# Survival > General Survival Discussion >  coffee in a post shtf world

## hayshaker

Every morning we get up and make our pot of coffee, ahh the aroma the taste of those
heavenly little beans, as for me this morning it's goldcoast kona blend, that's big island
to you noobs.latlely i've been survival mode my elec pot pooped out so i've been
making my coffee FIX in a pot on the stove. i've had the real Kona on the Kona coast
when i lived in hawaii and it was not a blend but stright Kona.  in kealakekua,big is,
that is coffee country.    we have esspresso,darkroast, litroast and God forbid Decaf.
everyone has thier favorite.     the one day the SHTF has arived,omg omg omg, oh yeah
i can hear it now honey we have to get to the store we need our coffee,


oh my no more mocha lapppe frappachino for bif and muffy just what will they do i wonder
i know' but this is a family forum so i can't say.what would you do how much is the nectar of the gods worth to you?      i can go without a lot of things coffee ai'nt one of them. serious what would you be willing

to barter for a pound of dark roast beans will it matter if it's starbucks kenyanAA or ethiopian darkroast or
just plain old 8'o clock or hills bros. i would really like some to hear your thoughts.

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## finallyME

I don't drink coffee.... so no problem here.  :Smile:

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## Faiaoga

You should probably research what Europeans did during WWII for "ersatz" coffee and what the Confederacy used during the Civil War.  I also became add8cted to hot cocoa, and that is originally from Mexico but has been introduced as a cash crop to other areas. :pirate:

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## hayshaker

I for one refuse to drink roasted danilion roots or chicory,100's of millions of americans drink coffee
every day.   were the largest coffee drinking nation on earth. this could cause the zombie apocloyspe
everone talks about.the withdral phase will be ugly indeed. and don't even get me started on cigarettes, oh my

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## kyratshooter

Old school here, so I consume my weight in coffee weekly.

The emergency rations include a sufficient amount of coffee in various forms to last as long as I probably will last.

However, as a historian I must point out that it was items such as sugar, coffee and tea that supported international trade back in the days of sailing ships, and coffee was available even in frontier settlements where the population was wearing hides and no one had shoes!  

As soon as someone figures out how to get a dingy to sail from here to Central America and back coffee will be available.  What'ca got to trade? 

Most of our big retail grocers started life as coffee and tea importers.  (I just wrote a letter to Kroger about the fact that they no longer have a coffee grinder in their stores.  They sell the beans but have no grinder available.  Kroger began as a coffee importer.) 

Even in the Great Depression country folk found a way to buy coffee.  I had relatives older than myself that shaped their coffee drinking habits around the depression era and WW2 rationing systems until they died.  They drank coffee with cream but no sugar.  On the farm they always had plenty of cream, but sugar cost money or was rationed, so you did with out that.

Here in the south many people dug, cut and dried sassafras root for the purpose of making tea.  It is a poor substitute for coffee.  Chicory also grows wild in the south (pretty little blue flowers you see along the roadside) and its roots can be dried and brewed if you can stand them.  Chicory is added to many coffees to give it extra punch. 

Chestnuts and hickory nuts have also been used as substitutes, but they were always just substitutes and not replacements.

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## hayshaker

i had bought some coffee plants once but they evenually died, reason i belive they require
a high humidity enviroment.all places where coffee is grown have high humidity,my uncle in puerto rico
many years ago was a coffee farmer as was my grand father. I've picked beans in kauai where coffee
was first grown in the islands in the 1800's before being grown on the Big island, the napali coast still has
wild coffee growing to this day, december is when the cherries as they call them are ready to pick.

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## Pennsylvania Mike

Coffee for me, dark, robust, and I can drink it straight (no sugar or cream) and also drink espresso coffee, straight or sweat or with cream probably know as café con leche or café latte, got my wife hooked on it too.    I can make coffee in many ways: Mr Coffee pot, perk, Italian coffee pot, in the field with a metal mush and a coffee filter or a coffee "stirrer" of any place I found that, 2 in a pack sort of a tea ball but with a handle so you can stir your coffee in a mug to perfect flavor (from weak to strong), or I can make it on the fire in a pot just water and coffee grounds, strain with a bandana.   I guess you can tell coffee is my favorite drink, but also make hot chocolate from scratch the old fashion way.

