Prep Genrl Past best buy date ground coffee

nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
I opened a container of Folgers coffee this morning that the best buy date was 12/2021. The foil top was raised. The coffee didn't have that fresh coffee smell, same with the Community Coffee and chickry freeze dried package that I mix with it to have a bolder coffee. It expired int 2020, the package was still hard but it didn't have the fresh coffee smell. I mixed the two together, that amount of coffee gives me about a three month supply of coffee.

The brewed coffee tastes fine but has no smell. I'm not sure how much coffee I have stored, I'll have to go count the containers.

As for instant coffee, I have a supply. Yesterday we had to leave earlier than usual because my appointment was earlier. So I made a cup of instant, it had been opened but I'd kept the jar in the freezer. If that is all I have I'll drink it but its not great.

In the early years I lived in New Orleans I drank instant. Louisiane instant with Cremora. Man I loved that stuff, I think I must have had some coffee with my Cremora. When I married my ex he brewed coffee, none of that instant crap for him. That was 1978. I think that is the first time I every had brewed coffee at home. Back in the 70's coffee out was good strong coffee and I added cream. Cafe du Monde was my favorite and in the early 70's it was 20 cents a cup. No idea what it costs today.

I know that whole coffee beans retain their flavor longer than ground. But ground and instant is what I have and I'll have to go with that. In alas babalon the savored that instant coffee they found after not having any coffee for a good while. I'll remember that and be thankful for what I have.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I opened a jug of Folgers coffee, yesterday. It had "best by" date of July 2021. We just finished the last jug of 2019 coffee. Tasted just fine to us. We're not picky about our coffee, though. In a SHTF event, any coffee will taste good even if it's a bit stale, I'm sure to us, since we're big coffee drinkers. I have no desire to buy and store coffee beans. I've counted, and I have in storage more than 2 year's worth of coffee, and I'm still stocking it. Never know when you might need some extra.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
drafter said:
I’ve had regular ground coffee go bad fairly fast. I’ve had Folgers crystals freeze dried that was 12 years old and it tasted fine. So i stick to ground for drinking and freeze dried for long term storage.
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When you say go bad, what do you mean? Rancid? I've never had any coffee go bad. A bit stale, but not bad.
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
drafter said:
It just tasted yucky. Like it had lost any “coffee” flavor and was just gross water. This was approximately 5 to 7 year old ground coffee, multiple brands. Just ended up throwing it out.
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Oh, ok. I thought maybe it had molded or something. Mine isn't any older than 2 1/2-3 years at the most, so all is good. Like I said, it might taste a bit stale, but we drink it anyway. Stale coffee beats no coffee. We've even experimented with roasting beechnuts and ground them for a coffee substitute if that's all we can get in a SHTF event. Not bad, either.
 
nomifyle

nomifyle

TB Fanatic
SouthernBreeze said:
Oh, ok. I thought maybe it had molded or something. Mine isn't any older than 2 1/2-3 years at the most, so all is good. Like I said, it might taste a bit stale, but we drink it anyway. Stale coffee beats no coffee. We've even experimented with roasting beechnuts and ground them for a coffee substitute if that's all we can get in a SHTF event. Not bad, either.
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I agree, stale coffee is better than no coffee. I drank that instant coffee I had yesterday down to the last drop. Funny thing though I got a cup of coffee at mcdonalds and it tasted awful, use to taste good.

My after best buy coffee this morning tastes fine, just doesn't have that fresh coffee smell. I'm on my second cup.
 
E

etdeb

Veteran Member
nomifyle said:
I agree, stale coffee is better than no coffee. I drank that instant coffee I had yesterday down to the last drop. Funny thing though I got a cup of coffee at mcdonalds and it tasted awful, use to taste good.

My after best buy coffee this morning tastes fine, just doesn't have that fresh coffee smell. I'm on my second cup.
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Some of the off taste and smell is probably related to your having covid.
I have to cousins that drank coffee like water cant stand the smell if fresh coffee or the taste either.
 
