# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Cooking, Food Storage, & Preserving >  Do you drink all of the coffee you make?

## pgvoutdoors

I'm sitting here drinking a cup of coffee and I started to wonder how many people drink all the coffee they make. I'm not a cynosure of fine coffees, it doesn't take me ten minutes to order a cup of coffee in a coffee shop. I like a good cup of coffee like anyone else, but I've been known to stand a spoon up in a cup now and again.

I always finish the pot, even if it takes me all day. For example, I had to make a pot of coffee this morning using my camp coffee pot on a propane stove because the power was out. I'm now just finishing it. Taste good to me!

Do you finish the pot or do you like to have as fresh of a cup as possible?

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

Both. I like a FRESH cup, as the oils are at their best then, but It's OK if it's old too. When I'm driving late at night, I'll actually ask for the oldest coffee they have on.... more caffeine.

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## knuckledrager

I was once asked why I was finishing off a pot of coffee late in the day. My reply was "It's 5:00 AM somewhere, and there's bound to be sleepy people in China."
You start it, you gotta finish it.

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## Winnie

I only make a cup at a time, I like my Coffee super fresh and spoonmeltingly strong. Old strong coffee... bleughh!

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## Pal334

I love mine strong, but has to be fresh. I use a small coffee pot. Anything over 1/2 hour old and I won't drink it.

Short answer, I always finish all the coffee, but use a small pot to make sure there is no waste

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## pete lynch

I make a 5-cup pot of coffee daily which provides me with 2 16-ounce cups: one before I leave the house and one for the road.

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## crashdive123

Years ago I switched to a carafe style coffee maker for the home.  This way it does not sit on the burner.  It stays hot a long time - tastes fresh - can be easily microwaved if it cools down too much.  With the price of coffee nowadays, very little goes to waste.

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## Rick

I drink just one cup of coffee and that's in the morning.

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## BENESSE

> I only make a cup at a time, I like my Coffee super fresh and spoonmeltingly strong. Old strong coffee... bleughh!


+1!
I only have one big cup of strong coffee in the morning and it has to be perfect. Just the right combo of coffee, sugar & vanilla half and half. 
Of course I can drink pretty much _any_ kind of coffee (going without it would be a disaster) but the way _I_ make it is ideal for me.

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## Rick

Sugar and vanilla half and half? I have this friend up north that likes vanilla creamer. I should introduce you to him.

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## your_comforting_company

we don't always finish all our coffee. Once it gets hot.. like around 8 a.m., coffee is turned off for iced tea or cold water. In winter, it's a different story. I can drink it all day if I'm not terribly busy. But either way, it can't be more than about an hour old or it starts tasting like it was filtered using yesterdays work socks. No thanks! Get it while it's fresh, or throw it out. Burnt coffee is gross, and that's coming from a guy who plays with dead animals!!
When camping, we don't fix as much coffee at a time, so it all gets drank up.

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## crashdive123

Yeah - I cut back on coffee while camping as well.  I'll only make 4 or 5 pots (before lunch).

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

> Of course I can drink pretty much _any_ kind of coffee (going without it would be a disaster) but the way _I_ make it is ideal for me.


 A slightly humorous story relating to Coffee while I was in the Army....
We had found ourselves a REALLY hard to find spot on a field exercise. Took the First Sergeant 3 days to actually find us, We "Survived" on stuff we had and foraged. When they DID find us, it was 3 days with NO Coffee After they DID find us. I asked the First Sergeant about it(Coffee) and he said the Mess Hall hadn't sent any out. I told him, "First Sergeant if they don't send us some Coffee tomorrow,I'm going to have to turn in my two weeks notice." He sorta' chuckled(He was a coffee fanatic too), and left. The next morning though we had coffee!

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## canid

I like my coffee as fresh as may be, and of course I enjoy the first cup, but I find that not leaving the burner on longer than need be helps a lot. Generally this means turning it off after I pour my first or second cup. I have known a lot of people who will make an entire pot wether it is necessary or not, and leave the burner on as long as there is any left in the pot. I never saw the point, as it seems wasteful on two fronts. I generally make 1/3 to 1/2 of a pot - more if I'm expecting company - because that is what I expect to make. Otherwise, if I need more, I'll just do it again. I wouldn't make a 4qt pot of oatmeal every morning just because that's how big the pot is either.

