Scott Brady
Founder
shahram said:
Thanks for posting this. I am going to try this soon
Coffee Preparations
- Thread starter Scott Brady
- Start date
Thanks for posting this. I am going to try this soon
riverfever
Adventurer
I have struggled with good coffee while camping. I tried a Lexan French press from REI at the beginning of last year. I like to grind my beans so I bought the manual grinder that was shown back on page 1 I believe. I'm sure it was operator malfunction but that thing was worthless and I'm pretty sure it got pitched in the last move. The Lexan press was equally disappointing. I put the ground coffee in the bottom, inserted the press part and then put in boiling water and...pressed. I chewed all coffee poured from that thing. Is that how all French presses are? Is it a French thing? I'm probably just ignorant?
Now I have a perculator that I got from the Coleman store. That thing was just as bad. Horribly messy and loads of grounds in my coffee. I'm thinking that's how it's supposed to be. I'm looking for a good solution for this years camping.
Now I have a perculator that I got from the Coleman store. That thing was just as bad. Horribly messy and loads of grounds in my coffee. I'm thinking that's how it's supposed to be. I'm looking for a good solution for this years camping.
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Tucson T4R
Expedition Leader
I got tired of chewing my coffe as well. I tried percolator and cowboy coffee with no luck. I finaly bought this double wall stainless steel french Press and it makes great coffee with 99.99% of the grounds pefectly filtered out. Being a double wall design, it also holds the heat in when the temps outside dip.
It's a little pricey but after using it, I'm sold. It will always be in my camp.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=710&f=22811
It's a little pricey but after using it, I'm sold. It will always be in my camp.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=710&f=22811
Alright so it's not the typical camping coffee maker but I just started using the Black & Decker Brew 'n Go Personal Coffeemaker http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B00005MF9C
It's 800 watts and runs on 120 but if you have inverter that can handle 800 watts it only takes about 2-3 minutes to make the coffee. I think that works out to only like 3 or 4 amp hours....not too bad. :coffeedrink:
It's 800 watts and runs on 120 but if you have inverter that can handle 800 watts it only takes about 2-3 minutes to make the coffee. I think that works out to only like 3 or 4 amp hours....not too bad. :coffeedrink:
paulj
Expedition Leader
riverfever said:
I used that REI travelers coffee grinder quite a bit, even in a press. However I like the newer GSI grinder, that looks like a clear lexan flying saucer even better, though it took a bit of experimentation to find the right way to hold it.
One trick with using a French Press is in getting the right grind, coarser than for paper filter, about the same as for perc. It should be coarse (and uniform) enough so the mesh captures most of the grounds. Still you do get some find sludge. Some prefer press coffee over paper filters because it leaves more oils in the coffee. After I broke my press some years ago, I just used a small sauce pan to boil water in, and to steep the coffee, followed by a straining through a fine mesh strainer.
But as indicated on the first page, for camping I use paper filters in a homemade holder. Cleanup is so much easier this way. Cleaning water (and a good place to dispose of it) tends to be one of the scarcer commodities when I'm camping, so I use it sparingly.
paulj
toyrunner95
Explorer
ive found that up here i dont need a coffee maker, even out in the woods, theres just a starbucks right over the next hill hahahaha jk
when i go camping, i pre grind the coffee and put it in a ziplock bag, then when i want some i use a piece of pantyhose, new of course, but its reusable, u just have to rinse it out, make some wicked strong coffee and no girinds in your cup.
just a thought.
when i go camping, i pre grind the coffee and put it in a ziplock bag, then when i want some i use a piece of pantyhose, new of course, but its reusable, u just have to rinse it out, make some wicked strong coffee and no girinds in your cup.
just a thought.
Tucson T4R
Expedition Leader
toyrunner95 said:
Panty hose sounds like a perfect filter. Look just like the strainer screens they put in my coffee press. :victory:
toyrunner95
Explorer
it works great, ive never really had a problem, i use it like a tea bag actually. i can't believe you guys have never heard of that?
tdesanto
Expedition Leader
This has always been an unfinished journey for me as my tastes change over time and I'm always looking for the perfect setup.
I use this one on the trail: http://www.rei.com/product/725595 I find that it doesn't take up too much extra space and the filter works quite well. The only thing it doesn't do is keep the coffee hot. So, I brew what I plan to drink within 20 minutes. If I want more, just brew some more. Or, bring a double-wall thermos for keeping some hot during some morning runs on the trails.
