# Coffee



## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I don't know about you, but I'd rather surrender unconditionally than live without any coffee. Where is the best place to get bulk beans?


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Do you roast or are you looking to buy prepacked ground?

What kind of coffee?

This is one of the more popular providers.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php

I'm also the admin on a coffee forum.

http://www.coffeeforum.com/

I will be doing some revisions as we have little traffic, but I have a good base knowledge of coffee and can point you in some of the right directions.


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

There's a COFFEE FORUM??!!??!! :2thumb: If I had known that I probably wouldn't be prepping!:gaah:


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## SixGunsRattlesnake (Feb 9, 2012)

All of my prepping is based around coffee, and finding more coffee


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

*Hmmm I find this interesting ... might have to try it!*


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I'm not a coffee drinker and I'm sure that true coffee connoisseurs would like to smack me upside the head for suggesting it, but did you give any thought to freeze-dried? Lots of folks stock up on freeze-dried food because it's easy to store and lasts for years. You also wouldn't need to worry about how you are going to grind those beans in a grid-down situation. eep:


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

:2thumb: THANK goodness there's others who love coffee as much as I do. I am hopelessly addicted to it. So my plan is to percolate it, I guess. How else is there? Instant is only fine in a horrible pinch and should not be relied upon for any personal satisfaction or significant reduction of caffeine withdrawal symptoms, imho.

I have a mill to grind beans. Is it cheaper to get beans or already ground? I don't think coffee is very cheap no matter how you get it. Guess Juan Valdez is taking too many coffee breaks.

This is after TSHTF, of course. I'm talking about when there's no power.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

While I love my beans and grind them myself when I make my coffee, I also like a couple of the freeze dried coffees.. like tasters choice(the one packed for the Mexican markets and in the world market aisle) it is cheaper to get the Mexican version (by two bucks)and it tastes better than others I've tried..
I am buying up and storing pre-roasted coffee beans whole and vac-packed into mason jars. 
But even folks who think they have to have fancy mocha lattes and other drinks are gonna love a cup of freeze dried if they can't get the other any longer..
I am seriously thinking of buying a tea plant for in the house to go next to my orange and lemon and lime trees. I may not get tons of tea but a nice cup of tea with caffeine would be nice. and with all the herbs I have growing wild in the yard already it could really stretch that real tea out.
I have regular tea in vac-packed mason jars too and have used the one that is over 10 years old and is vac-packed after every opening and it still taste absolutely fine.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

Emerald said:


> I am seriously thinking of buying a tea plant for in the house to go next to my orange and lemon and lime trees. I may not get tons of tea but a nice cup of tea with caffeine would be nice. and with all the herbs I have growing wild in the yard already it could really stretch that real tea out.
> 
> you can grow coffee plants in a greenhouse too, they did in new england way back. the problem was that the berries ripen only a few at a time, not too practical for commercial pickers...


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

oh, I'm under no illusions that I will pine away from my flavored Breve from my local coffee shop, but I've tried several kinds of instant and it's almost worse than no coffee at all.....almost. I suppose a french press would be fine too, but it's getting the beans that freaks me out. BIG bulk, like 25 pounds of it is cheaper per pound than 5 pounds at a time, but I just don't know if I can fork out a wad like that.


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

Since DH & I are coffeeaholics too (him way worse then me), we are concerned about storage. Someone told us that coffee (beans or ground) can only be stored for so long because the oils will make it go rancid. If so, is there ANY way to store it, besides freeze-dried instant?


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

ok, I've been looking for answers for two days. It's all making me crazy, but I think I've kind of figured out what needs to be done. I currently use a Mr. Coffee drip machine with Folgers or whatever. That will obviously be useless in post :shtf: SO, the next option is to buy beans. Apparently there's great concern for the freshness of roasted beans...I don't know if I am snooty enough to tell the difference. Roasted beans go stale quicker because the oils in the bean have been released by the roasting process. The best idea for storing coffee for long-term would be to buy big bags of green coffee beans and then roast and grind them yourself. Sounds good, but I'm not sure how much time that takes and you may be putting a significant amount of time each day into preparing a cup of coffee, which could be completely impractical. You'd also need to vacuum seal the beans in about 5lb portions so you didn't expose the whole 25lb bag of beans to air while you're using it. For a sealed bucket of beans: http://www.sanmarcocoffee.com/green-coffee-25-lb-pail.html

I think a more reasonable option is to purchase vacuum packed ground coffee. From everything I can find, it appears that it will stay about as fresh for as about as long as anything else. Plus, cost-wise, it's a more feasible option for me personally since I can buy it in increments instead of buying 25 pounds at a time. Plus, I don't have to mess around with a coffee grinder, even though I can grind beans in my grain mill. It will NOT taste like a Starbucks latte when you open it 5 years from now, but it WILL taste like a cup of coffee, which is comforting to me at least. I have both a percolator to use on an open fire and a french press to use with boiled water, so I guess I feel like I'm pretty much covered.

