Does coffee serve any practical purpose in survival situation?

my mind is drawing a blank on this one.

Yes. Both caffeine and nicotine are not something one wants to be going without "cold turkey" in an already stressful situation.

Having inadvertently tried it once, I can tell you the headaches are bad, and I was ready to kill every living organism in sight.

Also, it can serve as a morale boost. I remember my first care package during Desert Storm. It was a simple box of Tic-Tac candy. I know it is simple, but that little box of candies addressed to "Any Soldier 101st Airborne Division" helped to the point I rationed them out for days.

Caffeine is a mild stimulant and helps with focus, attention and endurance.
It's about as mild an energy boost you can get without significant side effects.
It's a diuretic for some people so in a survival situation it's use might lead to slightly accelerated dehydration but this depends on the individual
It's a morale booster as well.

It can also have barter/trade value as a commodity.
If you're packing some in your survival kit, the filters can be used to pre-filter brackish water before treatment.

I can quit coffee any time I want.
Besides, I only drink enough to make the headaches go away...

Perhaps your mind is blank because you haven't had your coffee today?

You may as well ask me if toilet paper is necessary.

Yes it does. As does tea, chocolate or the hot drink of your choice. As hot and sweet as you like.

You cannot overestimate the value of getting a hot drink in to some one who is cold, wet and stressed out.

As most viewers of this forum are aware: Boiling water is the only certain way to make it drinkable. Unfortunately boiled water is not exactly the most enjoyable of drinks. So there is a strong argument, for maintaining moral if nothing else, for having something to add to it.


For myself: Coffee, instant soups, chocolate bar's, instant noodles, peanuts. Takes up very little room in your bag and works wonders in terms of maintaining your moral.

As for the diuretic issues? Forget them. Unless you are particularly susceptible.

I know this is off topic, by sending something to "Any Soldier" can be a very fun thing to do, as well as a very nice thing to do. Some of the responses I have received were great, too. You can get addresses at anysoldier.com.

I like tea.
Apparently my kidneys don't though

Not to stray too far from the best topic ever, that being coffee but as an addition to it. If you're going to carry some teabags, peppermint tea is a real nice idea if you're prone to any sort of congestion or sore throat issues. It's also good for the digestion.

I always bring some with me because as much as it pains me to admit, coffee can't cure every ill.

Excuse me, gotta go get a refill now...

Try not having any for a week. I have caffeine pills in my BOB and Emergency kit

Yes. Besides the idea of it being a flavouring for boiled water or a stimulating drug to boost energy there is a very good use that comes to mind right away.
When you are lost, nervous and on the edge of panic brewing a cup of tea or a mug of coffee then sitting and drinking it gives you time to relax and let your brain start to work again.
(If you are outdoors it also means you have sheltered a bit and lit a fire. Both nice things to do if it is wet and cold out)

Often the 15 minutes or so brewing up takes will be enough for you to properly take an inventory of your situation and start to resolve your plan.
It sure beats running in circles and shouting panic.

Where's the fun not doing that!!!

We once fought off anaphylactic shock with coffee and diphenhydramine. One of our hiking buddies was allergic to bees but forgot his kit with the epipens. He got stung by a bee, turned white as a sheet, and collapsed in under a minute. A minute or two later he was having trouble breathing.

We got by by dosing him with diphenhydramine, four tablets, 100mg, to start with as I remember it, and a pot of wickedly strong coffee. Given the materials we had on hand this was the combination advised by an EMT who happened to be on the trip with us. In a couple minutes we had coffee up and had pounded the benadryl to powder so it would absorb faster. We fed him the powder mixed with water and chased it with as much coffee as he could handle. The caffeine is supposed to speed up the absorption of the benadryl and should have been at least marginally effective on its own.

An hour later he was looking better and even walked a bit after we had carried him most of the way out. He got into the ranger's SUV on his own.

Strong coffee also helps with asthma attacks. It isn't near as strong or as reliable as an inhaler so it isn't a substitute but in an emergency it can make a difference.

Coffee grounds used as a moist poultice can help take the sting out of blisters and minor burns. Has to do with the tannins in the coffee.

Strong coffee can have a paradoxical calming effect on people with ADHD. I have seen this effect. The kid is all over the place but four cups of coffee later he is able to sit still.

Nicotine has long been known to have a mellowing effect on the symptoms of schizophrenia. Many schizophrenics smoke as a form of low-cost self medication. Some suggest high doses of caffeine may have a similar, but milder, leveling effect. If it is all you have to work with it might be worth a shot.

Coffee, don't leave home without it.

Not so strange - almost every drug for ADHD is a serious stimulant!! (as in controlled substance level)

There is some evidence that ADHD is really caused by one part (gad, I can't remember what part) is already running as if it's on stimulants, and the part for impulse control is NOT. The therory is that by dumping stimulants into the person, you speed up the part of the brain that does impulse control to match the other part

Disclaimer - My son has ADHD, and I really should have my info more at hand, but I don't. He is gradually getting himself under control more and more without his meds, which is fairly common

can ground coffee be used to start a fire?

"can ground coffee be used to start a fire?

Yes, though not very efficiently. Better if it is used a couple times then dehydrated in an oven.