Coffee in the TEOTWAWKI

[DrHenley]

No, I was just referring to my Oxo grinder. It had nothing to do with your Oxo cold brew.
James Hoffman has done several videos on the Aeropress. I follow most of his suggestions.

 

[DrHenley]

BTW, in case somebody wants to know who James Hoffman is...
He does a lot of coffee videos on YouTube. If you've heard of Ian on Forgotten Weapons called "Gun Jesus"...well James Hoffman is "Coffee Jesus" only more qualified. He literally wrote the book on coffee (The World Atlas of Coffee). And he won the World Barista Championship.

 

[Schattentarn]

SHTF without coffee is a real SHTF. We now have baby forumla and tampon shortages. If Biden allows a coffee shortage to happen, it may be the end for him.

 

[DrHenley]

 

[DrHenley]

The worst thing is waiting for the coffee to rest for a week before you can brew it.

On day one, usually the roast flavors are predominant, then for two or three days the origin flavors start coming out. After that the origin flavors diminish and the roast flavors start to take over again. I don't really care much for the roast flavors so I rarely let it develop for a week.

I'm looking for maximum origin flavor. Like blackberry and dried plum in Kenyans, and blueberry and dark chocolate in Yemen Mochas. The most unusual origin flavor was lime in some Peruvian. Not something I'd want to drink all the time but it was interesting and easy to drink.

 

[DrHenley]

Sampling some Yemen Mocca Khulani Natural that I roasted early this morning.
It's already chocolaty with a bit of fruitiness (can't tell what fruit yet), can't wait to see what it tastes like tomorrow.

 

[TexPrep]

On day one, usually the roast flavors are predominant, then for two or three days the origin flavors start coming out. After that the origin flavors diminish and the roast flavors start to take over again. I don't really care much for the roast flavors so I rarely let it develop for a week.

I'm looking for maximum origin flavor. Like blackberry and dried plum in Kenyans, and blueberry and dark chocolate in Yemen Mochas. The most unusual origin flavor was lime in some Peruvian. Not something I'd want to drink all the time but it was interesting and easy to drink.

I rarely made it to the week waiting period.
If I did it was because I already had beans that were ready.

 

[DrHenley]

Coffee Flavor Chemistry
There is one chemical that is responsible for the distinctive taste of coffee, 2-Furanmethanethiol.
But coffee has thousands of chemical compounds in it, and the proportions of those compounds is what make different kinds of coffee taste different.

Some of the more important chemicals contributing to the smell and taste of coffee:

• Caffeine, which is bitter.
• Caramelized sugars which are sweet.
• (E)-ß-Damascenone which is fruity
• 3-Mercapto- 3-methylbutylformate which is roasty
• 2-Isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, 2,3-Diethyl-5-methylpyrazine, 2-Ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, and 2-Isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine which are earthy
• Guaiacol, 4-Vinylguaiacol, and 4-Ethylguaiacol which are spicy
• Acetylmethylcarbinol, and 2,3-Butanedione which are buttery (Acetylmethylcarbinol is the chemical in butter that gives it a buttery taste)
• Vanillin, which is, of course, vanilla flavor
• 4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl- 3(2H)-furanone which is caramel-like
• Phosphoric acid (primary contributor to acidity), Quinic acid, Formic acid, Acetic acid, Propanoic acid, Butanoic acid, Methylpropanoic acid, Pentanoic acid, Lactic acid, Pyruvic acid, Malic acid, Tartaric acid, Citric acid (and many more) which are acidic
• Palmitic acid and Linoleic Acid which are fatty acids, and contribute to "mouth feel."
• Dimethyl Disulfide, which is nasty (human feces odor) and you don't want much of it in the coffee
• 2-Ethylphenol which has a tar-like medicinal odor (don't want much of this either)
• Putrescine - let's put it this way, it has the same root word as "putrid".

Most of these don't exist in green coffee beans. They have to be created by roasting.

 

[Cindyd]

I saw this on Fox this morning...RE: Coffee

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6307653678112

 

[DrHenley]

I saw this on Fox this morning...RE: Coffee

https://video.foxnews.com/v/6307653678112

Yes, there have been a number of studies that showed that coffee decreases the risk of dementia, heart disease, type II diabetes, liver cancer and suicide.

 

[Schattentarn]

I take drip irrigation through the veins each morning just to get me out of bed.

