View Full Version : Coffee
Drybones
03-05-2012, 15:50
Anyone give up coffee to cut weight? Some things in life are sacred and morning coffee may be one but I'm considering giving it up to save weight, already gave up booze...hummmm...quality of life going down fast.
coach lou
03-05-2012, 15:56
Ask yourself this.....do you enjoy a cup of Joe in the morning?
ekeverette
03-05-2012, 15:56
can't do it.... gotta have my jo.... i'll give up a pair of underwear or socks....!!!
RWheeler
03-05-2012, 16:00
I've been trying to ween myself of coffee now so I can hike without carrying it... but I can't. So I'll just order a case of Via through Amazon Prime and have it delivered to me along the trail.
Never! Blaspheme I tell you. I would sooner leave my map and compass than my precious! :)
turtle fast
03-05-2012, 16:11
No need to give up coffee. Coffee folks (ie. due to Starbucks) have made strides in the instant coffee market. No more unpalatable kinda flavored water...but something drinkable. The Starbucks VIA are pretty good and many grind your own coffee drinkers could not taste the difference. The instant coffee market was driven by those who used cheap robusta beans to achieve less than stellar coffee. Now some instant manufacturers are using quality beans. So yes you can have some lightweight coffee that does not taste like swill. Or you can just pregrind some and make cowboy coffee in your pot. This coming from a coffee snob...just bought some Kenyan Kagumo Peaberry Microlot form the Nyeri District of Central Kenya...supreme stuff.
coach lou
03-05-2012, 16:16
I to am somewhat of a coffee snob, but after reading afew posts on WB, my last walk I tried the VIA. I'm sold for now. I bring some Swiss Miss to add to it in the evening. It works good for me. I'm not sure if they have decaf for 'The Mrs.'
RWheeler
03-05-2012, 16:23
No need to give up coffee. Coffee folks (ie. due to Starbucks) have made strides in the instant coffee market. No more unpalatable kinda flavored water...but something drinkable. The Starbucks VIA are pretty good and many grind your own coffee drinkers could not taste the difference. The instant coffee market was driven by those who used cheap robusta beans to achieve less than stellar coffee. Now some instant manufacturers are using quality beans. So yes you can have some lightweight coffee that does not taste like swill. Or you can just pregrind some and make cowboy coffee in your pot. This coming from a coffee snob...just bought some Kenyan Kagumo Peaberry Microlot form the Nyeri District of Central Kenya...supreme stuff.
If you want to grind beans and make coffee that way, an Aero Press is a fantastic device for making a good cup of joe.
I to am somewhat of a coffee snob, but after reading afew posts on WB, my last walk I tried the VIA. I'm sold for now. I bring some Swiss Miss to add to it in the evening. It works good for me. I'm not sure if they have decaf for 'The Mrs.'
VIA makes an Italian Roast decaf. Tastes the same as the regular Italian Roast. I still prefer the Columbian blend, though.
I gave up coffee not for the weight of it but because I had to plan my trips around it. I'd get physically ill from caffeine withdrawls to the point it felt like I was kicking heroin. I have a cup of coffee every 2-4 months now.
daddytwosticks
03-05-2012, 16:50
I find it's not the weight of the coffee (how heavy is instant?), it's the creamer, sugar, and the need to light up a stove in the AM that complicates hitting the trail sooner. For my short section hikes, I still drink the Joe in the AM. For longer hikes or a thru, I'd try and give it up. :)
Regardless of your morning drink of choice (coffee, tea, hot cocoa, protein shake, etc), there are a lot better and more efficient ways to cut weight in one's pack. Take your coffee and enjoy it.
max patch
03-05-2012, 16:53
I gave up coffee after a couple weeks on my thru -- not to save weight -- but because I wanted to stop cooking breakfast. Didn't miss it at all. I still drank coffee in town.
swjohnsey
03-05-2012, 17:40
I can give up boze but not coffee. When I'm out of coffee it's time to go into town.
