Why Does My Coffee Smell Like a Skunk ?

[SaltyMonkey]

Do you get strange smells onboard that are annoying and troublesome, but don't seem to have an originating source? How do you get rid of them? Baking soda containers are sometimes too small for a large boat and don't seem to work well in humid/moist environments. What do you do?

[Astrid]

It is possible that it is the brand you have, but most likely the coffee has absorbed humidity. I use air tight containers for coffee, once I have opened the can:

Airtight Clamp Canister Set - 4 Piece Stainless Steel : Shop by Brand | Organize.comOGGI | Organize.com

[SaltyMonkey]

oooh thats a nicer one than the one i have. How long does you coffee keep fresh in there?

[zeehag]

i grind mine every day..... smells like french roast .. or espresso roast... coffee..LOL.. .goood luck!! ye can always come down to mazatlan for coffee......

[svcambria]

It's just fighting the symptoms and not the cause, but if you have dockside electricity and stay on board the small HEPA filtered fans are useful; if you are not on board, small open containers of household bleach, placed around the boat, evaporating into the air help...

Michael

[Astrid]

How long does you coffee keep fresh in there?

I go through a lot of coffee, so it makes it kind of hard to judge, but off hand I have good results for a week or two. Certainly the cannister for sugar, which is used much less, keeps the sugar from clumping due to moisture for a very long time.

[svcambria]

These are pretty good too (or bigger or smaller):

Lock Lock Pasta Box Food Container Tall 8.4-Cup 67-Fluid Ounces by locknlockplace.com (Lock&Lock Official Webstore)

I have had these floating in sea water while keeping the flour or sugar inside dry...

Michael

[farotherside]

Originally Posted by Astrid

It is possible that it is the brand you have, but most likely the coffee has absorbed humidity. I use air tight containers for coffee, once I have opened the can:

Airtight Clamp Canister Set - 4 Piece Stainless Steel : Shop by Brand | Organize.comOGGI | Organize.com

Ditto on these; I use exactly the same ones for storing roasted beans, along with a Bodum hand-powered coffee grinder and a Bialetti stovetop moka pot. Perfect onboard coffee every time, albeit with a little more effort than average.

Definitely keep coffee in an airtight tin, unground if at all possible; once ground, coffee goes stale in a matter of hours. I'm still hunting for a reasonable solution for roasting my own coffee onboard - green beans last for many months on the shelf without going stale.

[High Heels]

So Drew you really like your Bodum handpowered coffee grinder??? I am going to be in the market when we are closer to moving onboard full time and need to ween myself from the electric coffee grinder. I use my Aeropress which is a hand press coffee maker everywhere I go now but need to figure out the coffee grinder part of the equation...

[senormechanico]

An electric coffee grinder only uses about 100 watts, and then only for about 20 seconds.
Even a cheapy 300 watt mod sine inverter (around $25) can easily handle it.

[sded]

I have used a Zassenhaus Turkish Mill coffee grinder for over 20 years. Hand grinder makes enough for 1-2 cups at a shot and I drip it through a coffee cone type filter. About as easy as it gets and makes great coffee.

[SaltyMonkey]

To get the best grind, you need a burr grinder. Do hand grinders and electric mentioned offer this kind of well formed grind? Just askin

[sded]

Zassenhaus is a burr grinder CoffeeGeek - Zassenhaus Turkish Mill . The electric from Trader Joe's I use at home sure isn't-it uses a whirling blade.

[SaltyMonkey]

yeha...im trying to find a good model. that one you have is awesome...but wow 75 $!

[sded]

I have amortized it over 20 years and it still works fine. Built like a fine tool.