SHTF: Caffeine

While sitting at my computer I am drinking a cup of coffee. I usually limit myself to one cup a day, unlike in my IT days when drinking four or five was not unheard of.

Drinking this coffee led me to thinking. Hey that almost rhymes! What would we do without that elixir of the waking, caffeine?

Lots of you get yours from Diet Cokes, Starbucks, iced tea, or plain ol' Folgers. But nearly everyone I know just plain functions on some sort of legal stimulant. Here is a warning: You probably do not have enough on hand.

Caffeine is a stimulant. It is also a diuretic. It is also addictive. Failure to ingest your body's expected level will result in annoying side effects.

So, what types of caffeinated beverages are there and which is best to store?

Coffee -
While consumption is down from a record 16 cups a day in 1960 (or something like that), we still gulp loads of this stuff.

Fortunately, coffee still comes in cans which store for a long time. Also, coffee comes in an instant, though not so tasty, variety, which is handy for the BOB.

The bad is that almost all coffee is imported from someplace far away and usually quite hostile. Thus, at some future date, after a prolonged period of chaos and anarchy, there will be no more coffee available.

The good news is there is a huge supply in the U.S. even after the poop has hit the fan. See the bottom of this article for those suggestions.

Tea -
Iced is fine, but hot tea aka tea bags are the preppers best friend. They last forever, are portable and only need hot water and a cup. (Coffee still needs a filter to keep out the grounds unless its instant - yuk).

Tea bags are individual which means a 100 count box can be broken up and restored in Ziploc bags for transport and storage.

Ask Jerry D Young, in a post-TSHT fan world, being a "tea man" is quite handy.

Tea can also be harvested in many places and teas can be made from almost any edible herb or plant. Keep that in mind.

Soda -
One of the more common ways we get caffeine today. Bad news though, Cokes, Pepsis, etc do not store long or well. Often they will go flat after a few months.

I am going to keep some Diet Coke on hand as I know too many addicts of the stuff. Their demand will lead to some good trades for me down the road!

Now, where can one pick up coffee, tea and sodas after the SHTF? (besides the grocery store of course).

Be sure to add these locations to your scavenging and trade runs. Offices (check the break rooms and conference rooms. Also the secretaries' desk and any closets or storage areas near the front of the office or administrative areas).
Restaurants, don't forget fast food places too. Also almost any business has a coffee maker on the premises for both employees and visitors. Most businesses will be considered worthless by looters and scavengers as they focus on grocery stores and homes for plunder.

Finally, caffeine keeps one awake during those dangerous times. Late night guard duty, tending to the sick and injured, and on all night drives after curfew. You will need it more often than you think!



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