Best Way to Store Coffee (and Tea)?

[FarmerJamie]

This thread got me thinking? What about teas? We have a large stock of packaged and loose leaf teas. Would vacuum sealing be enough?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

, I can't drink coffee

That's awful! I guess it's something you get used to, but man, it would take me forever to get accustomed to no coffee.

Yesterday morning - both of my coffeemakers broke. I was at a total loss. I needed coffee in a big way yesterday. I finally made a "coffee bag" and dropped it into a cup, poured steaming hot water over it and let it steep. It was passable at best.

 

[tortoise]

I have a french press backup for DH. I enjoy an occasional mocha, but DH is dependent on coffee. We use the french press for camping too.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I swear I have a French press somewhere. I used the heck out of it a bunch of years ago after a hurricane. It must be enjoying it's retirement because it's gone awol. I probably should just get another one - duh!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

As soon as you buy another one, the old one will turn up. That is the Law of Things Put In a Safe Place--that you never see again!

TRUTH!

 

[Okiepan]

I have made cacao shells coffee , wheat coffee,
If y'all remember Postum was a non caffeinated coffee from the turn of the century (1890s)
I have read accounts that during the war of northern aggression that soldiers used sweet potatoes to make our favorite morning beverage,( I gotta try it )
Long term storage would be in cans , mylar , etc , I have green beans and just roast what I desire for use more time consuming but I think worth the wait ,
If coffee would grow here I would not ever buy any more, But since it doesn't, I just purchase it and enjoy it.

 

[flowerbug]

What do you think is best way to store coffee for up to a year?

if ground i use so little of it - i freeze it. finely powdered as i use it to make Turkish style coffee. i haven't had any in a long time but i've gotten away from drinking coffee and have to drink fake coffee instead.

 

[flowerbug]

Shades of above, whole beans, vacuum sealed bag, freezer.

If the SHTF, and coffee is scarce, I will be going through my civil war history books looking for southern coffee solutions. Lolol

roasted chicory root and roasted dandelion root is a very good substitute, IMO. yes, it isn't the exact same thing, but it is close enough for me and i also like that it doesn't have caffiene. i keep some fake instant stuff on hand for the few times i feel like drinking it but more often than not now i just have hot chocolate instead.

when i do get some freshly ground powder i'll break it up into smaller portions and pack it into air-tight glass jars and then freeze it. i've had those last several years without them going off. when i pull a jar out of the freezer and remove a portion to use it isn't out of the freezer for longer than a few moments time so i'm not worried about moisture problems in there. i don't tend to leave things out on the counter or forget about them like that.

also, when i make coffee i have to drink it hot and right away, i don't leave a cup sitting down on the table, it is in my hand and i sip it until it is gone. the only way i really like cold coffee would be like kahlua or iced coffee or as an ingredient for something else. hot or cold is good, but not in-between, eww... and definitely not the kind that has sit on the burner for half the day. that's just icky beyond ick.

 

[tortoise]

Hmm coffee storage.
Best is store green beans and roast as needed.
Second is to store vacuum sealed roasted whole beans and grind as needed. What we do.
Third is the vacuum sealed bricks of ground coffee.
The key is only the oils on the surface of the grounds or bean is ever comes in contact with the air . By grinding when used these oil are fresh not rancid.

I stored some ground - in case of power outage. Mostly whole beans. But sounds like I need to vacuum seal them

 

[Hinotori]

I vacuum seal my dried herbal teas in jars. Only way to keep them good here. We have too much moisture in the air. I can't even dry them in the first place without using a dehydrator.

Makes me jealous of Mom at those times. Even with her worst humidity, stuff dries in at most 24 hours. I remember picking mint as a kid and hanging it off the clothesline under the patio awning. It woulf be dry in a few hours. Mom's humidity only got out of the single digits on a few nights this past summer.