee, stop on in and my better half _will top it off with some of her homemade peach jelly on toast._


What the heck? You're dissin' my MH and you top your coffee off with peach jelly on toast? I'm sure it holds the heat in, but what does it taste like? Does it look like French Onion soup with that toast and jelly laying on your coffee? Do you need to poke a straw through the toast if you want straight coffee? I guess I'll have to stop teasing Mrs. Zoom about putting cream in her coffee after I tell her that this guy I know puts toast with jelly on his coffee.  Just kidding.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

bczoom said:


> What the heck? You're dissin' my MH and you top your coffee off with peach jelly on toast? I'm sure it holds the heat in, but what does it taste like? Does it look like French Onion soup with that toast and jelly laying on your coffee? Do you need to poke a straw through the toast if you want straight coffee? I guess I'll have to stop teasing Mrs. Zoom about putting cream in her coffee after I tell her that this guy I know puts toast with jelly on his coffee.  Just kidding.


:lolsmash: I'm still laughing! You're too funny! :lolsmash:


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

bczoom said:


> What the heck? You're dissin' my MH and you top your coffee off with peach jelly on toast? I'm sure it holds the heat in, but what does it taste like? Does it look like French Onion soup with that toast and jelly laying on your coffee? Do you need to poke a straw through the toast if you want straight coffee? I guess I'll have to stop teasing Mrs. Zoom about putting cream in her coffee after I tell her that this guy I know puts toast with jelly on his coffee.  Just kidding.


Well, bc, normal people have their jelly toast separate from their coffee, but since you drink Maxwell House, I thought you'd prefer something to "top off" your mud.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

*Coffee tea or.... Jim beam!!*

Actually I was raised on Folgers, but several years back it got so it looks like saw dust.. no real color and little smell of real coffee, as a kid my mom would call me into the kitchen when she went to open a can of folgers and I'd lean over and she would turn the can opener and as it went sssit...I'd sniff real hard !!! wonderful!! to bad it don't hiss any more..or smell great... MH is a good coffee and the dark ...gag sputter "french" spit.. roast is by far the best...But I buy whole beans in 3 lb vac sealed bags at Costco and grind it myself...

I did buy Folgers in bulk just before Y2K, it was like $4.00 for the big can, I bought 20 cans.. and gave most of them away over the last 10 years.. tried making coffee with one and it sucked... but after 10 years it was still fresh..whatever it was...

I did learn from a buddy with a coffee shop that keeping it in the freezer was bad juju mon... something about the oil.. he said keep it in the dark and cool...

Tea is tea as far as I know it's dried leaves with no oils...I think... but vac sealed and put with the coffee would be smart... and I'll tell ya right here if I was outta coffee I'd trade a big gold coin for a pound of beans!!...

Jim Beam don't spoil... it stores forever...... get some!! it cures bites from Snow Snakes and Ice Worms.... honest!! trust me!!....


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

HozayBuck said:


> Jim Beam don't spoil... it stores forever...... get some!! it cures bites from Snow Snakes and Ice Worms.... honest!! trust me!!....


By golly Hozay, the Snow Snakes and Ice Worms have mighty fierce around here lately. Guess I'd better go buy some "medicine". Thanks for the tip.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

horseman09 said:


> By golly Hozay, the Snow Snakes and Ice Worms have mighty fierce around here lately. Guess I'd better go buy some "medicine". Thanks for the tip.


Hey! anytime brother...BUT!!! it's gotta be good ol Bourbon none of that watered down "Canadian Blend" wussie stuff... Jimmy B or Jackie D... works best , some of the lesser known brands will do in a fix... just takes more of it..which ain't all bad!!..

Why I even seen some "Sweat Snakes" down in East TX !! and I bet it works on the... Best be hauling a jug along with me since I'm heading there soon and hard as it is to believe the Homestead is smack in the middle of Bible poundin Baptist country and is drier then a desert spitball... an that's dry!

Can yawl imagine going into a really good Mex food joint and not being able to order a crevesa ????? harsh!!!! real HArsh


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## horseman09 (Mar 2, 2010)

A dry county.  Some things just ain't natural.