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## Lamewolf

> Here in the south many people dug, cut and dried sassafras root for the purpose of making tea.  It is a poor substitute for coffee. .


We do it here too - I still do at least, but I never considered it a substitute for coffee, I just like the stuff !  Sassafras and chicory is real common here in Southern Ohio but I've never tried chicory,

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## Wildthang

In a SHTF situation, coffee will probably be more valuable than gold!!

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## hunter63

I would be in bad shape....I put coffee right up there in the must haves.

Have used chicory to try it out,... tried sassafras transplants, from Missouri (didn't over winter)....But it would be would be hard to give up.

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## Wildthang

> I would be in bad shape....I put coffee right up there in the must haves.
> 
> Have used chicory to try it out,... tried sassafras transplants, from Missouri (didn't over winter)....But it would be would be hard to give up.


I am a died in the wool coffee drinker, but if there were no coffee, I think the next best thing would be a regular Coka Cola!

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## crashdive123

I've been known to consume a little coffee every now and then.

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## Lamewolf

> I've been known to consume a little coffee every now and then.


I've contributed a bit to Juan Valdez's bank account myself over the years !

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## hunter63

> I've been known to consume a little coffee every now and then.


Bhohahahaha......just a bit?......

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## randyt

let us not forget the kentucky coffee tree as a substitute.  As far as coffee go I can drink several cups one day and none the next or drink it for weeks on end and then quit for weeks on end. I can do this without  cravings. Same goes for beer.

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## WalkingTree

Oh no. Coffee.

That's a big one for me too. (Never any sugar or cream. I always joke that if you use sugar or cream, then you're not drinking coffee. And that if it's not good enough to drink black, then it's no good.)

I have more of a psychological addiction than anything else. I do just fine without it, as in being awake, and don't get edgy either if I don't have it. However, it's still a 'necessity' nonetheless. For me, it's about the 'coffee ritual' as much as the coffee itself. It's been a regular practice of mine to add 2 hours or even more to however much time I need to get ready for work in the mornings...specifically to enjoy the coffee in a leisurely way and not being in a hurry, in the cool quiet dark of the early morning. Makes all of the difference for the rest of the day.

I can do without beer or wine, though I've never drank much anyway. I might miss the smoke (though I accidentally quit without trying and now 'vape' - long story). But I'd sure miss the coffee ritual.

In the bush, much of my water intake would be some kind of 'tea' already. I can imagine making the adjustment and doing fine with just that. But would still lament the coffee.

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## Manwithnoname

I'm right there with most of ya'll. I have my 10 cup pot every morning, black, strong and hot. I've never had straight chicory but have some blends like Community New Orleans blend and I love it.

Someone already said it and I agree, it will still find it's way here, just very limited quantities and not on a regular basis. Rest assured it also will command a very high price. Trade? Sure but instead of a gallon or two of milk they're going to want the whole cow. Someone else said they would just drink coke. When it all falls down, what makes you think that or any other soda pop is going to be available??

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## Manwithnoname

> Oh no. Coffee.
> 
> That's a big one for me too. (Never any sugar or cream. I always joke that if you use sugar or cream, then you're not drinking coffee. And that if it's not good enough to drink black, then it's no good.)
> 
> I have more of a psychological addiction than anything else. I do just fine without it, as in being awake, and don't get edgy either if I don't have it. However, it's still a 'necessity' nonetheless. For me, it's about the 'coffee ritual' as much as the coffee itself. It's been a regular practice of mine to add 2 hours or even more to however much time I need to get ready for work in the mornings...specifically to enjoy the coffee in a leisurely way and not being in a hurry, in the cool quiet dark of the early morning. Makes all of the difference for the rest of the day.
> 
> I can do without beer or wine, though I've never drank much anyway. I might miss the smoke (though I accidentally quit without trying and now 'vape' - long story). But I'd sure miss the coffee ritual.
> 
> In the bush, much of my water intake would be some kind of 'tea' already. I can imagine making the adjustment and doing fine with just that. But would still lament the coffee.