Any other advice?


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*I bought*

I just bought 25 lbs of Columbian green coffee beans for $111.00.

I will seal them in two pound seal a meal vacume bags and store them in a plastic bucket. They will keep this way for 20 years.

As I use them , I can roast a pound at a time in my over on cookie sheets.

The oven should be 500 degrees and I roast them for 10 miniuts.

Then I take them outside and blow them with a hair dryer , (no heat) to blow away the bean husks.

You let them cool for about four hours and seal them in a glass jar for use as needed.

I have a hand crank coffee grinder and grind enough for a day at a time.

This just takes a few miniuts.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I just assumed everyone's preps centered around a huge stash of coffee! 

We buy the regular cans of coffee at the store, then open them and vacuum seal the grounds. Then they're stacked in buckets, sealed, and put in one of the sheds, which in our cold climate allows food to keep for some time. We keep the stacks of buckets covered with old blankets so light won't seep through the walls of the buckets, which helps keep off-flavors from developing.

We use a French press to make our coffee because it doesn't need electricity or filters. It's great.

(PS: imo, Instant coffee is a different food group altogether! Ugh! :gaah: )


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

gypsysue said:


> I just assumed everyone's preps centered around a huge stash of coffee!
> 
> We buy the regular cans of coffee at the store, then open them and vacuum seal the grounds. Then they're stacked in buckets, sealed, and put in one of the sheds, which in our cold climate allows food to keep for some time. We keep the stacks of buckets covered with old blankets so light won't seep through the walls of the buckets, which helps keep off-flavors from developing.
> 
> ...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handpresso

Here's an espresso preparation that doesn't include electricity either.


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## PrepN4Good (Dec 23, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> We buy the regular cans of coffee at the store, then open them and vacuum seal the grounds. Then they're stacked in buckets, sealed, and put in one of the sheds, which in our cold climate allows food to keep for some time. We keep the stacks of buckets covered with old blankets so light won't seep through the walls of the buckets, which helps keep off-flavors from developing.


What about the "bricks" of ground coffee that appear to already be vacuum sealed? Wouldn't they keep longer with no further processing (kept in a cool dark place)?


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

PrepN4Good said:


> What about the "bricks" of ground coffee that appear to already be vacuum sealed? Wouldn't they keep longer with no further processing (kept in a cool dark place)?


I have several of those bricks that have Cuban espresso in them and I have found that every so often they lose their seal somewhere and slowly start to "puff" so I have them where I can see them often and if I see any kind of "puff" I vac-pack them in mason jars. in the big tins of coffee I have also found that the vac-pack "sticker" in the middle of the seal will not be tight or rubbed down properly and the vac-pack is not tight like a drum and so I get the little handheld vac packer(from ziplock for their bags) and suck the air out and rub the silver sticker into place and the tin will last longer.
While I love my coffees and have several mason jars of fancy beans from all over the place I am still just a coffee drinker and not a snob about it.. One of my favorite everyday mixes is still Master chef mixed with a brick of Cuban espresso and put in a press. and no matter what others say I like my Nescafe Mexican freeze dried coffee.. it tends to be rich and dark and taste like coffee... not the best but certainly not the worst and when I am having bad back days it is so much easier for my son or other family members who are here to help to just quickly get me a cuppa.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Like you I enjoy all types but more often than not go to the cheaper beans as I drink it to fast especially in the mornings when my taste buds have yet to wake up.


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## nannyr (Feb 16, 2012)

I won't go without coffee....no way no how....I'm a coffee hoarder! oh...sorry. Why I really logged in was to try and find the cheapest bulk dehydrated veggies, potatoes, etc....I refuse to pay $15 - $30 for a single #10 can.....I'm looking for large bags to break down myself. There isn't an LDS cannery near me, or I'd go there. thanks for any info


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

Oh dear God, a coffee forum, like I need another reason to waste time, LOL

For my morning coffee, what ever the hell is on sale is good enough. But, i want to find a really good good coffee for Sunday mornings  And at the risk of offending a purist or two, I do like starbucks.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Lazydaisy, I would try freeze dried to last. Starbucks has their own, Via, but it is SO expensive. The usual instants would be your best bet. Yes, coffee beans go bad and taste awful after a while.

