Without my coffee I will be a zombie pretty quick! Are you used to grabbing your morning cup of Joe? You may want to include a way to have your morning coffee then!
The other day I was walking through Target when the lure of Starbucks pulled me closer. After buying my iced coffee I eyed these Starbucks Via Iced Caramel packages sitting on the counter. I’ve seen the Via coffee’s before and to be honest they reminded me a lot of the old Folger’s ground coffee my grandfather drank. I started thinking about when he passed away the old barn he had was stocked with many odd things, one being a wall (literally) of coffee! During the Depression, coffee was very hard to come by and so many people of that generation had large stocks of it “Just In Case”.
Thinking of my own preps, I realized I didn’t have any coffee! SILLY, I know. But really, if the end of the world comes I am going to need my Venti caffeine fix! I bought a pack of these Via Iced Caramels to try and Oh MY,they were GOOD! I went back and grabbed enough to get me through my 10 day no electricity plan.
Thinking about coffee made me remember that we do own a French Press. It’s not fancy like this stainless steel model, just the old fashioned glass one but in a pinch it will certainly work. You just need coffee grounds and boiling water. We do have whole beans on hand but I need to purchase a hand grinder so it could be used without electricity. So, when my Via’s are long gone I can still have my caffeine fix, which will keep me from becoming a zombie just a little bit longer I guess!
Lady Prepper
Prepared Mom, I’ve been trying to wrestle with long term coffee storage for weeks. I also read your other blog, “How to Store Coffee.” I was wondering if storing those individual packs like the Via Starbucks or Folgers (Stores sell the folgers instant 7 pack for $1!) in sealed say, 1 gallon mylar bags would extend the life for long term? Or, on the otherhand, purchasing large containers of instant coffee and dividing it into several smaller Mylars (say a weeks worth in each bag) and sealing it would do the trick? Oxygen absorbers?? Help! Thanks.
Prepared Mom
The only really acceptable way to store coffee for LONG term storage is to mylar green (unroasted) beans, and then roast and grind them when you are ready. To be honest, I only want to store coffee for about a year. If I have to be without it after that it is probably time for me to break my caffeine habit! I think if you are going with Via or Folgers, leave it in the original packaging and keep that in a cool, dark place. It just isn’t one of those things that can be stored really long term (like beans and rice)