- Joined
- Sep 7, 2013
- Messages
- 18,475
If you're like Bigpaul and can drink instant, then no problem, just stock up on instant coffee and you're good. I quit having the ability to stomach instant coffee decades ago.
Problem with coffee is that once you roast it, the oils start to go rancid after a week or so. Some people (maybe most coffee drinkers) really only know what rancid coffee tastes like because that's all they ever had. But I got to a point that I just didn't want that nasty aftertaste anymore.
OK, if you're still with me and want to drink good coffee when there is no Internet and no coffee shops, there is a solution or two.
The simplest one is to get whole bean coffee, and vacuum pack it, and freeze it. Then once the power goes out, you'll still have a good long while before it goes rancid if it's:
We're talking ~$7 per pound for good quality single origin beans.
Unroasted coffee has a very long shelf life, even exposed to oxygen. Vacuum packed and kept out of the light and heat, a very very long shelf life. Vacuum packed, kept out of the light and heat and frozen, it has an indefinite shelf life.
To buy the same quality coffee that is already roasted you will pay about 3-4 times as much per pound as unroasted coffee.
If you live near a big city, look up an Ethiopian shop. You see, Ethiopians roast coffee at home THREE TIMES A DAY. They have a ritual for it. And Ethiopian shops sell unroasted coffee pretty cheap (earlier this year it was $4/pound in Arlington VA, but the last time I bought some it was over $5/pound). It's not specialty coffee grade, but it's usually pretty good. I recommend the Yirgacheffe and Harrar varieties if you can find it. Sidamo is pretty good, but I have not had good luck with Kembata unless it's roasted darker than I like.
The Ethiopians pan roast their coffee. So it stands to reason that Ethiopian coffee would be a good choice for pan roasting, and I've found that to be true. I've had problems with pan roasting other coffees, but Yirgacheffe was very easy to pan roast.
Here is a video of me pan roasting some Yirgacheffe at my daughter's house in Arlington when I first started learning to roast coffee. I had the gas stove on medium heat. You will need a way to cool down the beans once you finish. And you need to know that the beans will continue to roast even after you remove them from the heat UNTIL you get the temperature down.
I poured them between two metal colanders in front of a fan (outside) at first until I found a better way.
Problem with coffee is that once you roast it, the oils start to go rancid after a week or so. Some people (maybe most coffee drinkers) really only know what rancid coffee tastes like because that's all they ever had. But I got to a point that I just didn't want that nasty aftertaste anymore.
OK, if you're still with me and want to drink good coffee when there is no Internet and no coffee shops, there is a solution or two.
The simplest one is to get whole bean coffee, and vacuum pack it, and freeze it. Then once the power goes out, you'll still have a good long while before it goes rancid if it's:
- Under vacuum
- Not in the light
- Not in the heat
We're talking ~$7 per pound for good quality single origin beans.
Unroasted coffee has a very long shelf life, even exposed to oxygen. Vacuum packed and kept out of the light and heat, a very very long shelf life. Vacuum packed, kept out of the light and heat and frozen, it has an indefinite shelf life.
To buy the same quality coffee that is already roasted you will pay about 3-4 times as much per pound as unroasted coffee.
If you live near a big city, look up an Ethiopian shop. You see, Ethiopians roast coffee at home THREE TIMES A DAY. They have a ritual for it. And Ethiopian shops sell unroasted coffee pretty cheap (earlier this year it was $4/pound in Arlington VA, but the last time I bought some it was over $5/pound). It's not specialty coffee grade, but it's usually pretty good. I recommend the Yirgacheffe and Harrar varieties if you can find it. Sidamo is pretty good, but I have not had good luck with Kembata unless it's roasted darker than I like.
The Ethiopians pan roast their coffee. So it stands to reason that Ethiopian coffee would be a good choice for pan roasting, and I've found that to be true. I've had problems with pan roasting other coffees, but Yirgacheffe was very easy to pan roast.
Here is a video of me pan roasting some Yirgacheffe at my daughter's house in Arlington when I first started learning to roast coffee. I had the gas stove on medium heat. You will need a way to cool down the beans once you finish. And you need to know that the beans will continue to roast even after you remove them from the heat UNTIL you get the temperature down.
I poured them between two metal colanders in front of a fan (outside) at first until I found a better way.