I am in coffee central, Pacific Northwest, have had family members work in the industry, so learned a lot from them. We buy bulk from our favorite local store, and have a preferred particular one (Tanzanian Peaberry, currently $7.99 pound). So we store our beans in the freezer to keep it from going stale, although, we use it long before it could ever do that.

Our top favorite is from a local yard supply company (they sell barkdust, mulch, rocks and plant) and they roast coffee on the side, $12.00 a pound, Papua New Guniea peaberry, and it is beyond belief. I fear having to do without my two favorite coffees if SHTF, but honestly know we could not store them well if there was no way to keep them frozen. I suppose I too better stock up on freeze dried too...


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

the best thing a person can do now is try to get along with anything that your body dosen't need to survive,coffee,tobacco,booze,candy,sweets,almost everything at the local convenience store. you may be supprised at how great you feel in a few weeks.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

My husband and I would have a massive headache without the coffee....we would be on each others nerves. LOL.....Coffee IS a necessity up here (long gray days).


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## 1969cj-5 (Sep 14, 2011)

We are not Coffee drinkers, but I do have a supply of freeze dried one pound packages for trade purposes.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

lotsoflead said:


> the best thing a person can do now is try to get along with anything that your body dosen't need to survive,coffee,tobacco,booze,candy,sweets,almost everything at the local convenience store. you may be supprised at how great you feel in a few weeks.


You'd be surprised how many people would die in those few weeks..


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## md1911 (Feb 9, 2012)

Emerald said:


> You'd be surprised how many people would die in those few weeks..


I drink 2 or 3 pots a day. I agree a lot of people would die


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> I'm not a coffee drinker and I'm sure that true coffee connoisseurs would like to smack me upside the head for suggesting it, but did you give any thought to freeze-dried? Lots of folks stock up on freeze-dried food because it's easy to store and lasts for years. You also wouldn't need to worry about how you are going to grind those beans in a grid-down situation. eep:


I vac pack freeze dried coffee an creamer. Should last a good long bit. Might not be quite a good, but sure will be better en swamp water.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> I vac pack freeze dried coffee an creamer. Should last a good long bit. Might not be quite a good, but sure will be better en swamp water.


I'm starting to get a few of the food saver bags that are too small for much. usually I use them to store spices and such in my camper as it works well to keep the damp(tent camper) out of them.
Maybe I'll work up some with sugar and non dairy creamer and coffee.. get them vac-packed or even just sealed and put out there too.
As gungho as I am on all natural stuff the one thing I do use(and I do know what is in it) is non dairy creamer.. it is my biggest vice and so far doesn't seem to set off my allergies.. I hate being lactose intolerant. I have the pills and do sometimes go with real cream and even whipped cream but while I causes me discomfort.. it causes my family much more discomfort and in a bug out situ it may just give our location away!


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Here in the NW, all you know what has broke loose, it is early morning in our household, and coffee is non-existant. Someone attempts to break in....yes, some people would die.

Coffee up here is lifeblood. Right now I am comfortably inside, watching a gnarly storm rage outside. Rain is coming down so hard, it hits the ground and jumps back up from the force, but also wind is howling so it is somewhat sideways, it is dark and gloomy. This is a good portion of our fall, winter and into spring, sorry, coffee is a necessity.


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## ReconCraftTheta (Jun 30, 2010)

I'd start by looking at basic bulk warehouses (sams club, etc). If all fails there, just slowly stock up on single cup pouches. Folger's makes a great one. Small, very light, cheap. Positively, the taste good as well. If that helps at all, my friend.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I have tried many of the freeze dried and found that I like the nescafe Classico(found in our stores world market aisle or in the Mexican aisle) even the decaf is okay, and I like the Cafe Bustelo instant(also in the world market aisle) much richer in taste but is more of an espresso taste. 
Don't care for folgers coffee of any type tho and their instant is just so-so. the Save a lot freeze dried is dismal and a last resort and the dollar tree freeze dried is almost the same as the save a lot.
At the store called "World Market" they have an instant espresso that is very nice but expensive!
the Meijer brand is somewhere between the folgers and the nescafe and better than the save a lot brand.

Then there are the instant cappuccino and latte mixes.. these are all a personal preference type thing. I like Hill brothers French vanilla cappuccino the best. Sam's club not so much..
I also like many of the different flavors of the international coffees. a few tins of this hidden away for a rainy day would not be unwelcome.