Oh yeah, forgot to address something you said, I add that couple of hours in the morning just like you for the exact same reason. The difference with me is without my morning coffee, at least a cup or two, is me and my whole day just ain't right.

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## tundrabadger

Coffee would be a major issue...and while  I should be wondering where I would  get other things like medications and such,  I am instead googling to see if there are any camelia sinensis plants that can grow in the ottawa valley,  because tea is better than no hot caffeinated goodness first thing.

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## Faiaoga

Please see The Atlantic  (5/13/2016) for the article by Julie Beck "Fancy Starbucks Drinks and the Special Snowflakes Who Order Them", about how Americans are into "mass customization" - some people will not survive very long if they have to use cows milk instead of soy milk in their latte.  

It seems that even camp food has this. There are now about two dozen varieties of the of the basic item that I knew as just SPAM.   :Chef: 
www.theatlantic.com  in Health

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## Manwithnoname

I hate Starbucks, I drink my coffee straight up black, and my favorite places to eat are the kind where the day of the week determines what the special is and your only choices are your side and drink.  What does that say about me?

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## Wise Old Owl

I am so going to pass on this because if I really posted how I felt - you folks would have to call 911 and get an ambulance to avoid a heart attack. or Forget the morning joe or spew,.

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## WalkingTree

Oh that's just great. Now we're gonna be curious as all-get-out.

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## kyratshooter

You guys just need to run down to the Save A Lot and buy about 4 big jars of their cheap instant coffee.  You will have a one year supply of caffeine for a total of about $20. 

If you do not open it the stuff will be good when the archeologists dig it up in 3016ad.

It is not Starbucks, but if you get the water hot enough it tastes almost like coffee.

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## WalkingTree

Oooh...yeck...spit spit spit...ugh...

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## Phaedrus

I can't wrap my mind around the fixation with coffee.  Personally I can't stand the stuff, simply vile.  And in a SHTF situation why would you worry about something with so little survival (or nutritional) value?

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## kyratshooter

It's a matter of both taste and culture Phaedrus.

The kick of the mild caffeine dose is a help in clearing the head, and it becomes something one looks forward too as a ritual. 

The flavor is an acquired preference and its "vileness" is why so many people mix in soy milk, caramel, chocolate, vanilla and occasionally Irish creame and Jack Daniels.  The less you like the taste of coffee the more expensive the price of covering it up.

Fact is that coffee is probably one of the substances that helped create the democracy we have.  Our form of government was created by men discussing the situations of the 18th Century over a cup of coffee in a local coffee house where the newspapers of the day lay scattered about on the tables as a creator of conversations.  Coffee houses have been the hotbed of revolutions world wide.

Somehow I simply can not see American GIs of any war or General Washington, Grant, Patton or Stormin' Norman squatting around a fire or standing over a planning map drinking a cup of chamomile tea.  It just ain't right!

But if you don't like coffee that's OK.  Don't drink it.

I don't eat liver, and it is supposed to be excellent survival food, the first thing you eat after you make a kill.  I can't stand the vile stuff!  But every PSK I make gets a coffee ration.

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## hunter63

Factory daily operations depends of coffee and BS.......heavy doses of each.

Each to their own.......I like my daily dose......and don't care about anyone else all that much.

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## madmax

When I do "minimalist" (like how I avoided the "s" word?) trips I cut out coffee (and Coke) beforehand.  Caffeine withdrawal can be uncomfortable. Now my wife would REALLY miss it.  That said, no coffee for a few days and even instant starts looking good.

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## tundrabadger

> It's a matter of both taste and culture Phaedrus.
> 
> The kick of the mild caffeine dose is a help in clearing the head, and it becomes something one looks forward too as a ritual. 
> 
> The flavor is an acquired preference and its "vileness" is why so many people mix in soy milk, caramel, chocolate, vanilla and occasionally Irish creame and Jack Daniels.  The less you like the taste of coffee the more expensive the price of covering it up.
> 
> Fact is that coffee is probably one of the substances that helped create the democracy we have.  Our form of government was created by men discussing the situations of the 18th Century over a cup of coffee in a local coffee house where the newspapers of the day lay scattered about on the tables as a creator of conversations.  Coffee houses have been the hotbed of revolutions world wide.
> 
> Somehow I simply can not see American GIs of any war or General Washington, Grant, Patton or Stormin' Norman squatting around a fire or standing over a planning map drinking a cup of chamomile tea.  It just ain't right!
> ...


