Coffee Prepping, post-Feces-Fan-Convergence (PFFC)

[ NOTE: TAKEN from a recent comment on
YouTube, at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpX3CKWgVKM]

 

H8 to burst a bubble, but it seems most people are way clueless regarding the coffee prep.  Believe me, it won't last that long, if its already ground, and not excessively long stored as beans--but this all depend upon how 'picky' you are. In general, the rule-of thumbs are that beans last longest, and regardless of grind, darker roasts last the shortest. It has to do with the oils...

From a perspective of 'freshness' and best taste, there are 3 tiers of prepping/storage for coffee; daily use, S-term, and L-term.
Class 1) 'Daily', or pre-SHTF: these are reasonably priced cans and containers off the grocery store shelf--fairly cheap, and fresh. I personally can't keep even sealed cans of  ground, roasted coffees more than about 3 months before they noticeably lose their freshness--they start tasting stale or downgraded after that.  Yeah, it is still drinkable, or tolerable, but the fact is that it degrades rapidly, and so, when SHTF, this kind of 'fresh' coffee will become a true luxury of the past, for most of us.

Class 2) Short-term stored coffees can be kept for 1-5 years or so, if they are stored or packed in foil/mylar packing, vacuum-sealed, and/or with O2 absorbers. In general, I have had pretty good luck with, for example, Gevalia coffees, and Lava-esque 'bricks' of compressed, sealed, vacuumed coffees. One could probably extend the lifetime of the class 1 ground coffees (noted above) by using the appropriate sealing measure, or simply buy them in that condition, and pack them away. Many pre-packed versions are fairly cheap, and there are a lot of flavored and specialty grinds [espresso, etc] packed in this way, fairly reasonably priced.

Class 3) for the ultimate Long-term storage 5+ years, one should seriously consider going the freeze-dried route. Yeah, these DO suck, but, there are several positives; lightweight, compact, and REALLY easy to prepare.Llike I suggest, they are better than NO coffee, and, it doesn't really ever go 'bad', if left intactly sealed. Best of all, it takes up the least # space/weight, so is ideal, L-T. Not cheap, though... find a brand you can live with and stock up...Alternatively, one could specially pack some preparations of vac-packed coffees (# 2 class, above) w/ O2 absorbers, inside more permanent storage containers, mitigating light, heat, moisture, rodent, and air degrades best as possible, and hope that they will survive LT...I dunno. Again, this might come down to storage room and other LT variables, as well as $$.

OK,   I generally am hoping/praying that LT storage will not be necessary. I am also pretty picky about my coffee, and so, I'm going predominantly with #2 class type alternatives and packaging, and hoping for the best. I haven't personally done it yet, but I do have a vac-packer, so I am going to get some smaller mylars and stuff and do up a few #10s full...I figure if things haven't stabilized by 5 years or so, we probably won't want or need real LT storage, cuz the feces-fan convergence is at the extreme, and we'll be 'going home' to Jesus' soon enough after, anyways  ;)

Hope this helps someone--God bless  ;)
GT

Squashing the Insolent Buggers

The other day, I started noticing some unwanted occupants (OK, ants) in my coffee 'fixin' zone. For background purposes, this the area where I stock my strategic reserves of both creamer and sweeteners, to be used in my daily coffee intake. Part of the area is used to store my reserves of fixins, and another is used to pour and mix. My twin towers of sugar and sweetener (Splendiferous), alongside my extra-rich creamer, and assorted support items, and such (eg., plastic spoons). For those who are not real coffee consumers, or those that partake lightly, let me assure that the area plays a significant role in supporting my daily energy needs; the key to maintaining a level of 'get-up-n-go' required by my "morning person" persona.

I gotta tell you that it was, initially, not all that disconcerting. After all, I can tolerate a few 'natives' in my zone, and they are welcome to the scraps and waste left behind, perhaps as a consequence of early-morning exuberance. Gotta maintain that coffee flowing into the bloodstream, after all. So, yeah, as long as they didn't threaten my daily routine, and the flow of coffee, everything was copasetic. However, I had underestimated these occupiers' tenacity, as well as their sheer numbers and capabilities. What started as a few scouts and scroungers evolved into a horde of enemies exerting their claim on MY area.

