A case for Raw (green) coffee as the optimal Barter item.
Raw coffee, also known as "Green" coffee (beans are a pale green prior to roasting), can be stored easily for years with little loss of flavor or other quality characteristics. Any coffee once roasted will begin noticeable loss of flavor and quality characteristics within weeks, making raw coffee the best form for long term storage.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity on Earth, second only to oil. The United States is one of the worlds top coffee consuming countries. Per capita and overall consumption are both on the rise. Demand for Raw coffee would dramatically increase as regional availability of roasted and brewed coffees quickly disappear due to International Trade interruptions or any one of numerous catastrophic events.
Coffee is easy to roast requiring little more than a pot and campfire or stove to roast enough for a day or a week. Prior to the proliferation of that stuff in a can, coffee was commonly roasted at home on a stove or small device with a drum over a fire. A manual popcorn popper makes an excellent and cheap device for roasting coffee on a stove or open fire. Many excellent and economical manual Coffee Grinders are available in case of electric outages, and are a must have for serious coffee Drinkers.
Nearly all coffee takes a long ocean voyage prior to arriving in the Continental United States. Any disruption to intercontinental shipping would severely cut our supply of coffee. Many fruits and vegetables are grown in the United States but only ONE State can grow coffee (Hawaii), most of which sells for $20 or more per pound now. A failure of International trade agreements could easily keep us from our morning Joe. Even disruptions to Interstate transportation would cut most of the country from our coffee supplies coming from the Northeastern and Western coastal sea ports.
Coffee vs. Precious Metal as a post critical event barter item:
- Raw "green" coffee costs about $5 per pound. Build your cache for little cash.
- Green coffee is easily recognizable as raw coffee by almost everyone.
- A quality test of green coffee is simple, roast, grind, and brew a little.
- Long term storage is easy, store similar to other dry food items.
- Coffee like most food and drink tastes best when you roast it Fresh. Start now.
- Coffee was instrumental in developing the ideals of Freedom and Democracy.
- Coffee has long been used to bring comfort to those in need.
- Cowboys drink coffee; name one Western that doesn’t have a scene drinking coffee.
- Well known value; most of us know what we paid at the coffee shop or Grocery store.
- If criminals break in now; will they take dry milk and coffee beans, or silver, gold, guns?
- Roasting fresh quality coffee now costs less than buying roasted bag or brewed coffees.
- Raw coffee is easily divisible on the spot to make small trades and control total cost.
- Used coffee grounds can be used to repel insects or added to compost to adjust PH levels.
Coffee will be useful as a method of determining a valuable barter partner. Many people will be looking for the simple comforts we have long enjoyed. While very few will be interested in trading for precious metal, those who do will give very little in trade to make up for the large risk they take acquiring it. When resources become scarce, Survivors interested in trading for coffee are probably well supplied in other hard to get items (water, food, shelter, comfort items) making them a good source for what you may need or want, like cream for your coffee.
A simple scenario: You are lost in a desert with a jug of water and a knife; you meet another lost person with a wheelbarrow full of gold bars. How many gold bars do you trade for your water and or knife?
Precious Metals
- Precious metals are costly; Gold is currently about $1,300.00 per OUNCE, Silver $20.00
- Difficult to acquire; most of us can’t buy it at the actual market rate in small quantities. Difficult to divide into smaller quantities for trading, what will you do cut a bar?
- Difficult to prove quality or authenticity, easy to counterfeit has no value without testing.
- Difficult to collect; coins containing precious metal are out of circulation inflating cost.
- Difficult to store; Safe deposit box? Handy; Big Safe? Says “take me”; Hide it? Lose it.
- Difficult to value; dependent on purity and precise weight and how will you know?
- Difficult to value post critical event; No market = No known value.
- Difficult to prevent loss; highly volatile market will slide as economy improves, or?
- Difficult to trade; few well stocked survivors will be interested, ask King Midas!
Summary
- Coffee is the 2nd most traded commodity on Earth. This means huge demand.
- Coffee must be shipped great distances with many chances to interrupt supply.
- Coffee requires little more than a fire and a pot to roast and prepare, low tech.
- Coffee is easy and cheap to buy now, easy to roast like popcorn.
- Coffee is very easy to store as long as it is Raw, won’t require a safe or hiding place.
- Coffee roasting at home saves money now vs. similar quality, bags, Kups, or Brewed.
- Coffee is widely recognized and easily divisible into small partial quantities for trading.
- Coffee will be highly sought increasing in value while precious metals values will crash.
- Coffee can be instrumental in locating well supplied trading partners.
- Coffee was the gathering force around which our forefathers contemplated democracy.
- Coffee is an important part of so many peoples’ routine providing comfort beyond cost.
- Coffee purchased Raw from a Specialty coffee retailer is the highest quality coffee.
- Coffee grown for quality improves economies in growing regions reducing risk of crisis.
- Coffee grown for quality is more Earth friendly reducing the effects on our environment.
Learn More About Green Coffee
Scott Brill
Coffee Professional / Owner
Homeroastcoffee.com
Specialty Green Coffees and Home Coffee Roasting Equipment
