Do you look forward to a cup of coffee or tea upon waking? I don’t drink coffee, but my husband does. My son and I drink yerba-mate tea, typically chai-flavored, which we prepare the night before in our French Press. We reheat the tea in our cups in the microwave after adding sweeteners (honey and stevia for me) and creamer (for me). I add eggnog instead of creamer as soon as it becomes available around Thanksgiving. I also add powdered collagen in my cup.
This may not be your “cup of tea”—the way we do our tea—but it works for us! Storing comfort foods, like coffee and tea, is vital. They boost morale and are practical for long-term use. These items provide a sense of normality and relaxation, which is invaluable during stressful times.
To preserve coffee, tea, and other comfort foods, it is crucial to understand their unique storage requirements and select the most effective methods to maintain their flavor, aroma, and freshness over time. Here are some guidelines for storing these items to ensure they remain enjoyable for months or even years.
Read and Learn: 17 Things to Do Before Building a Survival Food Stockpile – eBook
Coffee
Coffee is one of the most popular comfort foods, but it can be challenging to store because it’s highly sensitive to air, light, moisture, and temperature changes. Ground coffee loses its freshness quickly, usually within a few weeks, while whole coffee beans hold flavor longer.
If you’re looking to store coffee long-term, the best choice is to opt for whole beans. To keep them fresh, transfer coffee beans to airtight containers like Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers or vacuum-sealed bags.
These methods remove excess air, which is the main culprit behind coffee going stale. For maximum longevity, you can store coffee in food-grade buckets with tight lids, ensuring the beans are protected from moisture and pests. It is best to store coffee in a cool, dark place with stable temperatures.
Freezing coffee beans is also an option, but only if you leave them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them. Frequent thawing and refreezing can cause condensation, which will degrade the flavor.
If you prefer ground coffee, consider storing smaller, pre-measured portions in vacuum-sealed bags. This setup lets you open only what you need without exposing the rest to air.
Freeze-dried instant coffee is another good option. It has a significantly longer shelf life compared to fresh coffee and only requires hot water to prepare. Instant coffee is generally more resilient to environmental factors, so it’s a practical choice for extended storage.
Tea
Like coffee, tea is vulnerable to moisture, light, and air, which can degrade its flavor over time. Tea leaves and tea bags can last several years if stored correctly, but loose-leaf tea usually retains better flavor than tea bags due to the quality of the leaves.
To maximize shelf life, store tea in airtight containers, ideally in metal or dark-colored glass jars, to protect it from light. Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers work well for large quantities of loose-leaf tea, keeping air out and preserving the tea’s delicate oils.
If airtight, keep tea bags in their original packaging or transfer them to sealed containers to protect against air and moisture. Certain teas, like green and white teas, tend to lose freshness more quickly than black or herbal teas, so they may need to be rotated more often.
Herbal teas, often made from dried fruits, flowers, or roots, are usually more forgiving when it comes to long-term storage, as they lack the same volatile oils as true tea leaves. Still, it’s best to follow similar storage practices to retain maximum flavor and aroma.
For an extended tea supply, consider investing in vacuum-sealed tea bricks and highly compressed tea leaves designed for long storage. These bricks, popular in Chinese tea culture, are naturally preserved due to their dense structure and make an excellent option for preppers looking for an extended supply without sacrificing flavor.
Sugar
Sugar is another comfort food staple that’s highly shelf-stable and easy to store. Since sugar doesn’t spoil, it can last indefinitely if kept free from moisture and contaminants. The main challenge with sugar is preventing it from clumping, which happens when exposed to humidity.
Store sugar in airtight containers, such as food-grade buckets with tight-fitting lids or vacuum-sealed bags to keep sugar dry. If you’re using bulk containers, consider placing a food-safe desiccant packet inside to absorb any excess moisture.
Granulated sugar, brown sugar, and powdered sugar all benefit from the same storage methods, but brown sugar requires extra attention to keep it soft. Brown sugar tends to harden over time, so store it in airtight containers with a piece of bread or a slice of apple, which helps retain moisture. If it hardens, you can soften it by briefly microwaving it with a damp paper towel or placing it in an airtight container with a damp paper towel overnight.
Honey
Honey is another sweetener with an indefinite shelf life due to its natural antibacterial properties. Properly stored, honey can last for decades without spoiling, though it may crystallize over time.
Crystallization is a natural process that doesn’t indicate spoilage. You can return your honey to its liquid state by gently warming the container in hot water if it crystallizes.