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## Skinner

I Make about 3 to 4 Pots Before I Leave for work and Drink It All. My Wife May Get 2 to 3 Cups Out of The Pots. And I Also Make Ice Coffee Been Making It Since way Before it Got Fancy. So Yep I Drink it All. I Can Drink Coffee All Day and Night and Fall asleep With No Problems.

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## grrlscout

Blech. No. Luckily, I've pretty much got the formula down for brewing just a two cup pot. So there is little, if any, waste.

If I brew up a whole pot, and for some reason, a lot of it is left, I'll sometimes keep the remainder to make kahlua.

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## SARKY

Don't drink coffee much these days but I usually brew up a pot of tea or two and finish them off even if its the next day.

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## Woodmaster750

At the ranch when were out with the wagon the cook keeps two pots on and you've heard of cowboy coffee, This is the best.
 Here at home I make a pot in the morning and kick it off though out the day also. Got to be strong and black. YEPPER.. :W00t:

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## pgvoutdoors

I drink coffee all day and night as well but when it's time to sleep, the coffee is not the problem.  I think...

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## Sarge47

Don't drink coffee...AT ALL!  Can't stand the taste; can't stand the smell!  Don't make it, brew it, or any of that!  I'm a tea drinker.  I take three quarts of water, toss in a large tea-bag that is made for a gallon of tea, then boil it until I get as much caffeine out of it I can.  I add two cups of sugar to it and stir until dissolved; then I fill Nalgene bottles all the way up to the top with ice cubes and pour enough of the concentrated mixture right up to the top!  My wife and son drink coffee and my wife said that as strong as I make my tea I should like the taste of Coffee, but I don't.  WARNING:  If caffeine keeps your blood pumping and you have a history of heart trouble, Drink sparingly.  If you want a good nights sleep then refrain from drinking after 5 PM...and don't spill any on the cat, especially if it's still hot!   :Creepy:   :Whistling:   :Thumbup1:

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## crashdive123

Ahem.......

Somebody needs to turn in their Man Card.   :Innocent:

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## Rick

You guys don't drink coffee?! Oh, man. Why that's almost unAmerican! Where would America be if they had said at Guadacanal..."Hey, Joe, got any hot Lipton?" Or how about at the Battle of the Bulge..."Hey, Mack, got any spare tea bags?" or how about at Flanders Field, "Oh, man! Is that hot Twinings I smell?". Java, Hot Joe, Brewtus, Cup of Jolt, High Octane, Go Juice, Morning Mud, Jitter Juice, Morning Mojo. You don't hear cool names like that for tea!

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## Nutman

I always drink all of the pot several times a day

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## Pal334

> You guys don't drink coffee?! Oh, man. Why that's almost unAmerican! Where would America be if they had said at Guadacanal..."Hey, Joe, got any hot Lipton?" Or how about at the Battle of the Bulge..."Hey, Mack, got any spare tea bags?" or how about at Flanders Field, "Oh, man! Is that hot Twinings I smell?". Java, Hot Joe, Brewtus, Cup of Jolt, High Octane, Go Juice, Morning Mud, Jitter Juice, Morning Mojo. You don't hear cool names like that for tea!


Sheesh, that would be like The Duke asking _" May I interest you in a spot of Earl Grey"_.  Sadly shaking my head

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## Rick

See that? See? That right there is what I'm talkin' 'bout. Yes, sir!

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And I'm warnin' you. It better be black. 

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## shiftyer1

I make what i'm going to drink in the morning and drink it all.  I very seldom drink an afternoon or evening cup of coffee.  I'm also a firm believer that all coffee needs is a cup,  all that cream and sugar stuff is just not right.  Although on the rare occasion my wife drinks coffee it's more like milk and sugar with a splash of coffee.  Seems to defeat the purpose maybe it has something to do with what she calls my 40 weight oil?

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## laughingbeetle

Oh I finish off whatever I brew.  Once it is done brewing I turn off the burner...then just keep refilling the mug as needed.  microwave is handy..and i been using powdered creamer lately for the cheap factor.  So no worries on accidentaly curdling my coffee in the microwave  :Big Grin:   I NEVER throw out coffee.

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## Rick

Just remember....better to throw it out than up.

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## laughingbeetle

lol  day old..2 day old coffee hasnt killed me yet...if you got sick off old coffee, you prolly shoulda chucked the green bits..lmao

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## pgvoutdoors

Sarge doesn't drink coffee??? I don't believe it.  He must be undercover, covert-ops you know.  He's drinking Turkish tea and growing a long beard?  Now we know how they found Bin Laden, way to go Sarge.  Now go and have a hot cup of coffee and we'll never talk about this tea thing again.