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## OldFashionedMama (Jun 18, 2009)

Cafe Bustelo is an excellent, economical choice. Strong, espresso roast-really gets you going! Unfortunately we're kind of coffee snobs around here, and order from Gevalia or pick up Starbucks regularly. Starbucks is great because they grind it fresh for you at the store  

All the other coffee drinkers in my family are Maxwell House people. When my grandpa was helping us move here, we offered to get him some Starbucks and he said "Naw. I got mine. I just drink "workin' man's" coffee"


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## Tribal Warlord Thug (Jan 27, 2009)

How Long to Keep / Best Way to Store Coffee, Ground, Commercially Canned, Vacuum-packed - Unopened

http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18489 
http://stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18487


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

OldFashionedMama said:


> Cafe Bustelo is an excellent, economical choice. Strong, espresso roast-really gets you going! Unfortunately we're kind of coffee snobs around here, and order from Gevalia or pick up Starbucks regularly. Starbucks is great because they grind it fresh for you at the store
> 
> All the other coffee drinkers in my family are Maxwell House people. When my grandpa was helping us move here, we offered to get him some Starbucks and he said "Naw. I got mine. I just drink "workin' man's" coffee"


I love Cafe Bustelo! I mix one brick into one container of either Chef's Choice coffee or folgers Black silk and it is the best "wake you up in the morning" blend ever! Nice rich flavor without being too bitter or too bland. Don't care too much for starbucks--too high a price for burnt bitter tasting coffee--now if you ever find a Maui Wowwie coffee shop you have to try their coffee! awesome flavor and taste for a chain of coffee place.


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## OldFashionedMama (Jun 18, 2009)

Emerald said:


> I love Cafe Bustelo! I mix one brick into one container of either Chef's Choice coffee or folgers Black silk and it is the best "wake you up in the morning" blend ever! Nice rich flavor without being too bitter or too bland. Don't care too much for starbucks--too high a price for burnt bitter tasting coffee--now if you ever find a Maui Wowwie coffee shop you have to try their coffee! awesome flavor and taste for a chain of coffee place.


I mixed Cafe Bustelo with Folgers French roast-not too shabby! I like a strong coffee. Watched a show one time about how coffee is prepared in different places. They visited a family somewhere in Africa, and they just took a handful of beans, smashed them rather coarsely with a mortar and pestle, then strained it through hot water, kind of like you would with a tea strainer. It looked SUPER strong, and it probably was considering the tiny little cups they serve it in! Seems like the adding cream and sugar thing is limited to the Western cultures, though. I finally stopped adding sugar, but I just can't drink my coffee black...blech!


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## testhop (Dec 20, 2009)

i like TASTERS CHOISE instent.
and keep 6or 8 jars on hand go throght 1 a mo.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons sweet ground chocolate 
1/4 cup dark cocoa (Dutch cocoa?)... Nesquik when i was a kid
3/8 teaspoon cinnamon 
4 tablespoons dark instant coffee, ground to a powder 
1-2 pinch(es) nutmeg 

thoroughly mix

1 tablespoon per cup boiling water

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Sounds good, Blob! So many coffee recipes...how about a 'tea' one?

Handful of fresh mint leaves or smaller handful of dried mint leaves
Steep in almost-boiling water for almost half an hour.
Chill.
Strain out the mint leaves, add water to make half a gallon.
Add honey to taste. (Or sugar if you're not into honey)(It can be hard to get the honey to dissolve)
Add ice cubes.

In hot weather it's the most refreshing drink I know!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

testhop said:


> i like TASTERS CHOICE instant.
> and keep 6 or 8 jars on hand go through 1 a mo.


That's what DW drinks exclusively and she goes through 1 in about 6 weeks. I have 10 jars downstairs. When she gets a new one, I steal it and replace it with one from storage. The "best buy" date is 2 years out but I read somewhere that freeze-dried coffee will keep considerably longer than the date on the jar.


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## survivalprepdotnet (Mar 11, 2010)

Some of you may have seen a few posts about coffee recently on Survivalblog.com. There's an interesting tidbit at the first link about coffee having an anti-inflammatory effect on the lungs of asthma sufferers. I noticed this myself recently when I changed jobs and wasn't drinking coffee all day--my wheezing noticeably increased. One letter in the first link also mentions Cafe Bustelo coffee, which comes in cans that you need a can opener to open rather than those foil flaps. Seems to me like that would stay fresh for a very long time, until you open the can:

Four Letters Re: Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society - SurvivalBlog.com

Letter Re: Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society - SurvivalBlog.com

Letter Re: Coffee in a Post-Collapse Society - SurvivalBlog.com


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