Get a french press for coffee. Quick, easy and so much better than instant that you're comparing apples to slime molds.
Dorm room - Coffee / Tea preparation
- Thread starter Alacrity59
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I would agree with this. Although I don't use my FP as often anymore, the coffee taste is much better and it is simple, and quick.
as for instant coffee I've tried Folgers and Nescafe and both IMO tasted like garbage.
Starbucks VIA Iced Coffee however was pretty darn good. But for an every day drink it's expensive. 6 packets are around $7. But it is good instant coffee.
They also make non-iced as well in the VIA kind, mocha and carmel come to mind. I've tried the carmel and it was pretty good as well.
I'd agree with the FP idea but alas I am not entirely sure if I will have the room. After all it is three of us in an 8x10 cell, I mean room (ha!) and this is really just for on the go... So keep the instant ideas coming
Thanks for the suggestion though!I know I've seen tumblers with built in presses. All you would need is a kettle for hot water.
Pricey, but you could get one of those single cup Keurig machines. Instant and many flavors available. Although a bit pricey per cup.
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I think an Aeropress is perfect for coffee for one. Far far better than any instant I've tasted and close to as quick as instant.
Of the commonly found grocery store instant coffees I rate them in this order from best to worst:
As with roasted coffee, getting a fresh jar will also enhance the flavor. You don't want to buy a supersize jar that is near the end of its shelf life and then drink it all semester/year. It will get more stale.
Starbucks Via or other single serving pouches can be even better. But those are more expensive and not a good fit for a college student budget.
- Nescafe
- Folgers (close 2nd)
- Maxwell House (actually much lower down on the list)
As with roasted coffee, getting a fresh jar will also enhance the flavor. You don't want to buy a supersize jar that is near the end of its shelf life and then drink it all semester/year. It will get more stale.
Starbucks Via or other single serving pouches can be even better. But those are more expensive and not a good fit for a college student budget.
If your dorm floor grants access to a stove-top, or you're allowed to bring a hot-plate or portable stove-top, a moki pot provides a cup of coffee vastly superior to any instant I've ever had.
I'd just start drinking tea if, for some reason, instant coffee was my only option. There are so many delicious teas out there. Instant coffee is so, so gross. But, then again, if you're even considering instant coffee, you probably aren't a typical coffee snoot like me and maybe that's just right up your alley. Anyway, tea is your friend.
imleftyoureright has the right idea, and as the Bodum Travel Press appears to be sold out in both models, many other college students do as well:
http://bodum.bodum.com/us/en-us/shop/detail/11057-01BUS/
This is the optimal solution for living in halls/dorms. You will need an electric kettle for tea anyway, so it is worth the space. You are much more likely to make yourself a cup in your room on a regular basis as opposed to utilising the microwave for the occasional ramen.
And please, please do not even consider instant. It is really inhumane.
A moka is another brilliant option; I have an electric moka (essentially a moka with built-in hotplate) that served me very well throughout my MA. The Bialetti is rather expensive, but I have a generic model that has yet to fail.
http://bodum.bodum.com/us/en-us/shop/detail/11057-01BUS/
This is the optimal solution for living in halls/dorms. You will need an electric kettle for tea anyway, so it is worth the space. You are much more likely to make yourself a cup in your room on a regular basis as opposed to utilising the microwave for the occasional ramen.
And please, please do not even consider instant. It is really inhumane.
A moka is another brilliant option; I have an electric moka (essentially a moka with built-in hotplate) that served me very well throughout my MA. The Bialetti is rather expensive, but I have a generic model that has yet to fail.
Nespresso.....
http://www.nespresso-us.com/machines/
Keurig
http://www.keurig.com/shop/brewers/all-brewers
http://www.nespresso-us.com/machines/
Keurig
http://www.keurig.com/shop/brewers/all-brewers
If you will have a hot-plate, you may want to look into Turkish/Greek style coffee. A single-serving maker (Cezve) is around $6 and measures about 2.75 inches tall, 2.5 diameter and 4 inch handle.
I'd recommend an electric kettle and the Aeropress. Many (most?) dorms will forbid hotplates as a fire hazard. Also, cleanup of the Aeropress is a snap--pop the puck out the bottom and a quick rinse (or even just a wipe with a paper towel) will do. Cleaning a French Press in a dorm bathroom (if there isn't a hall kitchen) would be a pain (and I'd probably break it on the sink faucet within a week).
The Aeropress is also very forgiving of grind, and even a blade grinder works fine with it.
The Aeropress is also very forgiving of grind, and even a blade grinder works fine with it.
Sadly enough I was actually thinking that those heaters out of MREs would make a nice easy instant brew lol... yum... magnesium...
That's not an old picture, that's my desk right now at work...
A pound of coffee from a local roaster or shipped to you from gocoffeego.com ~$17. Something to heat water in ~ $10 for a fixed temp kettle. A grinder $20 I like my hario but the Whirly blade at the grocery store may be cheaper. A bodum travel press which you can drink out of but I just use for making coffee when travelling and pour into a regular cup $13. Finally a tea sampler from uptontea.com and a single serve tea kettle from teavana or adagio $20. And you are set. You could use the French press for tea but I would worry about flavored getting a bit muddled.
I think if you make really good coffee at home you probably won't buy as much out if what you can make tastes better than what you can buy. It's also a lot cheaper. i.e. the Keurig; cheap to buy but a pods are expensive.
I think if you make really good coffee at home you probably won't buy as much out if what you can make tastes better than what you can buy. It's also a lot cheaper. i.e. the Keurig; cheap to buy but a pods are expensive.
Call me old school but what I used in college still works. Coffee sock, hot pot, grinder of your choice.
A travel press is awesome. I've got an out of production liquid solutions 550 ml double walled lexan travel press with a screw on top that's actually leakproof. It's been to three continents, a war zone, and a lot of time in the woods. And I have a 1L Proctor Silex water heater
Cleaning a FP? Rinse the grounds into the toilet, and clean the rest in the sink or shower as nessesary. That assumes you aren't walking down the hall to a communal bathroom.
http://www.liquid-solutions.com/brewingsystems.html
Cleaning a FP? Rinse the grounds into the toilet, and clean the rest in the sink or shower as nessesary. That assumes you aren't walking down the hall to a communal bathroom.
http://www.liquid-solutions.com/brewingsystems.html
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