Store honey in glass jars with tight-fitting lids, as plastic containers can absorb odors and aren’t as airtight over time. Keep honey in a cool, dark place to prevent changes in color or flavor.
Chocolate
Chocolate is a popular comfort food that requires careful storage to retain its quality. High-quality dark chocolate has a longer shelf life than milk or white chocolate due to its lower milk content, which is prone to spoilage. Dark chocolate can last up to two years if stored in a cool, dark place, away from humidity and temperature fluctuations.
Chocolate absorbs odors quickly, so keep it in airtight containers or vacuum-sealed bags to prevent it from picking up unwanted flavors. Avoid freezing chocolate, as condensation can form when brought back to room temperature, affecting its texture and taste. If you’re storing chocolate long-term, keep it in a pantry or cupboard where the temperature is stable and cool.
Nuts
Salted nuts provide a satisfying snack with protein and healthy fats, making them a good comfort food choice for long-term storage. However, nuts can go rancid over time due to their fat content, so storing them correctly is essential.
Vacuum-sealing or using Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers can help prevent spoilage. Freeze-dried or dehydrated nuts last longer than raw nuts and can be rehydrated or eaten as is. Keep nuts in a cool, dark place with minimal temperature fluctuations for extra longevity, as heat can accelerate rancidity.
Read This: Step-by-step Guide to Building a Senior-friendly Emergency Kit
Dried Fruit
Dried fruits offer a natural sweetness and a boost of vitamins, making them excellent comfort foods to store. The key to preserving dried fruits is to keep them dry and free from air exposure.
Vacuum-sealing dried fruits in small portions is ideal, as it minimizes exposure each time you open a bag. Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers are also practical for bulk storage.
Store dried fruits like apricots, raisins, and apples in a dark, cool pantry to help preserve color and flavor. Check periodically for any signs of moisture buildup or mold, and remove compromised items immediately.
Spices
Spices are essential for adding flavor to stored foods, enhancing simple meals with minimal effort. Whole spices generally last longer than ground spices, as grinding exposes the oils to air, which leads to faster degradation.
Store spices in airtight containers, preferably glass or metal, as they protect them from light and help retain their potency. Keep your spices in a dark, cool place to maximize freshness.
Common comfort spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and peppercorns are particularly valuable in a survival pantry because they enhance both savory and sweet dishes.
Herbal Teas and Drink Mixes
Herbal teas and drink mixes offer comforting flavors and can be stored with the proper methods for extended periods. For herbal teas, follow the same practices as for regular tea, keeping them in airtight, light-proof containers.
Powdered drink mixes, including hot chocolate and electrolyte powders, are also excellent additions to a comfort pantry. These powders are usually very shelf-stable but must be kept away from moisture. Vacuum-sealed containers or Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers are ideal for powdered items, as they prevent clumping and help preserve flavor.
These storage practices will keep comfort foods fresh and ready to enjoy. These include coffee, tea, chocolate, and snacks. If preserved well, these items will nourish, comfort, add variety, and restore a sense of normality in any situation.
What is your beverage of choice upon waking? Do you prefer coffee or tea, or do you opt for something different? Kindly respond below with your morning drink preference, particularly if it varies from the norm. Let us initiate a discussion thread on the diverse wake-up rituals practiced globally.
I’m the daughter of 2 original survivalists who moved from the north to sunny Florida. My mother, along with her parents, bought 30 mostly uncleared acres in 1938. The first home was made of pecky-cypress and built by a house-raising. My mother raised 10,000 chickens.
My divorced mother met and married my father in 1948. From pine trees on our property, he hand-built a log cabin. He also built a tarpaper-lined 65’x45′ pool with duck pond overflow. We had an artesian well for our water and powering our hand-built waterwheel for the pool. He built a substantial cantilevered roof workshop with a car pit in the massive cement floor.
Since my early teens, I have read a ton of books about survival, prepping, the bomb, an apocalypse, homestead living, and SHTF situations. As an adult, I continue to read sci-fi, survival prepping, and science. I practice a prepper lifestyle albeit a bit modified, read a lot, buy a lot, pack/store a lot of anything survival related.
Read my About Me post for more details on our self-sufficient living. I lived there until I went to college in 1968.
My SurvivalPrepperSupply.com blog strives to educate individuals on coping with natural and human-caused disasters using article posts about preparing for emergencies.