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## ReconCraftTheta (Jun 30, 2010)

It's more up to opinion. Freeze dried and instant are pretty similar. All in preference


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I didn't realize Bustelo offered an instant. 

I'll have to check it out. I use it when I'm making Vietnamese coffee.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Austin said:


> I didn't realize Bustelo offered an instant.
> 
> I'll have to check it out. I use it when I'm making Vietnamese coffee.


I love Bustelo and have several bricks put back.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Vietnamese coffee....isn't that the stuff that has been, ehem...excremented out from some kind of deer over there? 

I have been getting one coffee we have fallen in love with, Papua New Guinea Peaberry, at our local bark dust/ yard supply place. They roast it there every day, it is SO good and SO fresh (I buy it and sit in the van and sniff the bag like some feening addict). Then the second favorite is Tanzanian Peaberry, bought from Winco, just a local roaster brand that carries it, but it too is really good. They are both light roasts so are high in caffeine :smilieimg: !


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

HoppeEL4 said:


> Vietnamese coffee....isn't that the stuff that has been, ehem...excremented out from some kind of deer over there?
> 
> I have been getting one coffee we have fallen in love with, Papua New Guinea Peaberry, at our local bark dust/ yard supply place. They roast it there every day, it is SO good and SO fresh (I buy it and sit in the van and sniff the bag like some feening addict). Then the second favorite is Tanzanian Peaberry, bought from Winco, just a local roaster brand that carries it, but it too is really good. They are both light roasts so are high in caffeine :smilieimg: !


Nope, you're thinking Copi Luwak from the civet cat.

Vietnamese uses a small post to produce a single very strong cup which is then mixed with condensed milk.

The French occupation took coffee to that part so you have an unusually high number of coffee drinkers in that area compared to other European countries.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Ahh...looked it up, from the Phillipines. Ew. No thanks, I avoid things that have been through the digestive system of an animal.

anywho, I had no idea the Vietnamese were so enamored with coffee, think they enjoy a good Starbucks over there?


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## lhalfcent (Mar 11, 2010)

I love coffee!!! I have both a regular coffee pot but also a french press. As long as hot water is available even without electricity i can have coffee!!
you can get one of those french presses for about 20 bucks and they really are sturdy!


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I found this online:

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=13499

"How can we store drinkable coffee really long term as in years? 
1. From all accounts, green, whole beans store the best. Green beans (whole beans) stay reasonably "fresh" for up to a year in a metal, glass or foil lined bag container if sealed from moisture and oxygen and for several years if frozen. 
2. Vacuumed packed steel cans of roasted, ground coffee beans in 59ºF storage may keep a year or two (though I suspect a little longer), with tolerable (but maybe not great) drinking quality. Roasting the bean brings the flavorful, but easily rancidzed oils, to the surface and grinding exposing more of the bean to air. The heavier oils of the beans that travel to the exterior of the bean also often congeal during frozen storage and do not remix well when brewed. 
3. The best keepers are the Instant type and they come in two forms; spun dried powder and freeze dried. If instant is stored at 59ºF, protected from light, in a metal, glass or foil lined bag container, sealed from moisture and oxygen it will keep at least 10 years. 
4. IMO, the stored freeze dried was better tasting than the spun dried powder so that is what I stock Also from my own personal experience, Folgers Freeze Dried Coffee, stored in my basement storeroom for over 23 years in its glass jar. It was not only good; it was excellent in flavor. "

Having said that, we've gone with canned ground coffee and instant coffee. I expect the SHTF this year so we've prepped accordingly.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

lhalfcent said:


> I love coffee!!! I have both a regular coffee pot but also a french press. As long as hot water is available even without electricity i can have coffee!!
> you can get one of those french presses for about 20 bucks and they really are sturdy!


I have a big one and a small one and love them both.. I also have several glass old fashioned(and old) glass percolators that work well on a small fire and over the burners.. and a couple of the big speckled ones that we take camping and deer hunting.
We also have over 5 or 6 of the insulated coffee servers that we bought for open houses and my daughters wedding to serve coffee and hot tea.. so instead of keeping the fire on under a pot of coffee we brew and put in the coffee server.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

HoppeEL4 said:


> Ahh...looked it up, from the Phillipines. Ew. No thanks, I avoid things that have been through the digestive system of an animal.
> 
> anywho, I had no idea the Vietnamese were so enamored with coffee, think they enjoy a good Starbucks over there?


They are big into instant, namely Nescafe which is a general term for coffee in most of south east Asia.



lhalfcent said:


> I love coffee!!! I have both a regular coffee pot but also a french press. As long as hot water is available even without electricity i can have coffee!!
> you can get one of those french presses for about 20 bucks and they really are sturdy!