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## Winnie

I see nothing wrong with drinking tea.... However I draw the line and wishywashy Liptons  and Earl Grey is akin to drinking some old Tarts perfume. It has to be Yorkshire tea, or Tetley, a decent strong cuppa!

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

> I see nothing wrong with drinking tea.... However I draw the line and wishywashy Liptons  and Earl Grey is akin to drinking some old Tarts perfume. It has to be Yorkshire tea, or Tetley, a decent strong cuppa!


 I have to agree with you on the tea. I make mine strong too, even my "Iced tea" is stronger than most other peoples. I HATE watered down tea! To avoid/prevent this I use a Gatorade bottle and freeze some tea in it, then add some cold tea to the bottle when I want some. I also prefer Tetley's over Liptons. I put the tea bags in a pot of cold water and bring it to a boil, which makes a stronger tea than if you boil water and THEN add the tea bags. My sister says my tea is Too strong. Bah! It's better than colored water! I also like Strong Coffee too!

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## Rick

We can make exceptions for our gentile relatives over the pond. But routy touty men in the colonies partake of that fine elixir coaxed from the roasted coffee bean.

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## Sarge47

Winnie, Tetly is okay, but I like Lipton.  It's a "Pekoe, Orange Pekoe, cut black tea."  However right now I'm using an unknown brand specifically made for Resturant use!  Again, I don't "steep" the tea, that's for wimps.  I put in more than enough tea to water ratio and boil it for awhile.  Man is it strong!  Must be the Irish in me!  And NO!  I HATE coffee, it was sent over by aliens who were cross-bred with Bigfoot and became communists!  They use it for world denomination as it's highly addictive and people will do anything to get it in the morning.  When I can't get tea in the morning then it's Coke or Pepsi!  Nanny nanny boo boo...to quote Rick!   :Nod:

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## pgvoutdoors

I remember when I was in northern Iraq attached to a British Royal Marine helicopter squadron, we were doing LZ recon.  The first day we were out, they just landed the helicopters and broke out the tea set.  Tea Time they said!  The problem was, we didn't have authorization to be landing in that area, and the helos didn't even have radios nor did we have maps.  We were just some of the first military presence in northern Iraq - and we were drinking tea.

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## Sarge47

> I remember when I was in northern Iraq attached to a British Royal Marine helicopter squadron, we were doing LZ recon.  The first day we were out, they just landed the helicopters and broke out the tea set.  Tea Time they said!  The problem was, we didn't have authorization to be landing in that area, and the helos didn't even have radios nor did we have maps.  We were just some of the first military presence in northern Iraq - and we were drinking tea.


Those British Royal Marines really know how to party!  Now I know that PGV's a "real man."

 :Lol:   :Lol:   :Lol:

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

> Those British Royal Marines really know how to party!  Now I know that PGV's a "real man."


 I got my British jump wings. No coffee the whole time I was training! Man that sucked.

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## Rick

I have my French jump wings. I ran back IN the plane. I won't say a thing about their parachutes being white.

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## hunter63

Lots of coffee, drink the whole pot....but lately have cut down on number of pots.
Trick is to use the same cup, and just rinse it out evey week or so......

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## LowKey

Brew the full pot, shut it off and let it sit til it's gone. Might take a day or two depending on if there's someone else in the house who likes the REAL plain stuff. They all drink that nasty hazelnut crap that tastes like rancid coconuts. Blech.

Weird, no K-cups? Or are you all afraid to admit to making little heaps of plastic trash? LOL.
No Keurig here. For single cups it's a french press. Learned about those in England. Good strong cuppa using one of those.

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## Rick

Now you're gonna have to splain yourself. Where have you tasted rancid coconuts?

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## canid

> Trick is to use the same cup, and just rinse it out evey week or so......


i find it's enough just to let it dry completely out semi-regularly.
if you're like me and you take a fair amount of milk or creme, it'll eventually ripe, for that nice bold cheese flavor.

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## BENESSE

> i find it's enough just to let it dry completely out semi-regularly.
> if you're like me and you take a fair amount of milk or creme, it'll eventually ripe, for that nice bold cheese flavor.


Smart. That way even a blind person won't mistake his cup for yours.