Democracy?  heck,  you can credit coffee with  the financial system as well....you know how much stock trading took place in coffee shops in London?   


Incidentally,  if you want to be really authentic with liver as the first thing you eat after a kill,  do it inuit style and eat it raw.

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## edr730

For all the coffee drinkers out there, including myself, coffee is probably the healthiest drink out there that most people drink. Besides increasing energy and brain function, burning fat, helping protect against diabetes, helps the liver on and on, it has massive amout of antioxidents, and some B2, B3, B5, manganese, magnesium, and potasium.  There aren't many teas from the store or from the herbs and spices from the kitchen that aren't good sources of such things. In the woods, there are teas everywhere that have fats, sugars, antioxidents, vitamins and minerals or pain relievers. Of course it makes some darn thin soup, but at least it keeps you hydrated and gives you a little boost.

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## Rick

I believe the creation of the universe happened over coffee. 

"What's next. Lemme see. Ooh. a World." 
"Want that warmed up?"
"Please.........with people. Yeah, that's the ticket."

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## WalkingTree

> Personally I can't stand the stuff, simply vile


I have an informed hypothesis concerning this, perhaps even a theory: Among coffee types there can be a diversity of opinion on taste. There are two categories of explanation for this, one growing from the other in the following manner.

Firstly, it is a matter of poor quality crappy stuff, in the sense that most people despite their different tastes would still agree on - they'll have different preferences, but still hold the common view on the bad stuff...for the most part (many people like what I'd call the crappy stuff, and there's nothing wrong with that. But this can still arguably be attributed either to that phenomena not being exposed to anything else or just growing up with it, or just not caring and literally just drinking for the kick-effect and nothing else).

Secondly, those who learn the difference between generally good and generally bad inevitably continue to develop their personal tastes preferences further, as a result of that door being opened. And this accounts for the diversity of tastes all within the realm of generally good coffees, versus the generally bad which they'd all say don't even qualify as coffee yet in the first place. (Also, I'm mostly talking about black-drinkers...no cream or sugar or funky flavoring.)

Ok...so...now...many people who hate coffee will still hate it no matter what. Same as with many things. However, a lot of people who hate it, or think they hate it, *simply had the misfortune of only being exposed to generally bad coffee,* hence their impression of what coffee is...is inaccurate and greatly skewed - believing from then on that they know what coffee tastes like when actually they've never really had it yet. *Ponder this:* Ever hear people comment that they love the smell of coffee, but hate how it tastes and can't drink it? Do you have this experience yourself? This demonstrates a possibility - your nose is giving you a hint of what it's *supposed* to be, per what's carried through the olfactory in that limited fashion, but isn't quite. So when you get the full sense of it by drinking it, you discover that it's bad. But don't know what's really going on. Because it was a poor quality, it pulled a bait-and-switch on you...on your nose then your mouth. Lied to you. And just left you with the wrong impression.

Here's the "problem" with coffee: It's a food-stuff that technically shouldn't really be roasted and ground and then stored away. Can't be preserved very well. Many of us do so...we buy and store pre-ground coffee, and many products "do good enough", and we learn to live with that. But that doesn't take away from the reality that ideally you just can't do that to coffee. Imagine milk from a cow. Without any refrigeration of any kind. And without any kind of chemical preservative. That milk is milk only for a short period of time. If you drink milk beyond that point, it is drastically different and just isn't milk anymore. And you might not like it very much - not as normal milk anyway, versus the other things that we make from milk...

...the "window" for coffee is just a bit finicky: Once it is brewed, you shouldn't apply any heat to it (will quickly change it's chemical composition thus it's taste, so use a preheated thermos) and it should be enjoyed immediately after brewing - if it sits very long after brewing it will still change quickly; It should be brewed very shortly if not immediately after grinding; It should be ground very shortly if not immediately after roasting; It should be roasted very shortly after picking from the plant. (variations of each of these steps, as well as the specific plant and it's environment, are what determine different coffees...but that's beside the point here.)