Here we go, I have

1 french press
2 Vietnamese pots 
1 drip
1 Steam Espresso
1 percolator
1 Mellita (pour over method)

I love coffee. Every preparation, every time, I love the stuff.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I like the Mellita and have been trying to find one, had one decades ago (along with the little metal thing it sat on a mildly warm burner). Where did you find yours?


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Mine was passed along from a friend who rarely used it.

https://shop.melitta.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=64+110&Cat=

Here's a really nice porcelain one. Mine is plastic (the reason my friend rarely used it).

They have some good deals on their site.


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## frisian (Mar 18, 2011)

Last year we opened a #10 can of "Folgers" that had been in storage for 10 years plus.
I was pleasently surprised. It was definitely better than expected.
We served it for our "group" at a meeting and surprised them after the fact.
Most were also surprised and happy that they would be able to store coffee long term.
However since then, I have found it very difficult to find all metal cans...
Many are aluminized cardboard, and those that are metal have a lid made of heavy foil


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## md1911 (Feb 9, 2012)

I don't know what climets coffe will grow in but it would be nice to be able to grow a sustanable source. Along with your stored coffee. I have tried using chickory To extend my coffee. You dry the root and grate it up. Then mix it in your coffee grounds it adds a flavor but its not bad.


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## Claymore5150 (Nov 17, 2011)

A post-fan scenario.....it has been a year since "The Event"....things were calming down...until Claymore5150 ran out of coffee...then it REALLY all went to hell in a handbasket....

The world only THOUGHT that it had "hit the fan"....they were soooooo wrong. 

Hahahahaha!


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

Thanks Austin. I had one decades ago my aunt gave me, and I liked it, even if we lost power in a winter storm I cold make coffee. Although I could with our auto one, it would take some fenagling to make it work (hold up the cone filter holder in order to try to pour hot water through....end up burning myself). The Melitta is made for it.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

frisian said:


> Last year we opened a #10 can of "Folgers" that had been in storage for 10 years plus.
> I was pleasently surprised. It was definitely better than expected.
> We served it for our "group" at a meeting and surprised them after the fact.
> Most were also surprised and happy that they would be able to store coffee long term.
> ...


This is one of the reasons I buy Cafe Bustelo. Solid metal cans.



HoppeEL4 said:


> Thanks Austin. I had one decades ago my aunt gave me, and I liked it, even if we lost power in a winter storm I cold make coffee. Although I could with our auto one, it would take some fenagling to make it work (hold up the cone filter holder in order to try to pour hot water through....end up burning myself). The Melitta is made for it.


You got it!


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Making Coffee*



HoppeEL4 said:


> Thanks Austin. I had one decades ago my aunt gave me, and I liked it, even if we lost power in a winter storm I cold make coffee. Although I could with our auto one, it would take some fenagling to make it work (hold up the cone filter holder in order to try to pour hot water through....end up burning myself). The Melitta is made for it.


To make coffee on the creek bank over a campfire, boil watter and dump in the approprate amount of coffee and allow it to boil for about a miniut.

Remove it from the heat and allow the pot to set for ten miniuts.

Carefully pour a cup without shaking the pot too much.

Allow it to cool enough to sip without burning your mouth.

All the remaining grounds will sink to the bottom of the cup or pot.

Don't drink past the last half inch, (this is called the dreggs).

That is how they made coffee before perked coffee.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

We call that cowboy coffee.


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## Claymore5150 (Nov 17, 2011)

We just take the instant coffee out of the MRE, pour it into our mouth, take a good swig of some high quality h2o, shake our head really good, then swallow.
That's Ranger coffee.

Take it and put a big ole pinch between your cheek and gum, just like copenhagen...Ranger worm dirt dip. Good stuff at 3am when you haven't slept in a couple days.


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

I love, love all the info here! The coffee thing still has me worried but much less so than before. Are the metal cans better than the nifty plastic containers with the handles on them? I like those for putting paint into when I'm done with the coffee.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Plastic (even vac seal bags) over time will let air in. Metal is better. Course the more layers the better so ya could vac seal them plastic containers in mylar fer a longer storage life.


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## HoppeEL4 (Dec 29, 2010)

I know my regular drip make could be used like a Melitta though, and have done it when we lost power. 

As for Cowboy coffee, yeah my dad made that when we went camping, it was before I was a coffee drinker (though my parents would never have allowed us to drink coffee before we even moved out at 18, they were sure it would do something to us, maybe they were making sure we had no reason to stay after 18!!LOL).


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