View Full Version : coffee on the trail, in general
I'm just back from my first hike on the trail.
I have been vehement about carrying the stuff to make "real coffee".
The reality was that I only made coffee once.
You go to sleep at sunset and sleep til dawn, about 10 hours. That is more rest than I normally get. I didn't really crave coffee in the morning.
Next time, I'll be carrying a few coffee bags. It'll do
Tom
Appalachian Tater
05-20-2007, 16:13
A cup of tea is nice on a chilly evening, but my experience with coffee is similar to yours. Going into town and having a few cups after not having any for a week will speed me up noticeably.
Footslogger
05-20-2007, 16:24
[quote=teblum;364505]I'm just back from my first hike on the trail.
I have been vehement about carrying the stuff to make "real coffee".
The reality was that I only made coffee once.
=========================================
I was the same way during my thru in 2003. Truth be told, sometimes fatique and the desire to get horizontal outweighs the taste for coffe. With that in mind, I generally now carry the coffee bags (and if I can find them, the Taster's Choice coffee "tubes"), enough for one per day. I also carry a few tea bags and some Tang. There are some times, especially in cooler weather, when a cup of warm Tang is as satisfying as a cup of REAL coffee.
'Slogger
i bought the french press that fits in a Nalgene, very light and takes 5 minutes. I love it and even use it at home for single cup or 2
fiddlehead
05-20-2007, 20:51
I carry instant for those mornings when i need a cup but prefer my tea at night. (when i have a fire to heat the water)
I'm not as addicted to coffee as i used to be.
I don't carry coffee while i am out justa give me a break from it... it sure is good when i get into town though !.. Hi Fiddlehead..:)
SunnyWalker
05-27-2007, 00:27
I stop and brew me a cup for lunch. -SunnyWalker (Oh, and in the morning) :-)
pokeyhontas98
05-27-2007, 01:27
I use land o lakes single bags of hot chocolate. They have as much caffeine as coffee and they taste better. They come in great rich flavors like raspberry chocolate, hazelnut, cinnamon etc.
Uncle Silly
05-27-2007, 16:48
I'm just as addicted, but on trail I'll carry instant over anything else. The coffee singles bags suck unless you boil them; otherwise they never get strong enough. Instant is lighter than anything else and there's no grounds to get rid of. If you wanna carry the lexan french press and make me a cup in the morning, that's great, and I'll let you share your toys and carry the weight.
Oh, and if you don't even wanna take time to boil water in the morning, just go get some of those chocolate-covered espresso beans. All the caffeine, twice the chocolate, and no water required. (Well, to wash 'em down, maybe!!)
Somehow my need and desire for coffee is much diminished when hiking. I don't usually have breakfast, anyway (on or off-trail.) I do enjoy a cup of tea with dinner, and usually another cup shortly after.
Just a Hiker
05-28-2007, 11:29
Happy Memorial Day! I am a coffee addict, so I crave good coffee while I am hiking. I usually bring instant. I have found Nescafe is the best, but when its hot out, I bring espresso beans and I suck on them to get my fix! Take care guys!
Just Jim
Time To Fly 97
05-29-2007, 10:55
I enjoyed a coffee and hot chocolate mix every night on the AT. Just instant coffee from a ziplock bag and three hot chocolate packets. Hanging around a campfire getting to know your fellow hikers is something I looked forward to every day. But as soon as I stopped hiking, I would just start to crash. I needed the coffee to stay awake - was going to change my trail name to "Faceplant" : )
Happy hiking!
TTF
headchange4u
05-29-2007, 16:16
I love coffee but I hate instant coffee. I have tried about every method out there like peculators, Press-Bot, coffee pods, cowboy coffee, etc... I do drink coffee every morning and I like a cup at night when I am on the trail if it's not to hot.
My favorite way of making a real cup of coffee are the Mini-Minit One cup filters.
(http://miniminit.com/)
They are great. A pack of 40 filters weighs less than an ounce and costs like 1.75 -3.00 depending on where you get them. They allow you to make the coffee as strong or as weak as you want, they are easy to use, and the grounds stay contained in the filter for easy cleanup. You can also use them for tea
I used to get them from Ebay but they are cheaper here:
http://www.coffeeam.com/minpapfil.html
Old Grouse
05-29-2007, 16:25
How do these compare in size to a standard #2 filter? I use those every morning because I like mine really strong and my wife likes weak hazelnut flavored coffee. Wonder if I could just run a piece of light wire through the # 2 and get the same effect? Think I'll try it tonight!
