View Full Version : Coffee is a must.
ATAlbatross
04-21-2009, 00:33
I decided today that having coffee is a must on my upcoming journey. Having used French presses for previous camping/hiking trips, I enjoy coffee best from the French press systems. Anyone believe one to be better than the other? Product suggestions please.
I carried a titanium press for a while but switched back to "Cowboy Coffee".
If I didn't have bad taste I'd have no taste at all.... but I think that mixing a spoonful of instant with a packet of hot chocolate is superior to anything that's ever come out of my friend's various coffee making devices.
http://www.rei.com/product/638124
It weighs 1/2 ounce and in 3-4 minutes you'll have better coffee than you get at home! When I'm not pressed for time I use mine instead of the machine.
file:///C:/Users/Steve/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpg
Stir Fry
04-21-2009, 05:27
http://www.rei.com/product/638124
It weighs 1/2 ounce and in 3-4 minutes you'll have better coffee than you get at home! When I'm not pressed for time I use mine instead of the machine.
file:///C:/Users/Steve/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot-2.jpg
I got one and I'll be staying with my home made coffee maker. I was not happy with the from the REI devise.
Hikes in Rain
04-21-2009, 05:46
Without coffee, there's no point to morning. I discovered that the problem with the little one-cup devices is that they only make one cup! For me, I loose more than that to evaporation. Thus, I went back to cowboy coffee. Pot, hot water just short of boiling, coffee, and a few minutes for the grounds to settle. Several cups later, it's worth getting out of the sleeping bag.
I got one and I'll be staying with my home made coffee maker. I was not happy with the from the REI devise.
Curious as to why you didn't like it? Some of the reviews on the website were negative, but almost to a person they were trying to let it sit and steep and it simply won't work that way, you must stir it to get a good cup of java.
hammock engineer
04-21-2009, 06:08
I decided today that having coffee is a must on my upcoming journey. Having used French presses for previous camping/hiking trips, I enjoy coffee best from the French press systems. Anyone believe one to be better than the other? Product suggestions please.
I'm with you. No way I could do instant coffee for a hike or any other time come to think about it. I tried a couple different options. The REI tea thing where you put the grounds in a swirl it around never worked well. I used the jet boil coffee press for awhile. It only weighs a few ozs and makes good coffee.
I ended up losing one of the pieces to the coffee press. I ended up using the press part as a screen to filter out the grounds. I put the coffee grounds in my pot, added water, then heated up the water. I stopped before it got to a boil. I heard somewhere it kills the taste of coffee boiling the grounds. I could taste a slight difference. I would let it sit for a few minutes. Then pour it through the top part of the press like a screen.
That actually works pretty well. I think letting it sit helps me to use less grounds for strong coffee. The screen makes it easy to dispose of the grounds. I keep thinking about making a screen just for this, but keep using the old press.
Coffee
Stir Fry
04-21-2009, 06:10
Curious as to why you didn't like it? Some of the reviews on the website were negative, but almost to a person they were trying to let it sit and steep and it simply won't work that way, you must stir it to get a good cup of java.
Even after ten min. the coffee was still to weak. The 3 oz home made coffee maker I got from W/B is great and makes two cups.
Even after ten min. the coffee was still to weak. The 3 oz home made coffee maker I got from W/B is great and makes two cups.
Did you remove the plastic insert that sits in the chamber? I filled the chamber level to the top with fresh ground coffee, closed the things up, and had to stop at 3-4 minutes or it would have been too strong...
Stir Fry
04-21-2009, 06:25
Did you remove the plastic insert that sits in the chamber? I filled the chamber level to the top with fresh ground coffee, closed the things up, and had to stop at 3-4 minutes or it would have been too strong...
Little green insert was removed, Is there another one that i did not see.
Little green insert was removed, Is there another one that i did not see.
Nope, just didn't work I guess. That was the complaint from alot of reviewers, weak coffee. I have two of them and they work great for me, makes me think it's the grind I'm using.
Stir Fry
04-21-2009, 06:31
I'll try a finer grind befor I give up on it.
I'll try a finer grind befor I give up on it.
I do grind it pretty fine and I also use a darker roast.
Being a Jetboil weenie, I love the French Press made for the PCS cup. Makes a fabulous cup of bean juice, and like the OP, fresh coffee is a MUST when hiking/camping. Cleaning after use is very easy also.
