Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
I found the following information on coffee in a DoD analysis in coffee roasting and purchases. STAFF REPORT ON COFFEE ROASTING OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 1 OCTOBER 1952. It can be found on the Combined Arms Research Library Digital Library website.
I am not sure what the current US consumption is as a fraction of the World production.
Emphasis added. At the time, the Army was also buying the coffee for the Air Force, which is why that branch is not mentioned. By "soluble" coffee, what is meant is "instant" coffee.
I would have to see if this is still the current mix. I do like Columbian coffee better than Brazil, although some very good coffee comes from Kenya, close to Hawaiian Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain in quality and taste.
The relative importance of coffee in the military ration is comparable to its importance to the civilian diet. The United States consumes two-thirds of the world's coffee production. Consumption of coffee in the United States increased from 3,288,177 bags per year, or 28 per cent of the world production in 1882, to 20,300,000 bags per year, or 66 per cent of world production in 1951,
I am not sure what the current US consumption is as a fraction of the World production.
Coffee is a major item of the military ration which cannot be successfully substituted for any extended period. It is the only major item of the ration that is not indigenous to the United States. The military departments, from September 1950 through August 1951, purchased 193,665,000 pounds of green coffee. This represents purchases approximating 100-million dollars, or about 7 per cent of the average annual United States imports of green coffee for the past 3 years. Of this amount, approximately $67,000,000 was spent by the Army, $32,000,000 by the Navy, and $3,000,000 by the Marine Corps. The Army also purchased during 1951 approximately $10,000,000 of soluble coffee for use in combat and emergency type rations. Not included in the above figures are the purchases of brand-named coffees in 1-pound vacuum-packed cans or of soluble coffees for resale to authorized patrons of military Commissary Stores. During 1951, the military services consumed an average of 8,500,000 pounds of roasted coffee monthly.
Emphasis added. At the time, the Army was also buying the coffee for the Air Force, which is why that branch is not mentioned. By "soluble" coffee, what is meant is "instant" coffee.
Seventy per cent of the green coffees used by the military services is "Santos 4," a Brazilian coffee exported from the Port of Santos, Brazil, from which it gets its name. This coffee is shipped in 132pound bags. The "4" represents the grade or type which ranges from "2" to "8". Type "2" is a high grade coffee, and each type is successively lower in quality, with type "8" the lowest grade acceptable. In general, the number of imperfections such as black beans, broken beans, stones, sticks, pods, determines the type. The remaining 30 per cent of the green coffee used by the military services is "Medellin," "Manizales," or "Girardot," all of which are grouped under the generic name "Colombians," so called as this is the country in which these types of coffee are grown. This coffee is shipped in 154-pound bags. Colombian coffee in the green bean commands a price on the market of about 4 1/2 cents a pound more than Santos "4's."
The 70/30 blend of these coffees is standard among the military services. It produces a "good" coffee comparable to the blends sold by the leading Chain Stores in the United States.
I would have to see if this is still the current mix. I do like Columbian coffee better than Brazil, although some very good coffee comes from Kenya, close to Hawaiian Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain in quality and taste.