Even if you don’t normally drink coffee, it will come in handy during a crisis.
In the 1982 comedy film Airplane II: The Sequel, Peter Graves plays a flight captain who very calmly takes the news that two of his crew have perished after being sucked out of an airlock. But when a flight attendant tells him that they’ve run out of coffee, he goes ballistic, loudly reminding everyone how many times he’s asked for extra coffee to be stored onboard.
While humorous, that movie scene brings up a valid point. Do we really want to live in a world without coffee? If a disaster strikes, coffee will be one of the things many people will wish they had stockpiled, not just for the enjoyment of the taste, but also to help them stay alert in night watch situations and to use as a bartering tool.
A crisis in which supermarkets run out of food and other items quickly will make coffee a hot commodity because it’s often not included in personal stockpiles of food and water. Coffee may be considered a luxury item by some people, but others are convinced they need it to survive the day. Regardless, making it a part of your food stockpile is a great idea that will pay dividends.
Here are my top five reasons for including coffee in a survival stash:
1. Coffee will disappear quickly from store shelves in an emergency. Those who stockpile food and water for emergencies are in the minority, and even many of them do not include coffee in their stashes, so it’s likely to be swept up right away by people who thought of stockpiling everything else except a good cup of joe.
2. Stay alert in night watch situations. A disaster that causes power outages will also cause people to behave in ways they would not otherwise. Some families and groups may be forced to have one person stay awake at all times. Coffee not only keeps you awake, but also more alert and able to concentrate.
3. Use as a bartering tool. During the Civil War, Southern soldiers had plenty of tobacco but little coffee, while soldiers in the North had a lot of coffee but little tobacco, making for a perfect bartering situation. When stores run out of the necessities, there will be plenty of trading going on. Coffee will once again be a valuable bartering item following a disaster.
4. It’s good for you. Once considered harmful, coffee is now known to be rich in flavonoids, a group of antioxidant compounds. Some studies show that coffee can actually protect the heart, lower the risk of several forms of cancer and reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. And it puts most people in a better mood, which can be helpful in a stressful situation.
5. Enjoyment. Smiles and laughs in a post-disaster society will be few and far between, so people will want to occasionally savor something simply for its taste. Coffee lovers will argue that their beverage choice is delicious. And if coffee is as addictive as they jokingly say it is, they’re going to need it as much as want it.
Do you include coffee in your emergency food supply? If so, why? If not, why not? I’d love to hear from you about this.
Even though I do not smoke, I keep a number of packets of Kentucky’s Best brand cigarette tobaccos and cigarette rolling papers in my storage for bartering. If you’ve ever watched a heavy smoker go through withdrawal when they are trying to quit, you can imagine what those will be going through when FORCED to quit cold turkey. One can use a “Seal-A-Meal” to assure that the tobacco stays fresh until the recipient opens it. I also keep bricks of various coffees sealed in the same way.
If you have an Aldi store anywhere close, buy their vacuumed bricks of coffee. Excellent flavor, and like most Aldi stuff, very reasonably priced. I keep a couple of bricks in the freezer and rotate them at least once a year.
I love the way “experts” keep trying to find some way that coffee is bad for your health, but instead keep discovering just the opposite! Coffee is a mild stimulant, antidepressant, laxative, diuretic, and helps me concentrate. Evidently caffeine facilitates the action of insulin in the body, thereby helping with our all-important carbohydrate metabolism. (Maybe that’s why coffee & donuts go together so well. I’ve noticed for myself that eating sweets always produces a craving for coffee!) Instant coffee in particular is supposed to be a good source of magnesium. And what can replace the unique taste of coffee, which combines so well with many other flavors?
At one point I tried “giving up coffee”, and quickly found that most decaf tastes like it’s been through the wash. Also, it felt odd being around others who’d had their coffee while I had not. A subtly different wavelength.
