Coffee Technology on The Tour

[Camasonian]

I have done a TON of bike touring on regular bikes over the years. As a coffee addict, I’ve tried most of these methods and have finally settled on this for my morning coffee fixes, combined with frequenting whatever coffee stands I find along the way, along with McDonalds/Dunkin Donuts, etc. which have pretty good coffee.

https://www.amazon.com/Cafe-Altura-Freeze-Instant-Organic/dp/B00HKGB9ZW

 

[Art Deco]

Well, I guess it beats Nescafe, which was all I knew how to order in France. I survived by drinking more wine than coffee.

 

[john peck]

Coffee being an essential life sustaining nutrient, I am at times forced to forego the wife´s freshly
ground designer beans when travelling. Often when alone in the hinterlands there are no convenient
barristas, not even a McDonalds. In such trying times it becomes necessary to swallow one´s pride,
& partake of a small jar of Walmart´s cheapest instant, brace oneself, & toss it down. When push
comes to shove, a jolt is a jolt no matter how distasteful.

 

[Camasonian]

Well, I guess it beats Nescafe, which was all I knew how to order in France. I survived by drinking more wine than coffee.

Nescafé Clasico which is the powdered kind they sell in Latin America is actually not that bad. It beats most supermarket instant coffee like Folgers and Maxwell House.

 

[EMGX]

Or do it the easy way. Crunch on a couple roasted coffee beans with a piece of chocolate to take the edge off - legal form of crack.

 

[Camasonian]

Or do it the easy way. Crunch on a couple roasted coffee beans with a piece of chocolate to take the edge off - legal form of crack.

You know they actually make chocolate-coated espresso beans?

 

[EMGX]

You know they actually make chocolate-coated espresso beans?

They tend to melt together - too messy. Instead I take a small zip lock bag of beans and another bag of M&Ms. Priceless on a long drive or if I need a early morning caffeine boost on the few short bike tours I've done.

Have you ever tried the Oregon Scenic Bikeway routes? Mostly chamber of commerce inventions but I've done a couple that were fun. Last October a 3 day 175 mile Old West Scenic Bikeway route. I wanted to do that again this year along with the Grande Tour Scenic Bikeway but our early hot summer and now short colder days put a damper on that idea for this year. There was an organized 2 day Grande Tour ride in June sponsored by La Grande parks and rec but temps hovered around 100 that weekend - too hot for me to enjoy (or survive) that ride.

 

[PatriciaK]

The butter thing is called "Bulletproof coffee", it allows you to take a massive caffeine dose that gets ingested slowly so you don't get a huge caffeine hit, the fats in the butter bind with the caffeine and absorb slower.

Another thing...... the only way to make coffee is with a moka pot, anything less is an insult, especially the 'filter' stuff Americans make, eww. Probably the most versatile way too, from stove top to a camp fire, no faff, just perfect coffee.

Sorry, i'm one of those people, i've brewed coffee in every possible manner, even to the extent of buying green beans and roasting them myself.

So my recommendations :-

Bialetti Moka pot

View attachment 86776And a special coffee to go in it would be "Mexican Finca Muxbal" a single origin bean only grown in one place has a beautiful caramelly butteryness to it, i use a full 6 cup pot to 1 large latte

I LOVE my Bialetti moka pots! If I were the touring type, I'd definitely find space for my 3-cupper! And, I'd only put my fine Caffe Kimbo Espresso Napolitano (Imported from Italy via evil Amazon) in the basket... Living in Naples for 3 years ruined me for anything but Caffe Italiano .

 

[Camasonian]

I’ve never done any of those eastern Oregon rides. Well, years ago I did ride through a bunch of eastern Oregon at random, from Seattle across the Cascades and then down to Steens Mountain And back across to the Willamette Valley. But I was just winging it solo on vacation from being a grad student at UW, not following some specific route. More recently I did ride from Astoria to San Francisco some years ago with my 10 year old daughter on a tandem with my 75 year old dad who was on his recumbent. That was pre-ebike. I could have used a motor on all those hills dragging my tandem, 10 year old, and Yak trailer. About did me in honestly. I blogged it here: http://kentalind.blogspot.com It blogged in reverse chronological order so you have have to use the sidebar and click the posts individually to read them in correct order if you are curious. Would like to tackle the Pacific Coast Highway again with an ebike and be more relaxed about it.