On my sections, I prefer green tea as an evening drink. I bring a small amount of instant espresso in case I develop a serious headache from caffeine withdrawal, but it's just for medicinal purposes. Of course, when I'm in town, I really like a cup of strong, hot coffee...
coheterojo
03-05-2012, 17:55
Starbucks Via all the way both thru-hikes.
Emily Harper
03-05-2012, 18:10
More then weight it takes time in the morning, but it's a nice way to warm yourself up. If you love coffee, better just keep it.
MuddyWaters
03-05-2012, 18:18
No.
Starbucks VIA
Campmor.com used to have a simple setup for coffee that amounted to nothing more than a Malita style filter and two kabob skewers. Just push the skewers through the filter add coffee hang in the cup and pour in the hot water, let steep a few minutes. Or use the same kind of filter and a funnel with the bottom cut off. Clean up is even simpler. It doesn't have to be complicated, its trail coffee, a java jolt to get you going.
lush242000
03-05-2012, 18:26
Anyone give up coffee to cut weight? Some things in life are sacred and morning coffee may be one but I'm considering giving it up to save weight, already gave up booze...hummmm...quality of life going down fast.
No way, not giving up coffee. I pack instant. I used to take a little ziplock, now I take the starbucks single serve packets.
rocketsocks
03-05-2012, 18:27
I could give up coffee on the trail,but prefer not to.After quitting smoking,I don't have as much of a desire for coffee,Except when I go to the book store,then it's a fourbucks latte.
Drybones
03-05-2012, 19:20
The individual 1-cup (16 oz for me) filters are what I'm now using. They work great. Tried the Starbucks instant but for me it's still instant only 4X the cost. Doing a final check for the start this w/e, weighed the coffee and had 1/4 pound...that made me question if I needed to give it up...as well as the time lost cooking each morning.
Wombat Farm
03-05-2012, 19:38
Never....I've given up caffeine but not coffee! There's something so warming inside (even on a 90 degree day) about starting the day with a cup o'jo
i'm a BIG coffee drinker but will not be drinking coffee except in town or if someone offers me a cup. i drink instant with cream and sugar.
in the old days i used to carry three separate baggies with each in it's own bag. to me it was fine for a few days but as a regular thing i think it would be too much of a pain. the weight for four days worth for me - coffee, sugar, creamer - might be at least 8 ounces. plus there is a very good chance of getting everything all over the inside of my pack or at the very least, my food bag.
i like tea well enough so i'm taking tea bags without sugar or creamer. i think 30 bags, enough for 15 days or so, weighs about an ounce.
no weight. no mess. and i still get the caffeine.
It's going to be harder for me to walk away from family guy, american dad, and the walking dead than coffee.
TV
MuddyWaters
03-05-2012, 22:41
The individual 1-cup (16 oz for me) filters are what I'm now using. They work great. Tried the Starbucks instant but for me it's still instant only 4X the cost. Doing a final check for the start this w/e, weighed the coffee and had 1/4 pound...that made me question if I needed to give it up...as well as the time lost cooking each morning.
Via isnt gourmet coffee, but its decent, and very light, 0.1oz per serving. And no heavy wet grounds/filters to pack out or dispose of.
swjohnsey
03-05-2012, 22:43
Grounds are organic mulch.
I try to avoid brand names in the woods, but I'll grab a Tim Horton's Extra Large on the way in, and I'll try and get that cardboard cup to last several days, then use it for kindling. What is it about that stupid cardboard cup that is so pleasing ???
In the woods I make simple coffee or chai style tea from scratch, adding my own spices to the tea, and sticks and rocks and stuff.
Hairball
03-06-2012, 04:39
Professional coffee drinker here. I'm taking a .79 funnel (wall mart automotive) some coffee filters, coffee grounds, and aNalgene bottle. Works great.
Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk
rocketsocks
03-06-2012, 07:16
Coffee Bong!nice.