Mrs Baggins
04-21-2009, 06:55
Java Juice. No extra gear or gadgets. Just hot water, add the Java Juice, and you have excellent coffee. I can get 2 cups from one packet but my husband prefers whole packet for one cup.
Two Tents
04-21-2009, 07:09
There is a coffee press made to go inside a nagalene bottle it weighs 2-3 ozs. I think venture design works is the maker. IT makes killer coffee. Ya gotta read and follow the direction for a few times but it does what it says.---Two Tents
I can live just fine on instant. To me the cream is the important part, I just can't drink the coffee if it's not loaded with real cream (half and half at the least). that powdered non-dairy crap just won't do!
4eyedbuzzard
04-21-2009, 07:33
I can live just fine on instant. To me the cream is the important part, I just can't drink the coffee if it's not loaded with real cream (half and half at the least). that powdered non-dairy crap just won't do!
Get some Ultra High Temperature (UHT) pasteurized Land O Lakes mini-moos 1/2 & 1/2. Has a 2 month (plus) shelf life unrefrigerated.
http://www.spudart.org/blog/images/2003/220-2092_IMG_400.jpg
Available at Staples and other places. Sometimes you can stock up on enough of them for free at convenience stores and gas stations if they use them at the coffee counter.
I've always enjoyed my coffee black, but my wife has to have creamer in her java. She must have really been bitten by the UL bug though because she informed me the other day she would be leaving the creamer at home and drinking it black to save weight. I'm into UL and all, but what does a small pack of instant creamer weigh? She needs to have some perks.
I use only the finest blend of coffee beans which I gather on backpacking trips around the globe. I roast my own beans on the trail and use the roasted beans within 5 days. I then grind my own beans and brew the coffee within 15 minutes of grinding, using fresh spring water with all the various parasites and other microbes lightly killed, by the combined action of the boiling the water and the natural antimicrobial qualties of the coffee beans.
Then I toss the swill into the ditch make cowboy coffee.
Folgers Coffee Singles is what I used their light wt and make a great cup of Joe
TrippinBTM
04-21-2009, 09:16
If I didn't have bad taste I'd have no taste at all.... but I think that mixing a spoonful of instant with a packet of hot chocolate is superior to anything that's ever come out of my friend's various coffee making devices.
Yeah that's good stuff. But use two hot chocolate packets, and more coffee. And add some milk to that thing and you got yourself one badass milkshake.
Worldwide
04-21-2009, 09:22
I have never tried coffee from a press. I have used the Maxwell House Filter Packs. basically it is a sealed coffee filter with the grounds in it already and just boil the water then add the pack. They can rip. So I just put them inside of something like an empty Pringles canister.
I decided today that having coffee is a must on my upcoming journey. Having used French presses for previous camping/hiking trips, I enjoy coffee best from the French press systems. Anyone believe one to be better than the other? Product suggestions please.
My friend, "TeePee" brought a COFFEE PRESS a few years ago....coffee was weak & too many grounds...
I now use CAFE BUSTELO freeze dried. (doubly strong Espresso blend):D
see ya'll out there (w/ "Jigsaw" & "Model-T")May 2-14 NOBO Harpers Ferry,WV to Swatara Gap,PA
I have to put a plug in for Chai.
I drink tea and coffee, but I like to drink alot of Chai. Chai just means tea in some other language, but what I mean by Chai is the particular way it if spiced and brewed, and why I think it is a particularly good drink for hiking. Ideally, you would use whole milk, with now extra water, and heat up the actual milk almost to a boil, maybe even boil it, but you actually cook the milk pretty good. So it essentially pasteurizes the milk all over again. At some point you dump the tea in, which is black tea, sometimes with some green tea, and lots of spices. The spices in chai always include cardamom, cloves, and sometimes also black pepper, cinnamon, anise, and something else I'm forgetting.
Anyhow, you end up drinking alot more milk, which it high in protien and the fast and slow carbs you need for hiking, plus alot of vitamins and minerals, plus the heating gives you more warmth, and the heating and the spices help preseve the milk and tea and you can overall drink more with the spices and less caffiene than if you were drinking tea or coffee alone. It's more of a cold climate thing though, like where you might find sheep and goats grazing, places like Afghanistan and Pakistan or New Brunswick and Maine.