So, work in the other direction: As soon as you roast it after picking, you can't let it sit and have to grind it; As soon as you grind it, you can't let it sit and have to brew it; As soon as you brew it, you can't let it sit and have to drink it...with no heat applied once brewed. It is a case of "once you start it, you have to finish it. You have to go all the way."

This is all in an ideal world, which few of us will ever indulge in. But it's good to understand what "the deal" is with coffee - if you're not doing all of this ^ , you're not quite knowing what coffee really is. It's not just a small difference, in proportion to less-than-perfect practices...the absence of the above practice or just parts of it, results in a *drastic* difference. This is why some people have their own fancy grinders and roasters...in the case of coffee, it's not because of some over-the-top over-indulgence, but it's because that's the only way to really have *normal* coffee...without even talking about more expensive or stuck-up tastes.

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## hunter63

All that made my head hurt.......

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## tundrabadger

> All that made my head hurt.......


You clearly haven't had enough coffee

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## hunter63

> You clearly haven't had enough coffee


Yet......Beer30 is 5:00.....
We have to go to a Ducks Unlimited Sponsors Dinner .... in a bit....so will put the coffee cup in the sink...Head out....then start in with the adult beverages.

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## WalkingTree

I'm so bad when it comes to coffee that when I drink very much beer, I get a taste for coffee. After drinking very much beer, it's on to a pot of coffee.

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## Manwithnoname

LOL Hunter, what I thought about that Starbucks snowflake link article but I know and agree with what Walkingtree is saying. Back before Starbucks became the walmart of coffee I was a barrista/am of a real coffee house. So, Hunter, you may want to skip this if your head still hurts but I'll try to keep it simple and brief.

There are two different types of coffee beans, arabica and robusto. Arabica=good robusto=not so much. All good quality coffee is 100% arabica. Not so good is a blend of the two. Plain black and white liable "coffee" may be straight robusto I don't know, probably don't want to. Kona, blue mountain, whatever refers to where it's grown.  French roast, espresso, whatever is simply how it's roasted. The darker the roast, the stronger the coffee but it also has variances with the roast temperature. Folgers, maxwell house, whoever, if the label doesn't say 100% or pure arabica it's a blend of arabica and robusto beans.  Arabica coffee is flavorful, smooth with very little bitterness. Robusto is more bland but plenty bitter. They blend it for the age old reason, cheaper to make.  Since probably none of you are roasting your own green beans, the best way to buy coffee is whole bean form. As soon as it comes home from the store put it in the freezer or at least the fridge and grind it as you need it. As soon as those beans are roasted, they begins to oxidize which equals lose flavor and increase bitterness. Freezer/fridge slows this process. Also, all you diehards like me have heard the old timers say, " don't wash only rinse that percolater". Unless bitterness is what you're after, you should always wash whatever coffee making equipment you use, thoroughly after each use. If you don't, the oils left behind add acidity (bitterness) to your next brew. Lastly, since this is after all a survival site, whole bean or ground (since you probably won't have refrigeration) store it in something air and light tight. Oxygen and light speed the oxidation process (reduce flavor, add bitterness). 

Ps....if you buy whole beans from a place storing it in clear jars and your getting the bottom of the barrel, ask them how much of a discount you're getting on those god only knows how old beans.

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## WalkingTree

Don't like a percolator either though. What it's doing is cycling the coffee through the heating element over and over, until it's gone around enough times and is done. And that constant heat re-application screws the whole thing up. French press is best, or something like it, I believe...but I just do the electric perk and learn to live with that.

I wonder if coffee plants would do very well in a FreightFarms setup. If so, I'll have to include that in my fancy schmancy post collapse off grid survival compound. And have my own roasters and grinders. And have that to trade with. I'll have a neon sign - "Ye Olde Post Collapse Coffee Shop".

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## Faiaoga

I have never been in the military or been that great a boat handler, but I worked with a former Navy petty officer who told me that the Navy runs on three things: diesel fuel, paperwork and coffee. :Mellow:

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## Manwithnoname

Faiago,  being a former USCG Boatswains Mate, I can only speculate on the squids (no disrespect meant) but for the USCG that's pretty accurate!!