Hikes in Rain
03-06-2012, 07:19
"Give up coffee..." Your words have no meaning.
swjohnsey
03-06-2012, 07:55
Professional coffee drinker here. I'm taking a .79 funnel (wall mart automotive) some coffee filters, coffee grounds, and aNalgene bottle. Works great.
Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk
You might experiment with "cowboy coffee", ain't real cowboy coffee, 21st century analong. Put a 1/4 cup of ground coffee and 1/4 cup sugar (any kind, granulated, brown, etc.) in a snack size Ziploc. Heat about two cups water (adjust to taste) to boil. Add coffee and let steep five minutes (experiment). Filter into your cup through a piece of nylon window screen material cut to be bigger than you cup so you can hold it on the outside of the cup. This screen weighs nothing (pun intended) Experiment with the amount of coffee and sugar to get it to your taste. For some reason ground coffee and sugar are available even in the smallest convenience stores.
garlic08
03-06-2012, 08:45
You might experiment with "cowboy coffee", ain't real cowboy coffee, 21st century analog...
Here's my favorite recipe for cowboy coffee: Add coffee to pot, boil. Throw horseshoe in pot. If horseshoe sinks, add more coffee.
For me, a thru hike is a good way to get away from lot of things. The phone, the internet, work, the car, whatever pace your town life might have. Alcohol and caffeine are two of those things for me. In a way, it's detoxifying. That's just the way I see it and it's not for everyone. As others have said, it has nothing to do with weight, and more with the pace of your day and how you feel. For me, being completely substance-free is part of the experience.
Not that there's a thing wrong with natural substances like alcohol and caffeine. I'm drinking black tea right now. It's not easy to give up, but nobody told me thru hiking was easy.
garlic08
03-06-2012, 08:50
This thread reminds me of hiking with Mags. Talk about a coffee hound. Early one morning we hiked into Patagonia, AZ, the first town stop on the Arizona Trail, and he kind of barged into the coffee shop before they were even open. Funny. But he abstains from coffee on the trail. Maybe he'll see this and chime in.
This would be a very sad hike - really - how much does a little baggie of instant coffee weigh (or a handful of starbucks Vias) - cut a few usless straps off of you pack or the tags out of your clothes and you have overcome this "problem" - - staying on the trail as a long distance hiker is more a mental game then a physical one - for a lot of folks, the outside world's pull is just too much so being happy and content on the trail is super important - - for a coffee drinker to quit would put him / her at a happiness disadvantage - I'd suggest that it could also cause headaches, not being able to properly use the privy each morning and all sorts of other woes - do not skip coffee - this is downright offensive. :eek:
Hawkwind61
03-06-2012, 09:56
I've packed Folgers coffee bags over the years (I like that they have decaf for those chilly evenings.). Found Senseo coffee pods just before my North-South Trail hike a few years back and brought those along. They were so good I picked up more for my short section hike last year (The Senseo breakfast blend is awesome-met a thru-hiker at a hostel in MA last year when I was ending my week-long that went kabonkers for 'real' coffee, he happily took the rest of my pods with him!).
But honestly 'instant' coffee has come so far in quality and taste that this year I'll be bringing mostly instant packets. I drink my coffee black, so taste is very important to me. I taste test coffee before I will pack it. Nothing worse than a 'bad' cup of coffee first thing in the morning! LOL!
But since I really, really, really love my Godiva Chocolate Truffle coffee I'll be picking up some large 'fill your own' tea bags and prepping some for my hike in Vermont. I also pack tea for the evening and a couple packets of my favorite hot chocolate and a couple packets of decaf for those damp nights when I just want a 'comfort' drink to warm myself up. Before I changed over to drinking my coffee black I didn't find it much of a chore to bring a baggie of my favorite powdered creamer. I've used powdered milk and vanilla protein powder over the years too. Now I carry one less food baggie. ;-)
Hawkwind61
03-06-2012, 09:59
BTW...I almost always carry extra coffee with me. So if you spot an older-woman with an external frame pack and a Hennessy A-sym trekking SOBO along the Long Trail/At section in July/August...stop by for a coffee. If you don't drink your coffee black you may need to bring your own creamer. ;)
mrcoffeect
03-06-2012, 10:05
I would rather run out of food on the trail, than coffee, I've woke up in the morn and moved on with out breakfast,but not without a cup of coffee!