 

[Marci jo]

I LOVE my Bialetti moka pots! If I were the touring type, I'd definitely find space for my 3-cupper! And, I'd only put my fine Caffe Kimbo Espresso Napolitano (Imported from Italy via evil Amazon) in the basket... Living in Naples for 3 years ruined me for anything but Caffe Italiano .

Agreed Patricia!
Italy has the best coffee.
I can understand why you love it ️

 

[dodgeman]

On another forum I frequent about tractors a member talked about his house getting hit by lighting and all the damage it did. I thought no big deal, that can all be fixed in time but he finished up by saying it even ruined his coffee maker. I thought the horror, what will they do in the morning, just curl up and die? I’m not addicted to coffee but it’s one of my few pleasures. OK I’m addicted.

 

[Marci jo]

These are such funny comments.
It's crazy what caffeine addicts will do for a fix. Of course I include myself in that group.

These little packets of instant coffee are pretty good. What they lack in "gourmet" flavor the make up for in over-the-top convenience. Super easy to pack and travel with.

 

[EMGX]

I’ve never done any of those eastern Oregon rides. Well, years ago I did ride through a bunch of eastern Oregon at random, from Seattle across the Cascades and then down to Steens Mountain And back across to the Willamette Valley. But I was just winging it solo on vacation from being a grad student at UW, not following some specific route. More recently I did ride from Astoria to San Francisco some years ago with my 10 year old daughter on a tandem with my 75 year old dad who was on his recumbent. That was pre-ebike. I could have used a motor on all those hills dragging my tandem, 10 year old, and Yak trailer. About did me in honestly. I blogged it here: http://kentalind.blogspot.com It blogged in reverse chronological order so you have have to use the sidebar and click the posts individually to read them in correct order if you are curious. Would like to tackle the Pacific Coast Highway again with an ebike and be more relaxed about it.

Nice!
Last year, the week before riding the "Old West Scenic Bikeway", I did a 2 day 120 mile camp/ride from Plummer ID to Wallace ID and back along "The Trail of the Coeur d' Alene" on a regular non-assist bike. It convinced me that, for me, short touring on an ebike was the way to go for a more fun ride.

 

[PatriciaK]

These are such funny comments.
It's crazy what caffeine addicts will do for a fix. Of course I include myself in that group.

These little packets of instant coffee are pretty good. What they lack in "gourmet" flavor the make up for in over-the-top convenience. Super easy to pack and travel with.


View attachment 102493

Folgers makes those instant packets, too... They're like 99 cents for a box of 7 packets. My "mechanic" will drink anything

 

[john peck]

Folgers makes those instant packets, too... They're like 99 cents for a box of 7 packets. My "mechanic" will drink anything

Too thick too drink, too thin to plow. Guy that won the ¨Tour Divide¨ a few years back Ate coffee grounds
with a candy bar for breakfast.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm addicted to Nespresso (because of the high price point, I buy Carrefour branded capsules though). As I'm rarely riding in the wild, I just ride up some cafe on my tours for coffee.

As Mr. Coffee is a fan of making coffee on his tours, let me tell you about a nice remembrance from my last holiday.

I was just taking a rest on a bench at a mountain pass. A man, wife and their teenage grandson approached me and asked if they could take a seat. They turned out to be experienced mountain hikers. The man offered coffee to me, to which I gratefully agreed. He produced a mini stove from his backpack and brewed coffee. For simplicity, he was using Nescafe packets. Taken into account how pleasant and interesting those people were, their exciting hiking stories of high mountains, and the fact getting good coffee was so unexpected there, I still recollect that nice moment... Whatever that coffee was, it came with a great value added!

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I like Nespresso too. It makes way better coffee and certainly better than you get at most coffee shops here. My conclusion about that is that the temperature and pressure of the water matter a lot more in making great coffee than anything else, including the coffee.

I usually backpack with the gold filter, as it is a close second to nespresso. As long as the water is at a rolling boil.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My conclusion about that is that the temperature and pressure of the water matter a lot more in making great coffee than anything else, including the coffee.

The water quality plays its role, too. In my old house, I needed to filter water in a Brita jar. At my current flat, the water is just OK. Tap water at my brother's home is excellent!

 

[Mulezen]

I’ve never enjoyed coffee though do drink tea. Michael Pollan’s new book “This is your brain on Plants” has one of its three sections dealing with caffeine. Among other fascinating observations he credits coffee for the industrial revolution. In writing the essay he abstained from caffeine which caused interesting complications.

 

[Bubba zanetti]

AEROPRESS. Is awesome bicycle or motorcycle.