Walkingtree, I hear what you're saying. I love a good French press but a percolater is still my fav. The key is, percolate to desired effect then just keep hot.  Had a friend studied abroad in Greece. Their method, same basic priciple as the press, just one cup at a time. A teaball like contraption. It's really good too.  I prefer the percolator cause it's more than 3-4 cups (like the biggest press I've seen) and you just move the pot back from the flame or coals. Stays hot but doesn't keep perking.

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## kyratshooter

French press???

Percolator???

Teaballs???

Where am I?  

Did I hit the wrong button on the keyboard?

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## Manwithnoname

> French press???
> 
> Percolator???
> 
> Teaballs???
> 
> Where am I?  
> 
> Did I hit the wrong button on the keyboard?


Nahhh, we're just trying to culture you a bit. Figured you needed a break from rat shooting  :Smile:

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## madmax

2 words.  Cowboy coffee.

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## Manwithnoname

24 cup percolator loaded one day and kept on the fire/coals and just water added and re-perc'd as needed.  Not my preference, but been there, done that. I'm from Osage county in Oklahoma where it's cattle, oil, or go somewhere else for a job.

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## Faiaoga

I am astonished that with all the emphasis on "survival" and "bushcrafting" going on, we have not seen more development of specialized tools and special discussion of the topic of coffee.
Mors Kochanski has his bushcraft coffee video, but I have not yet seen any televised survival instructor pounding coffee beans with the butt end of an axe or using a metal pommeled knife to grind his coffee :Sad:

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## crashdive123

That's because it is just another "normal" activity.  Sort of like pooping in the woods.  There are a few vids out on the subject, but not too many are filming and regaling in the pluses of normal activities.

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## Manwithnoname

Well, probably too, if it's TV they don't want to freak the general masses too much.  Too much freak factor and you're changing channels. Also, as much as us coffee afficienados like to think, the basics remain the same. Water, food, shelter and lastly fire. Coffee really doesn't factor into the mix.

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## Rick

Just so there is no misunderstanding. If there is no coffee in the post shtf world I won't be attending. A man has certain standards to maintain.

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## WalkingTree

> I am astonished that with all the emphasis on "survival" and "bushcrafting" going on, we have not seen more development of specialized tools and special discussion of the topic of coffee.





> 2 words. Cowboy coffee.


That's pretty much it right there. Wherein I'll say that the French press is one of the best routes, cowboy coffee is just about the same thing. Almost. Can be done very well with this method at least. Get the water to boil, take off heat and leave off heat, throw in coffee and wait 5 minutes. Then you're golden. Like a 49er pans for gold, 'done' coffee grounds try to sink to the bottom and you pour from the top. At least to good enough of an extent.

So...cowboys on the frontier with their simple pot and fire have been drinking some good coffee. Well, as long as they're not cooking the crap out of it or leaving it on the coals.

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## Phaedrus

> Ok...so...now...many people who hate coffee will still hate it no matter what. Same as with many things. However, a lot of people who hate it, or think they hate it, *simply had the misfortune of only being exposed to generally bad coffee,* hence their impression of what coffee is...is inaccurate and greatly skewed - believing from then on that they know what coffee tastes like when actually they've never really had it yet. *Ponder this:* Ever hear people comment that they love the smell of coffee, but hate how it tastes and can't drink it? Do you have this experience yourself? This demonstrates a possibility - your nose is giving you a hint of what it's *supposed* to be, per what's carried through the olfactory in that limited fashion, but isn't quite. So when you get the full sense of it by drinking it, you discover that it's bad. But don't know what's really going on. Because it was a poor quality, it pulled a bait-and-switch on you...on your nose then your mouth. Lied to you. And just left you with the wrong impression.


Actually "taste" and "flavor" are not the same thing.  Your tongue can taste only a few basic different kinds of tastes (eg salty, bitter, sweet, sour, umami).  Food tastes are very basic if you can't smell.  The nose is capable of discerning thousands of things that your tongue cannot.  You can easily test this yourself; taste something aromatic, then hold your nose and try it again.  Much of what you ascribe to the "taste" of coffee comes from its smell.  I am a chef so I'm fascinated with the mechanics of taste, flavor and aroma.