BTW...I almost always carry extra coffee with me. So if you spot an older-woman with an external frame pack and a Hennessy A-sym trekking SOBO along the Long Trail/At section in July/August...stop by for a coffee. If you don't drink your coffee black you may need to bring your own creamer. ;)
Will do HW
Hawkwind61
03-06-2012, 10:08
Will do HW
Excellent. :sun Always nice to share a coffee.
RodentWhisperer
03-06-2012, 10:19
Might I suggest, if you can find it, you purchase a jar of Madaglia D'Oro, and repackage it? It's literally freeze-dried espresso. That stuff puts Starbucks VIAs to shame.
Hawkwind61
03-06-2012, 10:22
Might I suggest, if you can find it, you purchase a jar of Madaglia D'Oro, and repackage it? It's literally freeze-dried espresso. That stuff puts Starbucks VIAs to shame.
Nice! I will have to hunt some of that down! Thanks for the tip! :sun
Drybones
03-06-2012, 10:26
You'll probably see all three on the trail...family guy, american dad, and for certain, walking dead.
turtle fast
03-06-2012, 12:30
On my AT 08' hike I had some Turkish coffee I had imported. The coffee used quality Arabica beans and is finely ground to a granular powder. You heat your water with the grounds in it until it froths and bubbles, take it off the flame and wait till it calms down...then do it again. Then its ready to drink the second time around...you can add cardamom to make it more 'Turkish' it is like drinking an energy beverage with mud on the bottom. We had a hiker who was of middle eastern descent who one day who freaked out and coulden't believe we were making Turkish Coffee...let alone down south in the woods where no-one knew what it was. Had to give him a cup...he was about to trade us some gear for just a cup...was kinda funny.
RWheeler
03-06-2012, 12:58
I just got caffeine withdrawal upon seeing the term "Turkish coffee."
Oh man, that stuff is delicious. A friend (from Turkey) I had met while doing my undergrad work actually bought me a demitasse and a gorgeous copper zarf when he realized that I had the stomach to actually enjoy how he made it. It was awesome. I lost it when I moved, though :-/
Now I really want to make a cup...
I remember coffee with cardamom from a stay on an Israeli kibbutz many moons ago. Was working in the citrus orchard and an Arab watchman used to make "cafe im hel" for all the volunteers. It was served with equally fantastic melon, and after that, you could work many more hours. If haven't made this in years and years. Thanks for reviving the memories, turtle fast.
turtle fast
03-06-2012, 13:16
You don't need a copper Ibirik to make it...you can use a sauce pan (or any pot on the trail) at home to achieve the same taste...not as cool as using the copper but it works. Add some cardamom at the same time as the coffee for a bigger flavor...you also HAVE to drink it with sugar...kinda mandatory. If you have a coffee grinder, set the setting to its finest grind...you may have to grind it again to get the right grainy powder or use a rolling pin on some ground coffee but takes a long time.
Drybones
03-06-2012, 18:21
Well I've decided to compromise instead of quitting cold turkey...I'll carry half the normal useage...1 cup a day instead of 2, or maybe two cups every other day.
rocketsocks
03-06-2012, 21:22
I have a french press,a one cupper.Though this is more of a camping thing I think.
bigcranky
03-06-2012, 21:42
Four words: chocolate covered espresso beans.
Mix them with ibuprofen tablets for a nutritious gorp. <kidding>
Might I suggest, if you can find it, you purchase a jar of Madaglia D'Oro, and repackage it? It's literally freeze-dried espresso. That stuff puts Starbucks VIAs to shame.
