Coffee Technology on The Tour

[Gionnirocket]

I'm a lazy morning person and like my coffee waiting for me when I get up, so normally sacrifice some quality for the convenience of programming the electric coffee maker in order to wake up to the aroma of fresh brewed ready to drink. But this morning, since I forgot to press the magic button last night (actually I just forgot about the whole thing), I used my trusty little moka pot. WOW. The difference in taste and quality hit me like a sack of beans! Forget convenience - I'm going back to putting the moka together before bed and being a little patient in the morning while it brews! Another sad reminder that convenience has consequences .

Obviously your daily responsibilities plays into what you have time for....but the thought then aroma of grinding my beans for my coffee are my incentive for getting up in the morning. I've been doing it for so long now that I look forward to it and it doesn't feel like work in the least bit.

 

[PatriciaK]

Obviously your daily responsibilities plays into what you have time for....but the thought then aroma of grinding my beans for my coffee are my incentive for getting up in the morning. I've been doing it for so long now that I look forward to it and it doesn't feel like work in the least bit.

I don't grind - I import Caffè Kimbo espresso Napolitano from Italy via evil Amazon . BC (Before COVID), I used to stock up on Aroma di Napoli (also a Kimbo blend) and Ciobar gusto fondante hot chocolate mix whenever we traveled to Italy. Some day, I'll be able to do that again!

 

[Bicyclista]

I'm a lazy morning person and like my coffee waiting for me when I get up, so normally sacrifice some quality for the convenience of programming the electric coffee maker in order to wake up to the aroma of fresh brewed ready to drink. But this morning, since I forgot to press the magic button last night (actually I just forgot about the whole thing), I used my trusty little moka pot. WOW. The difference in taste and quality hit me like a sack of beans! Forget convenience - I'm going back to putting the moka together before bed and being a little patient in the morning while it brews! Another sad reminder that convenience has consequences .

There is something to be said about slowing down and doing things properly with the right tool. Of all the brewing methods I have at my disposal—filter, French press, AeroPress, Turkish cezve—the Moka pot remains my favorite. I have to dig out the information on a cold brew method popular in my native Guatemala—a coffee-growing country that produces some of the world's best. Basically, you cold-brew coffee so that it becomes very concentrated and store it in the fridge. (Many people, not having refrigerators, simply leave it out, covered, in the chill air of mile-high nights.) In the morning you pour the right amount of concentrate into a cup, then hot water to the desired dilution. It's fast in the morning, but it requires cold brewing the previous day.

The steps required to make coffee in a Moka pot remind me of the steps required to play vinyl on a manual turntable. You first have to take the vinyl record from its sleeve making sure your fingers don't touch the grooves. You place it on the platter, turn on the player, use a special brush to clean the vinyl record, and remove static electricity as it turns. You then carefully place the stylus over the lead-in, then turn a knob or a lever to make the tonearm fall gently. This cleansing ritual is somehow very satisfying. And the music is glorious!

 

[Gionnirocket]

I don't grind - I import Caffè Kimbo espresso Napolitano from Italy via evil Amazon . BC (Before COVID), I used to stock up on Aroma di Napoli (also a Kimbo blend) and Ciobar gusto fondante hot chocolate mix whenever we traveled to Italy. Some day, I'll be able to do that again!

I know how you feel... I had a June 2020 wedding in Rome that got canceled and the prospects of a visit since have been far from possible.
Funny on my visits I've never thought to bring back coffee. Cheese, meats, wines.. as much as I could smuggle. I even got stopped once and told the customs officer that if he confiscates my sicilian ricotta infornata..he would have to be the one to inform my mom.. and he let it pass.

One thing that can't be smuggle is gelato... and for sure it's a top 5 reason for visiting Italy.
Hence my other DeLonghi...

It's not artisan grade, but it sure beats anything available in the supermarkets and most ice-cream bars here.

 

[fexixav]

Here are three different approaches to brewing up on tour (all of these obviously require a fuel canister for the stove):

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Clockwise from top left: BRS-100 stove, boy scout mug, snow peak cookpot and lid, plastic spork, gold one cup coffee maker. I've had that coffee maker since the late 1980's and it makes excellent coffee. The downside is that it is a little bit bulky and requires extra effort to clean.

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Clockwise from top left: Coglan's one cup coffee filter, mug from Stanley cookset, snow peak cookpot and lid, plastic spork, snow peak stove, and one of the filters and the little plastic handle for the filters (don't lose it!). This is lighter and less bulky than the gold filter, but the coffee it makes is considerably less impressive.

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Clockwise from top left: Starbuck's Via Instant coffee packet, Yeti insulated mug, snow peak cookpot and lid, plastic spork, snow peak stove, and full package of Starbuck's instant coffee. The coffee is oily and heavy and burnt-tasting, but this is the fastest and lightest and easiest cleanup of any caffeine delivery system described here. Also, the Yeti mug is both obnoxiously expensive and insanely heavy.

You can make even better coffee if you just make cowboy coffee using a coffee grinder, but the cleanup is a bear and getting the grounds out of the coffee when you pour is a challenge for the inexperienced.

It sounds like each setup has clear trade-offs: the gold one-cup coffee maker makes excellent coffee but is bulky and harder to clean; the lighter Coglan’s filter is easier to carry but produces weaker coffee; and instant coffee is the fastest and simplest but sacrifices flavor. Cowboy coffee could give even better taste, but cleanup and grounds removal are tricky. So it really comes down to whether you prioritize coffee quality, weight, or convenience on the trail. Personally, I’d pick based on the length of the trip and how much effort I’m willing to put into cleanup.