 

[Buttoni]

Yes, there have been a number of studies that showed that coffee decreases the risk of dementia, heart disease, type II diabetes, liver cancer and suicide.

Not terribly fond of the taste of coffee (other than in ice cream), but I drink my 1 cup a day for the touted health benefits and to prevent withdrawal headaches, which are a bit#h to deal with. We have some in vacuum pouches from My Patriot Supply for SHTF. Hope it's decent, but it's probably not. I think half it is ground and then we ordered the last batch as whole beans.

 

[DrHenley]

Here is a great starter kit for anyone who wants to jump into home roasting:

https://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Roaster-Bundle-Extension-Cooler/dp/B09MDLK417This one can be easily used indoors, preferably under a range hood.

It includes the FreshRoast SR800 air roaster, a bean cooler, an extention tube (makes the beans roast more evenly) and some sample packs of green coffee. The bundle saves about $200 from the price if pieces are bought separately. The extension tube is very difficult to find on its own. I would have bought the SR800 instead of building my own if I had been able to find the extension tube.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

@DrHenley since you are a connoisseur, would you be interested in a la spaziale S1 with probably a matching grinder (I have to find that box) for the price of shipping? It was given to us and I just want it out of my barn. DM/PM if you are interested.

 

[DrHenley]

Yes!
...I'll PM you.

 

[campandtravel]

@DrHenley

Really good information here, thank you.

I have a question. How long will an unopened can (metal can, plastic can) of ground coffee beans last? I've had a can on the shelf for almost two years now and I don't want to open it because the coffee in there isn't what I like, although I'd consider it a blessing if there was none of the good stuff left. So it's just sitting and I'm worried it'll go bad eventually. Do you have any experience with that?

 

[DrHenley]

@DrHenley
I have a question. How long will an unopened can (metal can, plastic can) of ground coffee beans last? I've had a can on the shelf for almost two years now and I don't want to open it because the coffee in there isn't what I like, although I'd consider it a blessing if there was none of the good stuff left. So it's just sitting and I'm worried it'll go bad eventually. Do you have any experience with that?

"Bad" is relative. It's not going to kill you no matter how long it's been in the can as long as it's well sealed. It just tastes progressively worse. James Hoffman did some YT videos in which he drank coffee that was decades old out of curiosity. (video below).

Back in the dark ages before whole bean coffee was a "thing", I bought ground coffee for many years and paid attention to how it tasted when I first opened the package, and how the taste changed thereafter...whether it was a bag, a brick, or a can. The best was vacuum packed in a can with CO2.

Whenever coffee is ground, oxygen comes into contact with the grounds. Even if they vacuum pack it after grinding, it has begun to oxidize already. Unless their grinder is in a pure CO2 environment, which I doubt.

This is not true with whole bean coffee. After roasting, the beans give off gasses (mostly CO2) for a few days. They package it while it is still offgassing in bags with one-way valves, and the gas that comes out of the beans purges most of the oxygen from the bags. Unless the ground coffee you buy is in that type of bag, it was not offgassing when it was bagged. Most ground coffee does not.

However, those "one way valves" aren't perfect and the do let some air in.

If vacuum packed in CO2 immediately after grinding, you have a chance of the coffee lasting a good while in a controlled environment (no heat getting to it)
But there is no way I can quantify that.

 

[campandtravel]

Thanks for that. So I guess the only thing to do is open one up and see. I just don't want to drink that much of that coffee, and the can is so big!

Pretty much none of my stored food is food I want to eat, although I'd be happy to eat it if I had no choice. It's a problem I'm having across the board. I know people say to buy what you would eat but what I eat is fresh food, not food that stores well.

I watched that video, and I also tried some vacuum-sealed espresso I've had for two years. It's been in the freezer, then out of it (not sure if that matters) and it was disgusting. But I haven't tried that brand fresh, so I'm not sure how much was the age and how much was the bean.

Anyway thank you.

 

[campandtravel]

I can confirm that six months past "best buy" date is still totally fine. Tastes like typical complimentary coffee in the waiting room at the mechanic's. It'll be 18 months before I can test a year out, thank goodness.

 

[DrHenley]

I can confirm that six months past "best buy" date is still totally fine. Tastes like typical complimentary coffee in the waiting room at the mechanic's..

We have different definitions of "totally fine." LOL
My wife used to think that was totally fine, I never have. But I spoiled her with fresh roasted coffee and now she can't drink that swill anymore.