B

Barry Natchitoches

Has No Life - Lives on TB
drafter said:
It just tasted yucky. Like it had lost any “coffee” flavor and was just gross water. This was approximately 5 to 7 year old ground coffee, multiple brands. Just ended up throwing it out.
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If you have a garden, don’t throw out old coffee. Mix it in with your growing soil. It is a great fertilizer. Much better than chemical fertilizers.

Used coffee grounds is also excellent source of fertilizer for your garden, except for tomato plants. Corn meal is a better source of fertilization for tomato plants. You can use a limited amount of coffee in a tomato planting hole, but too much, and it will make your tomatoes taste like coffee.

Most vegetables and fruits will not adopt a coffee taste with moderate use of coffee as a fertilizer, but tomatoes and strawberries will.

But use that coffee for other stuff you plant.
 
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Publius

TB Fanatic
Coffee thats still vacuum sealed should be fine. We had a member here a good number of years back opening coffee they had stored for more than ten years and it was good the can was still sealed when they put the can opener to it.
We had coffee that was in the vacuum sealed mylar bags and as long it was still a solid rectangle like cube it was still under a vacuum and gave some of it away letting them know it was stored in our home for years and said it was just as good as a new can of coffee.
 
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mikeabn

Finally not a lurker!
Speaking of coffee- went to our local scratch 'n' dent. Usually they have a very good amount of coffee, most of it name brand. Yesterday not a lot at all, mostly off-brand too. Less than the last time I was there too, about three months ago.
 
thompson

thompson

Certa Bonum Certamen
Barry Natchitoches said:
If you have a garden, don’t throw out old coffee. Mix it in with your growing soil. It is a great fertilizer. Much better than chemical fertilizers.

Used coffee grounds is also excellent source of fertilizer for your garden, except for tomato plants. Corn meal is a better source of fertilization for tomato plants. You can use a limited amount of coffee in a tomato planting hole, but too much, and it will make your tomatoes taste like coffee.

Most vegetables and fruits will not adopt a coffee taste with moderate use of coffee as a fertilizer, but tomatoes and strawberries will.

But use that coffee for other stuff you plant.
Click to expand...
I used to occasionally put used coffee grounds on the top of my house plants then used a fork to gently work them in a half inch or so. Spectacular results!
 
W

Wildwood

Veteran Member
IMHO coffee doesn't stay fresh as long as it use to. I hate the plastic containers but that's all I can get locally. The metal cans were the best but the bricks aren't bad and I use to order those from Amazon with the subscribe and save but they quit keeping the ones we liked. I guess I should look into it again.

I don't keep as big of a supply as I use to because of it not staying as fresh. We just finished a container of the 12/21 Folgers. If things get worse than they already are, I'll pull the trigger on a longer term supply but I'm not there yet. I enjoy coffee and I will not waste it but I'm also tired of always drinking old coffee to keep it rotated.

I keep all my used grounds and tea bags for the compost along with all my peelings, etc. from cooking and canning. This time of year, the compost bucket fills up fast!
 
Signwatcher

Signwatcher

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I have used coffee (fresh ground organic) a year and a half from best buy date. Been fine.

I use organic because there are a lot of pesticides sprayed on coffee and I have allergies. Bad allergies. Sadly, strawberries are also pesticide laden. Organic strawberries I can handle.

Found some coffee at two years past he's buy date and it didn't smell right.
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
one thing that has happened to hurt the coffee storage longevity is the retail packaging >> I had quite a few cans put away for the Millenium - the metal cans were all metal including the tops - no pre-perfed tin foil cover like today's common packaging ....

I got into the bulk of that stored coffee around 2008-2010 - absolutely no deterioration of flavor - couldn't tell that it didn't come right off the store shelf ....

only a few brands still have an all metal can - many brands have gone to an all poly "can" - good many have the fore-mentioned metal can with the tin foil peel off lid ....

if you're going to store ground coffee for any long term - going to need to get into a mylar bagging & 02 absorber outer packaging - go with the metal can - strip off any labeling you can - use the mylar to back-up the weak lid situation ....

you could go with a re-packing alternative - there's food grade "paint cans" (AKA "gold" cans) - toss in a 02 absorber to help the situation >>> trouble is the $$$$$ - the cans are damn pricey $$$$
 
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