The Quest for Coffee And SHTF

I've done several posts in the past about coffee storage for extremely bad situations, like being without it. I've looked at several commercial packaging techniques, and the steel canisters seem to be your best bet for ease of use. Look for the expiration dates when you have a few minutes to peruse the coffee aisle at your local grocer.

The holy grail for coffee and long term storage is the green coffee bean, which can stay "fresh" for a year stored in a cool dark pantry, without any special packaging or preparation. The shelf life can be extended to 10+ years with storage in mylar bags and an oxygen eater.

First, a quick education in how the green coffee bean progresses to various roasts. The roasting process was taken from Sweet Maria's wholesale coffee supplier. (LINK)

Understanding the different stages of the roast will help you control the flavor of your cup and appreciate how different roasts result in different cup flavors.
  - Yellowing: For the first few minutes the bean remains greenish, then turn lighter yellowish and emit a grassy smell.
- Steam: The beans start to steam as their internal water content dissipates.
- First Crack: The steam becomes fragrant. Soon you will hear the first crack, an audible cracking sound as the real roasting starts to occur: sugars begin to caramelize, bound-up water escapes, the structure of the bean breaks down and oils migrate from their little pockets outward.
- First Roasted Stage: After the first crack, the roast can be considered complete any time according to your taste. The cracking is an audible cue, and, along with sight and smell, tells you what stage the roast is at. This is what is called a City roast.

- Caramelization: Caramelization continues, oils migrate, and the bean expands in size as the roast becomes dark. As the roast progresses, this is a City + roast. Most of our roast recommendations stop at this point. When you are on the verge of second crack, that is a Full City roast.
- Second Crack: At this point a second crack can be heard, often more volatile than the first. The roast character starts to eclipse the origin character of the beans at this point and is also known as a Vienna roast. A few pops into second crack is a Full City + roast. Roasting all the way through second crack may result in small pieces of bean being blown away like shrapnel!
- Darkening Roast: As the roast becomes very dark, the smoke is more pungent as sugars burn completely, and the bean structure breaks down more and more. As the end of second crack approaches you will achieve a French roast.
- Ack!! Too Late!: Eventually, the sugars burn completely, and the roast will only result in a thin-bodied cup of "charcoal water."

During the next 24 hours, the newly roasted coffee beans will gas carbon dioxide, hence the air vents on commercially processed packages of coffee. I have been experimenting with using a hot air popper, and it is ridiculously simply.

The green coffee beans and the roasted beans to first "pop"

I ordered the sample pack from Sweet Maria's which was eight pounds of coffee beans for about $48.00 w/ shipping. Still a very reasonable price, and the best prices that I've found while researching the topic for a few weeks. (more later on prices)

As a Prepper, this is what I would suggest. Order a sample pack from Sweet Maria's and experiment with the different methods of roasting the green coffee beans. You'll also get to learn the different region growing "tastes" and what roasts (i.e. medium roast, espresso) you prefer. I'll be learning to roast the beans using cast iron and an oven over the next few months. 

SOLUTION: You can either order, and store your coffee with mylar and oxygen eaters, or purchase canned green coffee beans from Costco for about $4.00/pound. I haven't tried the coffee from Costco, so I can't testify to it's quality. Any readers have experience with this brand?  Practice roasting the green coffee beans with varying methods. Having the supplies, but not knowing how to prepare/use them is not good logic. 

If things get bad, you'll still have your morning cup of coffee to greet the day.

 
Comments are always welcomed and Keep Right On Prepping - K

Into The Rut We Go

I had our monthly meeting with the Radiography Group last Sunday, and Ioshua got onto me for not posting in such a long time. Truth be told, I've sat down a few times, but just didn't feel the need to post about Christmas and the daily routine. My wife also pointed out that any regular readership that I have will probably lose interest if I don't post on a regular basis. So....

I used some of my Christmas money to purchase a Faberware Yosemite Stovetop Percolator.

As a twenty plus year veteran of the restaurant industry. I will highly recommend this item. The stainless steel is very thick, and the spindle sits tightly within the percolator. It works like a champ, but remember to turn it down a little after it begins to perk. So, if the power goes out for any period of time, Sweetheart and I will have hot coffee to warm ourselves. Anyone that has followed us knows we love our coffee. The only negative that I can talk about is that the coffee needs to be put into a thermal carafe after brewing. We already have one with our other coffee maker, so no addition purchases necessary.

I'm taking 11 hours this semester. Current Issues In Healthcare, which is a BS class to tell the truth, is an easy A. 8 discussion questions, and a 4 page final  is the entire class course. I've already posted 5 discussion questions within the first two weeks, and plan on having this course put to bed before January 31st, except for the paper and the three responses per discussion. I can write those at a snail's pace over the course of three months, and concentrate on MRI procedures. The third class is the MRI practicum, and I'm able to double dip with my job. Getting paid to do clinicals is the way to go!!! I will have to go a hospital to complete some of the more obscure exams though.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

Small Things & My Thoughts on Coffee, Shelf life, and the SHTF.

The people that regularly read my blog know that I enjoy doing the grocery shopping for our home. It gives me the chance to be on the lookout for any new foods that might prove useful for backpacking, or prepping.  

A person can have the very basic food stuffs to survive a snowstorm, electrical outage, or even a long term emergency situation and be fine. I'm thinking that I'd like to have at least some small luxuries while "surviving" the situation.

I'm positive that my boys would like chocolate powder for their milk and butter [ghee] for their homemade bread in a crisis event.

Heck, sugar for some sweet tea would go a long way in brightening up a long day. It will be the small luxuries that can change an intolerable situation to a little better one. A book to read by the candlelight when the power goes out....I could give numerous examples of the "small things".

......

I noticed at the store that various packaging of coffee lasts longer than others. Not a big deal in itself nor groundbreaking research, but an observation none the less. I visited three stores an averaged the shelf life of various packaging techniques of coffee. I only looked at ground coffee, since grinding the beans might be an issue if there wasn't any power.

The expiration dates on coffee only represents the date in which the company will stand behind it for taste and quality. In my experience, I have had coffee that "expired" over a year ago, and it was still good.

Ground coffee

Non-vacuum packed bags about 2-8 months out

Plastic/paper containers about  8-14 months on average

Metal rounds, vacuum packed mylar brick bags about 18-26 months out. Note: A chicory blend was included that shortened the mean average. I don't know if the blend is a poor seller or if the blend doesn't store well. Either way, expect close to 2 years with non-blends.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

What "small things" do you stock to make bad situations a little better? Comments are welcomed.