Absolutely totally agree -- didn't know there was anyone out there that likes that stuff (like I do)!
Well I've decided to compromise instead of quitting cold turkey...I'll carry half the normal useage...1 cup a day instead of 2, or maybe two cups every other day.
Not sure why to compromise - the energy you receive off of the product more than accounts for any effort in carrying it - I don't compromise on my coffee
eatapeach
03-07-2012, 00:45
This: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E5E24A/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
?
I want a four quart insulated coffee hydration pack. Keeps hot for hours. This is my dream.
Mike2012
03-07-2012, 01:05
When it's cold in the morning or maybe during a rainy day I'll break out the stove for a quick cup of trashy coffee or better tea. In summer the light of the sun keeps me up and I don't feel the need for caffeine so much.
Well I've decided to compromise instead of quitting cold turkey...I'll carry half the normal useage...1 cup a day instead of 2, or maybe two cups every other day.Good idea. Nice thing about being on the trail is it is easier to control your intake. You can't eat/drink what you don't bring. I eat much healthier on trail than off. Also, a little coffee is not a bad thing, maybe even a good thing.
"Give up coffee..." Your words have no meaning.
So true.
Starbucks VIA packets are the answer to all questions "coffee".
This: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001E5E24A/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
?
yep - that's it - comes in a glass jar so I re-package it in a ziplock or an empty plastic jar
I learned to love to drink hot tea. Every time we stopped seemed someone would brew up.Sometimes we would stop just to make tea. Don't care what it weighs I'm taking it with me.
birdygal
03-18-2012, 22:47
I plan on giving coffee up and going back to drinking hot tea at home and on the trail
Four words: chocolate covered espresso beans.
Mix them with ibuprofen tablets for a nutritious gorp. <kidding>
That sounds like a marvelous recipe for the trail or the office!
quilteresq
03-19-2012, 09:26
I'm pretty much expecting the same thing to happen on the trail that happened on my 2003 3000 mile bike ride - we started out drinking coffee, but soon got to the point where it was a hassle. We drank it in town but wanted to get going earlier in the mornings, so we started skipping it from camp sites. Of course, the average temp for the first 700 miles of that bike ride seems like it was 100 degrees by mid afternoon - for at least a week, it WAS - so getting going early was a priority. Climbing out of Snake River Canyon, we got up at 5:30 am and were on the road in about 15 minutes. It's HOT at the bottom of those canyons in July!
On second thought, maybe the "skipping the coffee" routine won't happen until it warms up. . .
I love me some coffee. In fact I'm brewing a pot right now. Yet I sent the coffee, cream and sugar - and the Jetboil french press piece - home at Neels Gap.
I had two issues with it:
The first was that somewhere between home and Springer, the french press developed a small tear in the screen, so the coffee always had more than a few grounds in it.
The second was that it was a pain to deal with. I usually ended up making more coffee than I really wanted, and of course it was in my water bottle while I wanted to use the water bottle for something else.
And, the four pounds I saved meant I no longer felt guilty about bringing my netbook!
flemdawg1
03-28-2012, 14:36
Another coffe snob here (give me Folger's and I'll punch you in the mouth). I've tried pretty every practical way to make coffee on the trail. the best compromise between weight and taste is Starbucks Via, with Medaglia D'Oro Instant Espresso 2nd and Nescafe French Roast 3rd. I made an UL coffee cup by using a nabisco Go-Packs container (as a bonus you get mini Oreos) and a foldable neoprene cozy. It weighs about 1oz and holds other small things (pocketknife, P-38 can opener, mini butane stove) when I'm not drinking from it.
15601
My next favorite method was a 6oz lexan french press, uses regular grounds, and when done rinse it out and scatter the grounds away from the campsite/shelter. The 3rd option is a Merlitta coffee cone 3oz, but you have wet coffee filters to pack out.
bobtomaskovic
04-01-2012, 22:02
I got a single cup funnel filter and made fresh drip coffee every morning all the way to Katadhin
COG-2011