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## LowKey

Have you never had that bag of flaked coconut sit in the baking supplies cupboard more than a leetle bit too long and taste it to see if its good?

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## canid

i'm pretty sensitive to the smell of oxidized fats and oils. it's so repugnant to me that i couldn't bring myself to use or taste them if i tried.

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## campnut

I usually drink my coffee at work M-F but on weekends I make 10-12 cup pot and drink 3 cups in the morn. and pour the rest in a thermos.

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## jake abraham

I drink the whole pot

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## BScout

I only read about 1/2 of the posts, but it appears I stand alone as being the sole person who will drink it a day or 2 old.

In our house, if you drink the last cup out of the pot, you make another, even if none of it will be drank that day.  Nothing worse then going into the kitchen first thing in the morning and not having any in the pot.  The timer thing doesn't really work for us as wake-up time varies daily by upwards of a couple hours.  There's also the waste factor.

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## 1stimestar

I normally just drink instant.

*ducks and covers*

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## BENESSE

Instant can be good too. I always travel with Starbucks instant to add to crappy/weak hotel coffee.

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## SemperFi

When Im in the "field" I follow the policy of only make the amount you can eat/drink , now at home I may or may not drink the whole pot, I have staved off coffee for 2 weeks now , every so often I stop drinking for awhile, nows that time!

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## Rick

I'm sorry Semper Fi. I know it must be difficult for you to face life with so many unresolved issues but torturing yourself through self deprivation is no answer. Stand in front of the mirror and repeat, "I am a good and worthwhile person. I deserve coffee". Do that four times a day for three weeks followed by a cup of coffee after each session. You'll have this behind you in no time. If you are having a lot of difficulty then substitute Jack Daniels for coffee and increase the number of sessions to eight times a day. You'll be over the coffee thing in a couple of days. Have you ever been to an AA meeting? Just curious. If you go the Jack Daniels route you might look them up to see where they are located.

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## SemperFi

I know Rick Its weird but I dont sleep well when I am not drinking coffee!

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## Rick

In that case go with the Jack Daniels version and increase the sessions to 16 a day. You should be sleeping like a baby in no time. Maybe by the 9 session!

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## Trabitha

I don't drink what I make...and that's why I'm looking into one of those cool one cup coffee makers. LOL!!  What I don't use, I dump in the garden.  I don't know if it's as good for the soil as normal coffee grounds...but it's not like it's HURTING anything.  :Wink:

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## Trabitha

> I know Rick Its weird but I dont sleep well when I am not drinking coffee!


I have a friend that must drink a cup of coffee before bed every night.  I don't know how she does it!  I drink a big cup in the morning, but if I have any after 4 pm, I'm up for the night.

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## Sparky93

This may be a little off topic, but it does involve coffe and I thought it was kind of neet. It is a resuable filter that is made to use the 32oz. nalgene water bottle as a coffe maker of sorts.

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## Rick

I just use the Folgers single serve coffee bags on the trail. I make it first and let the coffee steep while I finish putting together whatever else I'm having for breakfast. When breakfast is done the coffee is ready. 

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If you like a gizmo like the Nalgene thingy then Folgers makes a single serve version for coffee makers called pods. It's all self-contained like the coffee bag. So you don't have the loose grounds to mess with. I guess it might work in a press as well. 

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## Winnie

> I'm sorry Semper Fi. I know it must be difficult for you to face life with so many unresolved issues but torturing yourself through self deprivation is no answer. Stand in front of the mirror and repeat, "I am a good and worthwhile person. I deserve coffee". Do that four times a day for three weeks followed by a cup of coffee after each session. You'll have this behind you in no time. If you are having a lot of difficulty then substitute Jack Daniels for coffee and increase the number of sessions to eight times a day. You'll be over the coffee thing in a couple of days. Have you ever been to an AA meeting? Just curious. If you go the Jack Daniels route you might look them up to see where they are located.


To aid self worth take a one pint glass, add a large Jack Daniels, then fill to the brim with Guinness. After one of those you will feel on top of the world, but your knees may have gone numb.

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## doneitall

I make a pot at the beginning of the day - finish it by 9AM.  Black and strong.  Don't have more until the next day.

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## LFM

No, waste here I drink what I grind and brew. 8 O'Clock mmmmmmm half caffeine and half decaf.

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## Rick

So.......you drink caffeinated coffee then. Now, follow me on this.....If the dog pees on the floor and outside you still have pee on the floor. Savvy?

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