I like a strong cup of coffee in the morning, but I like to drink alot of chai through the day. Not so much mid-summer, but alot during the Spring and Fall, especially on hikes. Good dieting drink also. Keeps you going all day without resorting to major meals or junk food, and its well balanced for what you actually need while dieting. That is, if you make it with skim milk.
How I make Chai while hiking...
1. Bring water to full rolling boil in Kelly Kettle.
2. Fill my mug/pot 1/3 full with skim milk powder.
3. Add my chai tea leaves and spices directly to the skim milk powder.
4. Sometimes add a little cold water to presaturate the skim milk powder because it can get too lumpy when scalded, and because I might want to drink it right away and the Kelly Kettle Water is boiling hot. If the water is iffy though I will only use the boiling water and then simply wait until it all cools.
5. Dump in the boiling hot water and then carry on with hike and drink as I go.
I used to use a Nalgene Bottle for all this, but now I use a metal mug. I like it to be something I can hike with though, and so I like a sealable lid. That is why I would like a sealable lid for my mug/pot. That also means I don't need separate water carriers. I have almost perfected my 750ml Fosters Beer Can Mug/Pot with sealable lid. Photos coming soon.
http://www.rei.com/product/638124
I got one and I'll be staying with my home made coffee maker. I was not happy with the from the REI devise.
I used one of these for several years. My problem with this one is that I like strong coffee - and if I use this I can only make about 1/2 cup of coffee at a time and have coffee that, to me, is worth drinking.....
I've gone to using this:
http://www.rei.com/product/726094
Have only taken it on one trip, but in the two times I've used it, have been happy with the results.... Biggest complication is that I can't figure out how to carry it - I carry a light, cheap plastic insulated cup that I got from a gas station with a lid, and used to carry the steeper in my cup. This one is designed not to sit inside your cup, and won't fit there in a way that I can put the lid on the cup. I've made room in my pot for it, but had to rethink where I could carry the things I've been carrying in my pot (stove, windscreen, etc.).
seanb724
04-21-2009, 10:22
I use this from REI:
http://www.rei.com/product/726094
Just place grinds in the filter, put the filter on the mug, boil water, and pour the water over the grinds. I sometimes do it more like a slow drip where I hold the filter above the cup. I know there is a debate over french press vs. slow drip, but I like both methods, and use both at home. On the Trail, this small filter is very light and fits inside my mug in my pack.
I too would much rather have real 1/2 and 1/2, but I normally carry powdered creamer. It is not quite as good, but not terrible. I have been tempted to try the mini-moo method, but worry about how well those travel, and I would need at least 2 per day so once you get up to 4 or 5 days or longer, that is too many.
medicjimr
04-21-2009, 11:33
Here is what I use simple process
flemdawg1
04-21-2009, 11:35
Regular ole Merlitta manual filter cone, weighs 1 oz, fits in my cookpot.
http://www.fantes.com/images/15681coffee-manualdrip.jpg
LL Bean now sells this contraption thats even more compact.
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=59950&productId=1000505&qs=3009647
http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/257934_0_41?wid=330&hei=295
drastic_quench
04-21-2009, 11:43
French presses are the finest way to make coffee. Once I switched, my pricey drip maker just gathers dust. Of course you have to buy decent coffee either way. If Folgers, Maxwell House, or another store brand is your brand, you're not going to notice as much improvement.
Percolators are the worst. Continually splashing coffee back over the grounds results in a bitter cup.
I can live just fine on instant. To me the cream is the important part, I just can't drink the coffee if it's not loaded with real cream (half and half at the least). that powdered non-dairy crap just won't do!You just tipped your hand . . . you're not a coffee connoisseur . . . you're a creamer connoisseur! Instant? Yuck! :p
French presses are the finest way to make coffee. Once I switched, my pricey drip maker just gathers dust. Of course you have to buy decent coffee either way. If Folgers, Maxwell House, or another store brand is your brand, you're not going to notice as much improvement.
Percolators are the worst. Continually splashing coffee back over the grounds results in a bitter cup.I agree . . .
www.greenmountaincoffee.com (http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com)
Jetboil coffee press: http://www.rei.com/product/760629
seanb724
04-21-2009, 12:16
French presses are the finest way to make coffee. Once I switched, my pricey drip maker just gathers dust. Of course you have to buy decent coffee either way.