I usually make a “home latte” in the morning: heat the milk in the microwave and stir in the instant coffee. Then maybe another cup later, maybe not. I’ve got my stash of freeze-dried coffee from My Patriot Supply, and find that not only does it have a great flavor, it actually takes less than it says on the package to make a cup. An excellent product for the price!
I found small bottles of instant coffee at the Dollar Store. I bought several for the purpose of bartering. They’re easy to store and will be easy to trade with. I can’t vouch for the taste of the coffee, but I think desperate people will think it’s satisfactory .
Here is a resource that I’ve developed, and I’m glad to share it with you all. I’ve done this with all the major categories of food storage. I have mine in a list format. I haven’t checked the links lately.
Coffee/Hot Chocolate/Tea/Water Enhancers Number of People to Purchase For
Canned Grounds 12 cans, 32 oz. each (2 cases) Vacuum Pack and Freeze.
Luzianne with Chicory (Purchase online) As desired, keep bags in freezer or save in mylar bags
Canned Whole Beans, Green* As much as possible (10-15 year supply)
Freeze Dried in Jars 12 or more jars (Save extras in mylar bags)
Filters** As many as possible
Flavored Coffees, Sugar Free* As many as possible
Dry Creamer or Morning Moo As many as possible
Sugar Free Hot Chocolate Packets As many as possible
Green Tea** As many as possible
Black Tea, Family Size As many as possible
Black Tea, Single Size As many as possible
Flavored Teas As many as possible
Cocoa, Dutch Process and Natural As many as possible
*Green coffee beans can be purchased atWhen buying in bulk, repackage into 2 lb. containers
Coffee in cans
**Seal in vacuum bags.
Purchase 42 cup coffee urn (eBay or Amazon) ; place all coffee makers on one shelf. Hamilton Beach Brew Station 40 cup.
Green Coffee Beans have not yet been roasted so you can roast them yourself when you are ready to enjoy them. And, since the bean is not yet cracked the shelf life is many years longer than that of roasted or ground coffee. Because the beans are canned with oxygen absorbers and food-grade desiccant packs, you can expect these to stay fresh for 20+ years.
Roasting them is as simple as putting them in a pan over heat (stove, solar oven, camp fire, gas grill, etc.) or under heat (broiler, oven, etc.). One of the most popular methods of roasting coffee at home is as simple as using a hot air popcorn popper.
ROASTING TIPS:
With any roasting process, you will see the following:
• After a few minutes, the green beans will turn a lighter yellowish color and emit a grassy aroma.
• The beans will start to steam as any water in them is released.
• The steam will become fragrant. Soon after that, you will hear the “first crack.” The cracking sound occurs as the real roasting starts to kick in. The sugars in the beans start to caramelize, more water is released, the structure of the bean breaks down and oils start to release.
• After the first crack, the beans are at the Cinnamon Roast. You can stop here if you like VERY lightly roasted coffee. The beans are dark brown, but not very oily.
• The beans then begin to caramelize more, more oils appear, and the bean expands as the roast becomes dark.
• Soon after, the “second crack” can be heard, and it will probably be louder than the first. Pieces (chaff) will blow away from the bean. You may want to stop roasting at the first sign of the second crack unless you are going for a dark roast.
• During the second crack, the sugars will burn and smoke will be more pungent. The dark beans will take on a very oily appearance.
• As the beans become hotter and the sugars start to completely burn, you will have a very, very dark roast. If you bought your beans because of their country of origin, at this point, it’s not going to matter where they came from. Your beans look like espresso and smoke is a lot more prevalent.
• If you go beyond this point, you are going for a French or Italian roast. Sugars and oils are almost burned off completely and you can expect a thinner coffee.
Karen, This is a great, well thought out piece. Thank you for sharing with us, it is appreciated.
