1. French Press
If you have a way to boil water when your power is out, then a French press is one of the two best solutions. You can boil water on either a gas stove or a propane camp stove.
The down side to the French press is the "texture" (which some people find objectionable) and the difficulty in cleaning out the grounds if you don't have a working water supply.
2. Bialetti
This Italian stovetop espresso maker is my go-to weapon of choice. For one thing, it's just one step: set on stove and wait for coffee to come out. A French press requires two steps: boil water, then steep coffee. NEED COFFEE MORE FASTERER.
For another thing, you can clean it by simply knocking out the puck of grounds. This is important for me, because I'm on a well - I don't have running water when the power is out.
The only down side to the Bialetti is that it is relatively small. It makes super-strong coffee, don't get me wrong, but if you have to caffeinate more than 2 people in your household, a large French press may be the better choice.
(Note: a Moka Pot will make coffee in about 15 minutes in a fondue set-up. Place the Bialetti in the rack that holds the pot, directly over the flame with the Sterno can full open.)
3. Thermos
If you have a good steel thermos, you see the storm coming, and you prep it right, this is a great option. Fill the thermos with boiling water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to preheat it. Then pour out the water, and fill it with fresh coffee. It will be lukewarm by morning. And lukewarm coffee is better than no coffee at all!
If you work in an office, you can fill your thermos at work and take it home for the morning. Or have it filled at a Starbucks on the way home.
4. Soda
These are great if you're one of those people (like me) who needs a bump right away, immediately, first thing, no messing around. A can of Coke Zero will give me enough of an infusion of caffeine to muddle my way through the process of making coffee without electricity.
5. Energy Drinks
These have more caffeine than soda, so you might think they would be a better choice. Not so. I like energy drinks, but they are too sweet and "loud" first thing in the morning. I can't handle that much fruitiness that early in the day.
6. Tea
If your caffeine needs are minimal to moderate, and you can boil water without electricity, then a pot of black tea may do the trick. Personally I need a bigger kick first thing in the morning. But I include it here for the sake of completeness.
7. Instant Coffee
This is one of those things that sounds like a great solution, but really isn't. If you try to mix instant coffee with cold water, it doesn't work very well. If you have a way to heat water, there are better coffees you can make.
And I don't know if you've noticed, but instant coffee is kind of expensive! $7 for an 8-ounce jar, last time I checked.
Photo credit: Flickr/Kanaka Menehune