I have found that a manual slow drip is very comparable to french press. Automatic drip makers have real difficulty getting the water temp right and passing the water through the grinds at the right speed. With a manual drip, you are in charge of both of those and can tailor the cup to your particular taste, though it does take some practice.
It also takes 2-3 tablespoons per cup instead of 2 for a french press, but I think that is because I am rushing it a little bit. :-)
I guess I am a sad puppy....
I just use instant.
i also prefer instant on the trail. no hassle, no mess, no cleanup. just heat water, spoon some coffee into cup and enjoy. i also usually put some powedered creamer and some sugar right into my instant coffee mix before i head out. so it's all ready set.
wake, heat water, visit privy, come back and enjoy coffee
TrippinBTM
04-21-2009, 20:50
I want to agree with JAK, tea was more important to me too. I was (and am) split between green tea and chai. Actually, ginger tea is pretty good too.
I don't know if this is really relevant to a thread about coffee, but yeah.
modiyooch
04-21-2009, 21:07
I use this from REI:
http://www.rei.com/product/726094
. This is what I use too, and it's my favorite piece of equipment. Mine was ten dollars from my local outdoor store. It's a basket that sits right in my cup. I carry starbucks coffee and I have two great cups of coffee in the morning. I like my coffee with milk and sugar, so I carry those flavored creamers so I don't have to bother with sugar. If you are going to carry the creamers, stock up before you go. I was unable to find creamers in the North East at any local convenience stores near the AT. A good cup of coffee is very important to me, on or off the trail.
mkmangold
04-21-2009, 21:17
I carry starbucks coffee and I have two great cups of coffee in the morning.
I use a modified Jetboil press screen but has anyone tried the Starbucks instant yet? I know there were some posts when it first came out but I haven't seen any from anyone who used it on the trails.
seanb724
04-21-2009, 21:23
This is what I use too, and it's my favorite piece of equipment. Mine was ten dollars from my local outdoor store.
When you said it was "my favorite" I realized I should have said something else about it. I recently went on a solo over nighter (see blog post here (http://blog.2sparrows.org/2009/03/31/uhwarrie-backpack-trip/)). When I went to set up camp, this little piece of equipment "jumped" out of my pack, fell into the stream, and started being washed away. There are not many pieces of equipment I would jump into cold rushing water and run after, but my coffee filter certain is one of them!
:-)
/Sean
the new starbucks instant is pretty darn good.
juma
middle to middle
04-23-2009, 13:57
I am at home and I got out my jetboil and fixed coffee. Just fine. Here at home I have filtered water and some of that trail water good as it is is heavy mineral content or something. I just may bring a filter for coffee water next time.
Folgers packets work for me. Before I leave for my hike I buy a box and remove the bags from the foil packets and put them in a ziploc to cut down on trash.
I like my coffee so much that not having any on the trail would result in a massive headache for a few days. Guess I could carry some No-Doz or something.. ;)
take-a-knee
04-25-2009, 17:36
Folgers packets work for me. Before I leave for my hike I buy a box and remove the bags from the foil packets and put them in a ziploc to cut down on trash.
I like my coffee so much that not having any on the trail would result in a massive headache for a few days. Guess I could carry some No-Doz or something.. ;)
The coffee is a lot more pleasurable than the no-doz. The Folgers packets work for me as well.
Rockhound
04-25-2009, 17:50
These caffeine junkies ruin the hike for a lot of hikers. I mean some of em' brew the stuff right outside the shelters where everyone can smell it. They flaunt all their French presses and mugs and leave em right out in the open. It seems to just consume the lives of some people. I've even seen some of these addicts bring steaming mugs of coffee right into the shelter. I've got nothing against coffee personally but if you're going to do the stuff show some consideration for others and walk a little ways into the woods so as not to offend.:rolleyes:
Skidsteer
04-25-2009, 18:24
These caffeine junkies ruin the hike for a lot of hikers. I mean some of em' brew the stuff right outside the shelters where everyone can smell it. They flaunt all their French presses and mugs and leave em right out in the open. It seems to just consume the lives of some people. I've even seen some of these addicts bring steaming mugs of coffee right into the shelter. I've got nothing against coffee personally but if you're going to do the stuff show some consideration for others and walk a little ways into the woods so as not to offend.:rolleyes:
Cut me some slack. It's medicine.
If I don't have my coffee in the morning people might think I'm stoned or something.
