By Chuck Woodbury
I have one significant addiction. It’s coffee. So far, in all the scientific articles I have ever read, nobody has said, flat out, that drinking a lot of coffee is bad. Or nobody has convinced me of it. So why stop, is what I say.
I am so ridiculously addicted to it that I can now drink two or three cups and still fall quickly asleep. Go figure.
But the point of this article: I like my coffee with milk. I like cream, but my cardiologist doesn’t agree. I do not like my coffee black. Tried it: Nope, no can do.
So, whenever I travel, whether in my RV, or by plane or car, I must have milk. Most of the time, at least when traveling with my RV, I have a quart or half-gallon of it handy. But I can run out, which happens. And that is when this little 8-ounce miracle of ultra-pasteurization saves my day.
It also comes in handy for cereal, for when the main milk supply runs out or goes bad.
It’s called Horizon Organic Milk. It comes in different flavors as well as in 1 percent, 2 percent and whole. But unlike regular milk, it does not need to be refrigerated until after you open it. The shelf life is a few months. So I always keep a couple of 8-ounce containers handy for when I run out of the regular stuff. It tastes just like regular milk.
The milk is “ultra” pasteurized by heating it to a very high temperature for a few seconds, which destroys bacteria for a longer shelf life than normal milk. It comes from the same cows that produce Horizon’s traditional organic milk.
At home in Seattle, I buy it from Fred Meyer (Kroger) stores. But other big markets have it. It’s available on Amazon in 8, 12 and 18 packs.
And here, for other coffee fanatics like me, is what else I carry in my coffee emergency kit. I have provided Amazon links for your convenience.
• Single cup water heater: When hot water isn’t available, heat your own with this small, inexpensive device.
• Starbucks instant coffee: Comes in many blends and quantities.
• Individual coffee creamers: These ultra-pasteurized packets will also work for your coffee.
• Sugar packets: I don’t sweeten my coffee, but for those who do, here are a number of products, natural and artificial.
So there you go, java junkies. Bottoms up!
RVT1251
I was always under the belief that real men drink their coffee black. Just saying … !! 🙂
Each to their own. However, if you add anything to coffee, it is no longer coffee; it is a coffee flavored drink. I quit putting additives in my coffee decades ago and have never looked back. But I’m not sure adding something to coffee means someone is neither a real man (nor real woman).
In the mid-1970’s, Readers Digest had an article about drinking your coffee black. Concern was about the amount of extra calories added to a zero calorie beverage. It takes about 2 weeks to convert to pure black coffee, with the first week the roughest.
Black ever since.
For me its 6 to 8 mugs of “high test” per day. Guess I’m a wimp, because I have to add a dash of 2% milk ….just enough to lighten it. I’ve NEVER acquired a taste, or desire for booze or beer, but I LOVE MY COFFEE …all day, every day
If the perceived bitterness turns you off black coffee, try cold brew. It’s the initial brewing that causes the bitterness and cold brew, although taking longer (over night is best) you can always have two pots going…drinking from one, ‘brewing’ the other.
One way to lessen the bitterness is to use purified water, no chemicals.
We have a whole house system, not just a softener, that removes impurities, chemicals and chlorine.
Not only does it taste better, but you need less grounds to make a full pot.
We carry 4-6 gallon jugs of our ‘house’ water with us to use only for the coffee.
Milk and sugar or “regular” as it was once known. I’ve never cared how other people like to eat or drink. Keep your diet private like politics, sex and religion.
I use no sugar almond milk or Bailey’s. Either is just perfect!
Also, I just came back from Costa Rica and the coffee I had there rivals Jamaican Blue Mountain. Smooooooth, and zero bitter aftertaste!
Europe is way ahead of North America in regards to shelf-stable dairy. The refrigerators tend to be smaller. Many families have their milk stock on a pantry shelf and the only one 2 liter or less container of milk in the refrigerator.
Black coffee. Beyond please and thank you, I think the 1st words I’ve learned in any non-English language is to not add dairy or sugar. 🙂
Chuck, the Costco business center (highway 99, Lynnwood WA) has a case of the Land-O-Lakes mini moos for a lot less than grocery stores.
Eons ago when there was a significant spike in coffee prices I decided if I was going to pay that much for coffee I wanted to actually taste it, so started taking it black and have ever since. IMHO only with black coffee can you really appreciate the true taste. We have been using UHT milk for decades for both boating and camping – not always easy to find in stores but a must for us. Also saves on refrigerator space, since only required once opened.
I have also noticed that the aseptic milk in cartons keeps longer after opening than regular milk.
Our local Costco has 8oz bottles of ultra-pasteurized Darigold milk much cheaper than .amazon! Love it, especially in the motorhome!
All of the organic milk/half&half in my grocery store is ultrapasturized. I buy the quart of Kroger organic half&half. Previously I was using Coffemate original which didn’t have sugar in it but the little bit of half&half I use a day is not going to hurt me.
So . . . I don’t use a creamer. I like mine black – sailor strength. But I’ve discovered a non-dairy embellishment. Think of it as ‘seasoning’ for your coffee. We all see the taste palate profiles but few ever seem to measure up. Tip: One that does – Intelligentsia Black Cat Sublunar – discovered at a Hell’s Kitchen restaurant . . . but I digress. A teaspoon of sorghum molasses will re-capture those flavor profiles that you were sold. Even awful coffee can be saved. And you might even be able to ditch the dairy all together. OBTW: A byproduct of sorghum molasses (not cane molasses – not the same) is B17. A notoriously hard to get vitamin that is a known powerful cancer fighter.
Germany also has boxed milk. I lived there during the 1980’s and lead many student exchange groups to Germany from 1992 through 2019. The refrigerated boxed milk was always an oddity for the students. I told them it is treated like Mayo, no refrigeration needed until opened.
Thank you for the information, Chuck. I am somewhat similar in that I can drink 17.9 ounces of Mountain Dew, brush my teeth, and fall asleep for the night. As to coffee, I find that chilled liquids cool my coffee too quickly. Instead, I put three teaspoons of sugar and four of non-dairy creamer into the cup before adding coffee. This seems to shorten the time it takes for the coffee to absorb the sugar and creamer. I never drink coffee on travel days so the coffee maker gets put away the night before departure. However, a feshly opened 17.9-ounce bottle of Mountain Dew resides in my cup holder for the duration of the drive. Have a great day and safe travels!