Initially, the response was to smack a few, and wipe the counter clean of the remains and remaining. Soon, however, there were too many for such partial measures. Then it was time to get serious. In response to the apparent takeover, I got out a can of 'bathroom cleaner'--you know, the bubbly kind--and hit them with an airstrike of epic proportions--Shock and awe, man! I left them struggling in the toxic, sickeningly-sweet smelling bubbles for all their peers to discover, lest they ever dare invading 'my' area, or threatening my strategic reserves again. I figured that would do it. Later I came and cleaned up the mess, and noted with satisfaction that there were no more enemies in view. I figured the rout was sufficient to intimidate those pests for an extended period, but I was mistaken.

After a brief lull in activity, the ants returned, albeit in smaller numbers. They began to infiltrate the tray containing the reserve containers. It was soon apparent that these knaves had actually gotten into the containers!  Man, I had no idea how they had managed to get into those; after all, they had snap-close pour spout covers. These usurpers were threatening the flow of fixins, and potentially affecting my everyday existence (lame as it is). Not to mention the economic impact; I had just filled up that sugar, which was to be my reserve for maybe a year (I personally don't use the stuff, so only guests typically use).

To make matters worse, the container invasion was first reported/witnessed by my son, who is kinda squeamish about bugs, germs, black dots in white crystals, and such, so it became imperative that I empty the entire contents and start anew, with a fresh supply. They had decimated my two towers--I even had to go purchase a whole new bag of sugar (man, that stuff is like gold nowadays?). Truth be told, sans the eyewitness, I likely would have simply scooped out the violators and ensured a good seal for future prophylaxis. No such half-measures though; my 'street-cred' would suffer without a crushing victory and total restoration of order--and damn the expense!

After a sufficient build-up of energy, I soon retaliated with another airstrike, this time sparing no expense. It was like hitting a fly with a sledgehammer. Although there was really no contest, I had 'mission accomplished' in no time. Even wiped up their pheramone trails. Yeah, there might be a few 'in the wild' who might someday return for a rematch, but suffice to say it was indeed, a total victory. Now my reserves are safe, the coffee flows freely, and its a bug-free zone. Funny, I have come to love the smell of bathroom cleaner in the morning--it smells like--victory!

Coffee Dude

Ahhh. Finally. Man, I thought that pot was never gonna fin brewing. I dunno 'bout youse, but it's usually reheat first thing, followed by 'the good stuff' when it finally gets done. The aroma is awesome, the taste--divine. What IS it about coffee that is just so compelling? I have no clue. However, without a balanced breakfast of java and cigarettes, survival throughout the day may not be a 'given'. It's my 'go' juice--helps me get going, and stay going, especially on those 'busy' or hectic days.

Pharmacologically speaking, it's main active ingredient, caffeine, is a sympathomimetic. Ya, it excites, and also modulates the action of other neurotransmitters and quite a few exogenous chemicals and drugs--a system-wide kick in the pants. Although it has had bad rap in past, health-wise, the truth is its a fairly mild excitatory effect, with few side effects, and many beneficial actions. Coffee-based, at least. Probably its most beneficial aspect is the anti-oxidant capacity coffee has on all those free-radicals haunting our aging brains (leading cause of  neuro-degenerative disorders, etc.). Coffee has been shown to be up to 25x more potent than other foods and drinks touted as anti-oxidants...</pharmacology>

Anyways, I don't drink it because of that shit--I just love it. Back in my 'Lab' days, one would be challenged to find me without a (large) cup attached. Coulda grafted my skin around that thing, and nobody would have even noticed.  ;) lol. Sure helped get me through some grueling, late-night experiments.

Apparently, its also a social lubricant. People can get together and drink/yak, yak/drink, damn near all day. I especially like it first thing around a campfire; fire may not even get rekindled without the prospect and promise of a cup of joe, on a cold morning. Ever staple a filter around some and cook it like tea in the camp pot? I have--Smell will bring peeps outta their tents, for sure (lol).

Ya, I guess you *could* say I'm a coffee dude...probably always will be...enjoy!
GT