I have had coffee reputed to be superb but I just don't like it.  My own pet theory is that you need to be exposed to it early on.  Probably you also need to have a bit of maleability and suggestibility.  I don't think anyone would like coffee if not for being pressured into drinking it long enough to acquire the taste for it.  It may be a lot like smoking.  I've never personally met anyone that enjoyed their first cigarette.  In fact, most coughed and gagged and many vomited.  Inhaling smoke is an inherently unnatural act, counter to a million years of survival instinct.  So why on Earth does anyone endure something so vile?  Well, the nicotine and other drugs does provide a rush if you get past the gagging.  And there are many addictive chemicals added to the tobacco (hundreds in fact).

Oddly I am fond of many bitter foods.  Back when I drank I loved dark and bitter beers.  I'm fond of many strong flavors that many folks don't like (extremely moldy cheeses, weird Asian foods, fermented stuff like Kimchee and kraut, etc).  I also really like tannic stuff like teas (and again, when I drank I was a fanatical devotee of tannic reds like Cab Sav).

Realistically I can see how people would like it.  We all have the same basic "equipment" in the biological sense yet we have a very wide range of preferences.  Some are rooted in individual genetics (eg about 10% of people have a gene that makes cilantro taste like soap to them- no amount of exposure will change the way your biology processes it), others in culture.  I'm not bothered by the fact that people love coffee but I am baffled that anyone would be passionate enough about it to incorporate it into the SHTF plans.  That makes me think it must be addictive in the sense of nicotine, alcohol and narcotics.  I'd be very leery of addictive substances in a world where regular supply lines were nonexistent.

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## hayshaker

when i camped out it was a sm,percolater cooke over mequite or kiawe in hawaiian,
chocolate macadamia nut coffee of choice, gunna order some soon hawaiian isles brand.

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## Faiaoga

Somewhere, I think I saw a picture of a Civil War era firearm that had a coffee grinder built into the butt stock.  Perhaps one .of the firearms companies needs to make a Mad Max post-apocalypse survival rifle with a coffee grinder built in.   :Scared:

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## Faiaoga

As I use my academic skills of learning pointless information and useless facts, I was able to find out that a model of the 1859 Sharps carbine had a small grinding mill built in the stock - supposedly to grind corn and wheat for rations.  I also found an interesting article about coffee during the Civil War.

"How Coffee Fueled the Civil War" by Jon Grinspan is from the New York Times (July 9, 2014).  It tells about the role of coffee during the conflict.  Perhaps the Confederacy became the heroic Lost Cause when they could not smuggle in enough coffee through the Union blockade.

http://www.opinionator.blogs.nyt.com...the-civil-war/

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## Manwithnoname

Knowledge to me is never pointless or useless. I learned from your research, I've never seen or heard that about the Sharps before, so thank you. The sharps is one of my all time favorite rifles.

I can very much understand the coffee issue during the civil war or any for that matter. It has to do with morale. You break the other sides morale, it saps their will to fight.

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## hunter63

Have had to have a few "No fire camps" lately.....so snuck in the stove.....
Had to put pot and stove in wash basin.....as the boil over kinda made a mess.....LOL

3 scoops of grounds, fill pot, heat till boil over, twice....shut off heat...or take off fire....if possible.
Let it settle long enough to get a cup and pot holder...to pour a "Cup a' Joe".....
Strain through teeth.....repeat till 5:00 PM...

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## randyt

> Just so there is no misunderstanding. If there is no coffee in the post shtf world I won't be attending. A man has certain standards to maintain.


you'll have to go with tea when that happens

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## Manwithnoname

This just popped in my head, anyone here ever try making coffee with the sun tea method?

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## WalkingTree

^ You got me wondering how that'd turn out...