I use this one in the office, and I can highly recommend it for keeping the coffee hot longer (2+ hours), but is a bit larger due to the dual-wall construction. Nissan/Thermos products are top notch and not too expensive. http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=71725&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1 If you can fit this one into your storage solution, I'd recommend it over the first one as it works just as well and keeps the coffee hotter longer.
The trick to good french press coffee is not using pre-ground coffee in a french press. It's too fine. Good quality burr grinders work best, but I still haven't found the perfect one that will grind the coffee so consistently that there still isn't any silt or fine powder in the bottom of the pot or cup. The trick, just don't drink that last sip of coffee in the cup. The grounds will sink to the bottom. The taste is amazing though. Almost as strong as esspresso without the acid/bitter overhead. 1.5-2tbsps per 6oz. of water; let it steep for 5-6 minutes depending on your taste.
Finally, cowboy coffee has always intrigued me due to the fact that with a large pot I could brew as much as necessary for a large or small group. It should provide the same taste as french press coffee. The only downside is having to be more careful about keeping as much of the grounds out of the cup as possible. Every time I hear about it though, I hear that it's not that tough to do. The upside, you don't have to carry anything extra and it's very easy to clean up afterwards.
I use this one on the trail: http://www.rei.com/product/725595 I find that it doesn't take up too much extra space and the filter works quite well. The only thing it doesn't do is keep the coffee hot. So, I brew what I plan to drink within 20 minutes. If I want more, just brew some more. Or, bring a double-wall thermos for keeping some hot during some morning runs on the trails.
I use this one in the office, and I can highly recommend it for keeping the coffee hot longer (2+ hours), but is a bit larger due to the dual-wall construction. Nissan/Thermos products are top notch and not too expensive. http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=71725&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1 If you can fit this one into your storage solution, I'd recommend it over the first one as it works just as well and keeps the coffee hotter longer.
The trick to good french press coffee is not using pre-ground coffee in a french press. It's too fine. Good quality burr grinders work best, but I still haven't found the perfect one that will grind the coffee so consistently that there still isn't any silt or fine powder in the bottom of the pot or cup. The trick, just don't drink that last sip of coffee in the cup. The grounds will sink to the bottom. The taste is amazing though. Almost as strong as esspresso without the acid/bitter overhead. 1.5-2tbsps per 6oz. of water; let it steep for 5-6 minutes depending on your taste.
Finally, cowboy coffee has always intrigued me due to the fact that with a large pot I could brew as much as necessary for a large or small group. It should provide the same taste as french press coffee. The only downside is having to be more careful about keeping as much of the grounds out of the cup as possible. Every time I hear about it though, I hear that it's not that tough to do. The upside, you don't have to carry anything extra and it's very easy to clean up afterwards.
Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
Ok all this talk about coffee prep but what about the coffee itself? What type of beans or grounds do you guys prefer? I think that makes a world of difference, more so then tools used to make it. We usually buy some dark roast blended beans from the Coffee Lodge (canadian joint) and it's usually pretty good. We just picked up a bag of 100% Sumatran beans the other day from another little coffee bistro though, and wow, fantasitc coffee. My wife likes the Coffee Lodge blend of beans better because it's milder but I really enjoyed the 100% Sumatran. How about you guys/gals?
For prep. we just grind up some beans in our Hamilton Beach grinder before we leave on our trips and and we use a french press while at camp. I have no idea as to the brand of the french press, we got it as a gift a while ago, but it works great. Very little, if any, floaties or sediment.
For prep. we just grind up some beans in our Hamilton Beach grinder before we leave on our trips and and we use a french press while at camp. I have no idea as to the brand of the french press, we got it as a gift a while ago, but it works great. Very little, if any, floaties or sediment.
Lost Canadian
Expedition Leader
^ Very cool. Where do you get your beans from? Do you have any preference as to their origin?
Lost Canadian said:
I mostly get my green from http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php?board=11.0 It's cheaper this way. Sumatra is one of my favoriates, bold and strong flavor with very little acidity. I also like Harra and Yirgacheffe from it's from Africa I think. I'm still learning it's very interesting.
blupaddler
Conspirator
We drink Illy coffee. Usually an espresso blend or dark roast.
Normally ground fine, but now that we have a press, we need to change.
www.illyusa.com
Normally ground fine, but now that we have a press, we need to change.
www.illyusa.com