If I didn't have bad taste I'd have no taste at all.... but I think that mixing a spoonful of instant with a packet of hot chocolate is superior to anything that's ever come out of my friend's various coffee making devices.
As much as I love all the above mentioned types of coffee, I have gotten to the point where I use an instant version on the trail. I used to make my own conconction of instant coffee, coffeemate, and sugar, but now I have found a premade individual serving found in Oriental grocery stores. It is a Vietnamese coffe and very tastey!
These caffeine junkies ruin the hike for a lot of hikers. I mean some of em' brew the stuff right outside the shelters where everyone can smell it. They flaunt all their French presses and mugs and leave em right out in the open.
I don't flaunt it. I just fix it, drink it and enjoy it.
If you cook up some good smelling food should people have the right to complain and tell you to take it out in the woods to cook/consume it? :rolleyes:
These caffeine junkies ruin the hike for a lot of hikers. I mean some of em' brew the stuff right outside the shelters where everyone can smell it. They flaunt all their French presses and mugs and leave em right out in the open. It seems to just consume the lives of some people. I've even seen some of these addicts bring steaming mugs of coffee right into the shelter. I've got nothing against coffee personally but if you're going to do the stuff show some consideration for others and walk a little ways into the woods so as not to offend.:rolleyes:
darned entitled brewers! :p
Folgers Coffee Singles is what I used their light wt and make a great cup of Joe
Yea, I use them too. There quick and simple to use. No extra gear to carry or clean. My pack is already heavy enough.
Panzer
Phoenixdadeadhead
04-26-2009, 08:40
cowboy coffee is the best. All you need is some salt, 1 pinch when you pull off the pot gets rid of the bitterness and splash some cold water in it and all the grounds will sink to the bottom.
Nearly Normal
04-26-2009, 09:02
wallmart brand 100% columbian.
cowboy coffee is the best. All you need is some salt, 1 pinch when you pull off the pot gets rid of the bitterness and splash some cold water in it and all the grounds will sink to the bottom.The French press method is really no more than cowboy coffee with a means of removing the grounds without fuss or other additives. I'll pass on salting a good quality gourmet coffee. :)
Hikes in Rain
04-26-2009, 17:24
It is, and I like the coffee it makes. Too heavy for me on the trail, though; I'll just let gravity do it's thing. Hadn't heard the salt idea before, and I agree with Summit. Anyone adding salt to my home roasted beans I grind just before brewing is going to get to see my contacts dry out from staring!
Stir Fry
04-26-2009, 17:31
These caffeine junkies ruin the hike for a lot of hikers. I mean some of em' brew the stuff right outside the shelters where everyone can smell it. They flaunt all their French presses and mugs and leave em right out in the open. It seems to just consume the lives of some people. I've even seen some of these addicts bring steaming mugs of coffee right into the shelter. I've got nothing against coffee personally but if you're going to do the stuff show some consideration for others and walk a little ways into the woods so as not to offend.:rolleyes:
What do you drink it may, offend me.
hammock engineer
04-26-2009, 17:41
These caffeine junkies ruin the hike for a lot of hikers. I mean some of em' brew the stuff right outside the shelters where everyone can smell it. They flaunt all their French presses and mugs and leave em right out in the open. It seems to just consume the lives of some people. I've even seen some of these addicts bring steaming mugs of coffee right into the shelter. I've got nothing against coffee personally but if you're going to do the stuff show some consideration for others and walk a little ways into the woods so as not to offend.:rolleyes:
One of the joys of southbound. No one else arround to offend.
Side note I got the trailname of coffee by sharing with whoever was around. Helped me justify making 4 pots a day.;)
Rockhound
04-26-2009, 18:25
What do you drink it may, offend me.
traftonm: does not get sarcasm. duly noted.
Stir Fry
04-26-2009, 18:36
traftonm: does not get sarcasm. duly noted.
Sorry, you are right I did not get it.
Too heavy for me on the trail, thoughhttp://www.rei.com/product/760629
1 oz!
Desert Reprobate
04-26-2009, 19:14
I don't flaunt it. I just fix it, drink it and enjoy it.
If you cook up some good smelling food should people have the right to complain and tell you to take it out in the woods to cook/consume it? :rolleyes:
Only if you're cooking chitlins.
Only if you're cooking chitlins.Ummm, with fresh collard greens . . . now you're talkin' :D