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## Faiaoga

I am not trained as an historian, but  have always been interested in the history of the Civil War.  It was apparently a time of innovation in coffee - coffee concentrates were developed, and there was at least one portable coffee machine developed for Union forces. A lot of info available on the internet, some of it must be true.   :Blush: 

A Jacob Dunton of Philadelphia is supposed to have patented a 105 gallon wheeled coffee maker, but I have no way to verify this. :Blush:

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## Faiaoga

I have little direct connection with the Civil War, just one family story about a distant relative who served with a Minnesota regiment, but searching on the internet I see references to Union soldiers sometimes trading coffee from their rations for Southern tobacco (the film Gods and Generals has a scene like this).  

I know that if I had been a young soldier under General Grant, I would not have liked facing lean, mean Johnny Rebs who had been fighting without coffee.     :Devil2:

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## WalkingTree

> ...It may be a lot like smoking...why on Earth does anyone endure something so vile?


Well, you're just not trying the right tobacco. I have a theory about that. Here, I'll explain...

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## WalkingTree

Got up this morning...poured water in the coffee maker...rinsed off the reusable coffee filter thingy...put it and the pot in the maker and hit the button...

...wandered around doing a couple of other morning things...hearing the maker do it's thing in the background...

...heard that it was done, walked over to it, and the pot was full of clear water. I'd set everything up, but there was no coffee grounds in the thing.

I don't care who you are, that's funny right thar.

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## Rick

Time for tea.

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## hunter63

> Got up this morning...poured water in the coffee maker...rinsed off the reusable coffee filter thingy...put it and the pot in the maker and hit the button...
> 
> ...wandered around doing a couple of other morning things...hearing the maker do it's thing in the background...
> 
> ...heard that it was done, walked over to it, and the pot was full of clear water. I'd set everything up, but there was no coffee grounds in the thing.
> 
> I don't care who you are, that's funny right thar.


.....Or have the power go out ...they reset the clock....but have the timer go off at 3:00 AM....and wonder WTH?

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## crashdive123

> Got up this morning...poured water in the coffee maker...rinsed off the reusable coffee filter thingy...put it and the pot in the maker and hit the button...
> 
> ...wandered around doing a couple of other morning things...hearing the maker do it's thing in the background...
> 
> ...heard that it was done, walked over to it, and the pot was full of clear water. I'd set everything up, but there was no coffee grounds in the thing.
> 
> I don't care who you are, that's funny right thar.


That right there is inexperience and poor planning.  Next thing you know, you'll be running out of toilet paper.   :Whistling:

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## kyratshooter

> That right there is inexperience and poor planning.  Next thing you know, you'll be running out of toilet paper.


That's OK, he has plenty of left over coffee filters.

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## WalkingTree

Well, at least coffee filters ain't John Wayne T.P.

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## hunter63

Or Bear TP.....
Bear to rabbit....."Does crap stick to your fur?"
Rabbit..."No"
Bear, "Good"
Bear picks up rabbit, wipes his butt and tosses rabbit into bushes.....

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## WalkingTree

No, he said "do you have a problem with crap sticking to your fur?"

Makes all the difference.

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## hunter63

Either way, Crappy rabbit in bushes.....LOL

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## WalkingTree

pissed off rabbit in the bushes.

(in other words, since the rabbit says it doesn't have a problem with crap sticking to it's fur, that means it doesn't mind. Git it? Hehe.)

know how they say it's better to be pissed off than pissed on? How's it work if you're crapped on?

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## hunter63

Either way....... its a crappy situation......

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## Adventure Wolf

I never got into coffee, and I don't drink it unless I am meeting someone (usually a date) at a coffee house. I have never had a problem getting out of bed in the morning.

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## Rick

I don't have a problem getting out of bed in the morning. I have to if I want my coffee.

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## Mannlicher

I drink one cup of decaf a day.  If coffee were to disappear tomorrow,  I would probably not miss it at all.

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## kyratshooter

All these people that can do without coffee just fine ad never know if it was all gone tomorrow is why the U.S. is falling behind in every category except the growing waistline!

We sent the first man to the moon using engineers powered by black coffee and two packs of cigarettes a day, and when the Eagle landed what did they all do?

They gave a big cheer and fired up cigars!

We have not sent another man to the moon since they put laities on the snack bar menu and banned smoking indoors at NASA!

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