I love coffee but I hate instant coffee. I have tried about every method out there like peculators, Press-Bot, coffee pods, cowboy coffee, etc... I do drink coffee every morning and I like a cup at night when I am on the trail if it's not to hot.
My favorite way of making a real cup of coffee are the Mini-Minit One cup filters.
(http://miniminit.com/)
They are great. A pack of 40 filters weighs less than an ounce and costs like 1.75 -3.00 depending on where you get them. They allow you to make the coffee as strong or as weak as you want, they are easy to use, and the grounds stay contained in the filter for easy cleanup. You can also use them for tea
I used to get them from Ebay but they are cheaper here:
http://www.coffeeam.com/minpapfil.html
headchange4u
05-29-2007, 16:57
I assume a #2 filter is like the size of a stardard tea bag? If so the Mini Minit filters are larger. To make a normal cup of coffee for me (10-12 oz cup) I use about 1.5-2 large tablespoons of coffee. Makes fairly strong cup. The filter would probably hold about 4 large tablespoons of grounds without any problems, maybe more.
How do these compare in size to a standard #2 filter? I use those every morning because I like mine really strong and my wife likes weak hazelnut flavored coffee. Wonder if I could just run a piece of light wire through the # 2 and get the same effect? Think I'll try it tonight!
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&partNumber=748285&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-na&mr:trackingCode=BE06C5D7-100E-DC11-8462-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA
Seems weighty but I love it. Brew coffee, tea, rehydrate food, etc., while walking. Keeps hot or cold a long time.
QHShowoman
05-30-2007, 12:41
A coffee loving friend of mine went with me on a 3 day backpacking trip over the holiday weekend, during which she tried several "instant" varieties of coffee. She declared this one to be quite good:
http://www.rei.com/product/754103
Uncle Silly
05-30-2007, 12:54
i got samples of the Java Juice from one of the gear vendors in Tent City during Trail Days '05. not a bad way to go, but i never bothered buying them for the trail ... at $1.25 per packet, my day's ration of coffee gets expensive!
hammock engineer
05-30-2007, 13:35
The jetboil coffee press works well for me. I think it uses less coffee grounds than my capachino (yeah I can't spell) machine at home. Since the water mixes with the coffee grounds mulitple times instead of just once.
You know, at the risk of being a heretic in the church of the Alcohol Stove, I was quite impressed with the Jet Boils I saw in use on my recent section hike.
bonk! Click! Roar/hiss! eat!
(as in set down, ignite , cook and eat)
Absolutely no fiddling.
Really simple to use
MIles of Smiles
Tom
Rhino-lfl
05-30-2007, 15:52
I drink pine needle tea or scotch at night and coffee bags in the morning. The worse the coffee tastes, the more it helps me to hike hard so I can get to my next camp and have a tea/scotch (or both).
dragonfly
05-30-2007, 20:13
First of all, I'm serious about GOOD coffee in the morning.
We tried Java Juice last summer--I thought it was nasty stuff, but remember that I'm truly fussy about coffee. I bring ground coffee, stored in a vacuum-sealed bag, and use an MSR Mug Mate (www.msrcorp.com/cookware/mugmate.asp). It's a gold filter thing-y that fits in my mug--put the ground coffee in, pour boiling water. Mmmmmm....
I find that even after I cut open the vacuum bag, rolling up the top, and using a rubber band keeps the coffee smell from permeating EVERYTHING else in the food bag. It's the only thing I've found to work for that.
NICKTHEGREEK
05-31-2007, 06:09
First of all, I'm serious about GOOD coffee in the morning.
We tried Java Juice last summer--I thought it was nasty stuff, but remember that I'm truly fussy about coffee. I bring ground coffee, stored in a vacuum-sealed bag, and use an MSR Mug Mate (www.msrcorp.com/cookware/mugmate.asp) (http://www.msrcorp.com/cookware/mugmate.asp)). It's a gold filter thing-y that fits in my mug--put the ground coffee in, pour boiling water. Mmmmmm....
I find that even after I cut open the vacuum bag, rolling up the top, and using a rubber band keeps the coffee smell from permeating EVERYTHING else in the food bag. It's the only thing I've found to work for that.
What's wrong about having all your gear smell like coffee?