Longevity of coffee?

[FlashPan]

Hi all,

A while back I bought a big box of Douwe Egbert Cappucinno coffee sachets

These ones contained some sugar and skimmed milk powder.

They have a date printed on each sachet which is approaching May this year. The date does not stipulate though is best before or use by and nothing much more printed.

Does anyone know about storing coffee sachets? (or a better method).

I mainly bought these for camping trips and if we lost power (milk in fridge) at least I'd be able to have a white coffee. Plus I wouldn't have to carry separate milk and sugar.

In the pack I have I have just found a sachet dated for Jan 2010. It looks intact etc. Am I risking ruining my weekend if I try this one out?

Cheers

[grenfell]

I'd hazard a guess that it's a best before date althought here's a chance any fat (if any?) in the milk powder may deteriorate and go rancid .
I've tried years old powdered tea ( don't drink coffee myself) and find that there can be a tendency for the powder not to mix in the water properly which again is probably a fault with the milk.
With your six year old packet I'd say give it a try , you've nothing to lose. You'll be able to judge the longevity of it through a combination of look , smell and taste but I wouldn't be expecting it to be just like freshly ground .

[FlashPan]

Thanks Grenfell,

Will try out the 6 year old sachet in the morning.....this could be my last post

[featherstick]

Well?

[Stasher]

Well?

or not, as the case may be ............

[Deeps]

Well?

or not, as the case may be ............

Will we have to despatch Warlock and Ajax to bring back his body ?????

[metatron]

All the processed coffee's has lost most of its flavor by the time it leaves the factory, the longer you have it the weaker and more bland it gets. If you don't like the taste of coffee then its fine, processed coffee is like Fosters for beer, sometimes as long as it's the right temp and its wet, its better then nothing.

Best bet is buy whole coffee beans from a local roaster, who deals in small batch coffee and store it in the freezer, then grind as needed, it will last a few years, but it's best consumed within a few months.

[FlashPan]

I'm still here

Didn't reply straight away as had the coffee and then headed out for the day.

The old sachet didn't split or curdle when I added boiling water but the taste although not horrible you could tell it just wasn't quite right.

One thing it did make me do was to sip it over an extended period of time, which of course in turn made the whole drink last longer.

I think with the stash I have that is dated for May I'll keep until the end of the year (use up as well bit by bit) and buy a new lot.

Cheers and stand down no need to send in Warlock and Ajax....thanks for the thought though

[Deeps]

I'm still here

Didn't reply straight away as had the coffee and then headed out for the day.

The old sachet didn't split or curdle when I added boiling water but the taste although not horrible you could tell it just wasn't quite right.

One thing it did make me do was to sip it over an extended period of time, which of course in turn made the whole drink last longer.

I think with the stash I have that is dated for May I'll keep until the end of the year (use up as well bit by bit) and buy a new lot.

Cheers and stand down no need to send in Warlock and Ajax....thanks for the thought though

I think your avatar is from Blackadder but I couldn't resist, Brian Blessed really only plays......Brian Blessed. Glad you've cheated death mate.

[nickdutch]

Green raw coffee beans can last for years and years and years and years ......

You can then roast them in a popcorn popper and grind as normal. Each home roast you do will be different and therefore you can enjoy the flavours more that way. A bit like when you do home made wine and the like.

But the way the truth and the light is to go for green coffee beans for long term storage.