I got a trial pack of Patriot coffee and Tried the pack when I was out of regular coffee during the holidays and it was great. Made it by the pot full and served it to others visiting and they had know idea it was instant. One of them actually said it was the best cup of Joe they had had and wanted to know the brand. I just said a specialty brand at the time but since then gave up the truth. I will buy more for my stock up and daily use when drip is not available. It really was better tasting then the name brands from the food store. Thanks.
So glad you liked it!
between my regular ground coffee and instant coffee I have also ordered coffee for storage. I also have creamer . been stocking up on coffee everytime I go to costco. I also ordered 5# green coffee beans to learn to roast my own.
Frank I just got your survival coffee this morning and tried a cup it is great. So great I had a second cup. This will be a great addition to my survival food.
Thanks! We’ve been drinking it around here at 4Patriots headquarters, too.
Look in the coffee and tea aisle, Folgers and a couple of the others coffee (reg and decaf) in tea bags, stores well, very little space, vacuum seal them and they will last about three years with no degradation. Good trading material w/o exposing all your stock
Folger’s Instant “crystals” have a shelf life of several years. It is basically freeze-dried so probably will last twice as long as the recommended dates on the jar. I find the taste/flavor to be equal to the strong expresso coffee I was drinking previously. No grinder necessary.
Yes! We have whole bean coffee! So far we have fifty bags, & got a hand cranked grinder. I also insisted on sugar. I’m storing both the coffee & the sugar wrapped very tightly in thick plastic, taped closed, & packed in sealed plastic buckets. (Separately of course)
This is how we’re storing all of our staples.
Frank
I have a ?? I recently purchased the LifeStraw from you and I was just checking some websites say it has a 3 year shelf life
does that mean it is no good after 3yrs. ?
Kenny
I believe some of the components are known to degrade over time. Like canned food, it’s still good, just not AS good after it’s expiration date. If you have the option of using them and rotating your stock every few years, you should do that. If not, it’s still going to be better than no filter.
I dropped some major coin for a Katadyn water filter. I don’t think it has any parts that will degrade of time (except the laytex tubes). Am I right in assuming this?
Gosh, I wish youd’ve waited. I’m coming out with a large capacity filter sometime before Christmas and I’ve been really working to make it better and cheaper than anything out there. I love it and it’s currently in production.
I agree with those who favor instant coffee. It stores well, for long periods of time. Also, no sense in sending the aroma of coffee being brewed out into the neighborhood and bringing unwanted attention to yourself. People will be going nuts just smelling your coffee being made. Keep it quiet.
I was also advised to give up coffee by my doctor, not going to happen I’ve been drinking coffee for over 50 years since I was very young, I cut back in the summer and have a stash at hand all the time, I plan on increasing my supply after reading your post although I don’t know if I could give up any of it!
I agree 100% to store coffee and tea. My question is what are the best methods for long term storage? Whole beans? Instant?
This was good to hear. I switched to tea several years ago, diluted tea at that, because I wasn’t drinking enough water, and tea tastes better than plain water. Then I started back with SOME coffee, with sweetener and milk, which I enjoy. Never thought about stockpiling it, though. But if it is actually beneficial to my health, I’ll add it to my shelves. Not sure about keeping the beans, though. My grinder is electric.
instant is the way to go for storage purposes
I’ve virtually given up drinking coffee in preference to tea. Not that I don’t enjoy an occasional cup, however, I find tea in it’s different qualities and flavors more agreeable and enjoyable. There is less acid in tea to upset my system and I unfortunately have an ulcer, so they’re telling me. It looks like I’ll be stocking up on both. Damn, and I just bought a bottle of 18 year old single malt too.
Frank, I agree with you wholeheartedly about coffee. My doctor has admonished me to stop drinking the dark liquid, but not gonna happen with this boy. I have some thirty or fourth pounds stored stored up, both in bean and ground form….and buying more. Thanks for the advice. Keep it up.
I read the article on buying green, unroasted coffee. I just bought the same at Costco.com. 22 pounds in cans. No worry about storage.