Travel Coffee Gear

[GoodShave]

I am planning to do a road trip in the near future and was going through my gear deciding what I would take to make coffee without bringing my coffee scale and variable temperature electric kettle. The idea would be more of getting hot water from a fast food place and making decent coffee for the drive.

I have been trying out the scenario with my Stagg XF dripper using the immersion technique. That dripper comes with a catch cup that has dots on it to help measure out the beans. So far it has proved to be a little too mellow for my current beans which is Red Rooster Coffee Roaster's (Floyd, VA) 'Old Crow Cuppa Joe'.

Today, I went with my plastic Hario V60-02 with the Gabi Drip Master B on top. I calibrated a coffee scoop using my coffee scale to figure out how many scoops gets me the 18g of beans I usually use. I heated up a little more than a cup of water in the microwave using a measuring cup (to get closer to the 270 g of water I usually use). I filled the center section 3/4 of the way up for the bloom phase (and waited until I could hear no more dripping). Then I poured the rest through the center section alone, a little at a time not to over flow to the outer section. I liked this better for these beans than the Stagg XF.

In both cases, I would take my 1Zpresso JX manual coffee grinder.

I had thought of taking my melodrip for the V60 but I would not have a controlled pour mechanism.

In the past, I have taken my Planetary Designs 'double shot' french press mug.

What would you do for making coffee on travel?

 

[APBinNCA]

Considering I engage in at least as much nerdery as you on a regular basis; the last trip I went on, I took single serving bags from a quality roaster. I wanted to see how far I could push the minimalism. That was it, no measuring devices and no dedicated burner. I know approximately how much water to put. It's liberating.

So normally, I have a kit that consists of the following and goes anywhere my car can go(not backpacking):
Fold flat backpacking stove, stable base, disposable fuel cartridge, titanium pot
Always have gallons of water from my well, or I filter out of a creek before drinking city water
At least one fresh whole bean coffee in an appropriate container for travel(not the kind that pop the lid if pressure changes, ask me how I know)
Hand grinder, usually calibrated at home from my burr grinder and no touchy when away!(slaps hand)
Brewing vessel, usually an aeropress, sometimes throw in a press pot. Don't do pour over on trips.
Hario brew scale that I have had forever with spare batteries
Appropriate utensils and drinking vessels including disposable cups for strangers

So, I am known to stop literally anywhere in any weather and fire up the stove and start making coffee before anybody realizes what I am doing. Then they stare while I drink fresh coffee and pretend like it's completely normal!

 

[Ron]

Espro P1 Travel Press
Hario Mini Slim Pro Hand Grinder

just add 3 tablespoons of beans + hot water and you're ready to go

 

[12stones]

I do a lot of camping and bikepacking and love my Aeropress.

 

[Ivo4u2]

There was a time I took a bodum mini french press with me and a bag of ground coffee. Not ideal the press was glass (babuska broke the thing when inspecting what it was) and since I do not want customs crap I used filter grade coffee. But for short trips it made more than decent coffee. Beats mocona.
on longer trips in Asia I usually went cold turkey on the airport and lived on cola with tea for a month.
but now so much small coffee shacks everywhere.
But still thinking of getting a hand espresso machine from nano presso
Aero presso is tempting too.

 

[ChewyChef]

I took a 6 day trip last September and made my daily coffee using an Aeropress, Hario scale, and Hario Skerton hand grinder. Each hotel room that I stayed in had a kettle or microwave and not having to do any precise pours with the Aeropress allowed me to just dump, stir, press. It did not take up much room in my suitcase and was easy to ensured a great cup of coffee.

 

[Lightcs1776]

I use an Aeropress and an electric kettle when traveling and want good coffee.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[KW Driver]

Aeropress Go and a steel mesh filter (current iteration, use a full size at home), and Hario Skerton. Both of those and beans fit in a 1 gal ziplock. If I don’t have a good heat source where I’ll be, MSR pocket rocket that fits in a 750ml titanium MSR Titan pot with lid.

I don’t get fancy with measurements, I’ve been content with a tablespoon scoop of coffee and water to the top of the press, bubbles starting to form in the pot is right at 170-175F and my happy place.

 

[APBinNCA]

steel mesh filter

If you haven't tried it yet, the Fellow Prismo works great! I have had less fuss than using the disks with the stock cap. I have been using it to make concentrate for iced coffee a lot lately. It has a wider range of grind that it will work with.

 

[KW Driver]

If you haven't tried it yet, the Fellow Prismo works great! I have had less fuss than using the disks with the stock cap. I have been using it to make concentrate for iced coffee a lot lately. It has a wider range of grind that it will work with.

that‘s intriguing, but doesn’t work with the Go. I could use it at the house. I’ve been content with the mesh filters and cooking inverted so far.

 

[PintoPlain]

I'm another one who uses an aeropress when travelling or camping. I generally take a small hand grinder and whole beans too. If I'm going to a city I've been to before, and I've found a place that sells good coffee, I'll only take enough beans for the next day or two and buy beans there.

The areopress is ideal for travel as it takes up little room and the coffee is perfectly adequate. Just remember the filters or you'll be drinking coffee cowboy style.

 

[linty1]

These are all great tips and similar to my "how get coffee at work", I think I would go aeropress, though I'm not sure.

 

[APBinNCA]

These are all great tips and similar to my "how get coffee at work", I think I would go aeropress, though I'm not sure.

The nice thing about the aeropress is it can be brought in surreptitiously. And you can just get hot water wherever. You could add a nice hand grinder to your kit, some are made to fit inside.

Alternatively, a small metal press pot with your ground coffee already at the bottom works well too.

 

[McBlade]

Porlex mini is a nice portable grinder.

I used to use the Aeropress a lot. Then I realised that "cowboy coffee" made in an ordinary saucepan has more flavour. A fine powdery grind, a splash of cold water, then pour on boiling water. The fine grind means it's ready to pour almost immediately although you can experiment with that. Filter through an ordinary tea strainer to get the worst of the "mud" out. It won't get it all but that only adds to the flavour, like an unfiltered malt whisky. Just don't drink the last half-inch...

I've taken bags of green beans on expedition-length camping trips. They keep forever and it's easy to roast them on a camping stove or camp fire. Just keep stirring and shaking to keep them on the move. There will be quite a bit of smoke so don't try this indoors

 

[FarmerTan]

McDonald's.

Or...

I spend a week every year away from home that has TERRIBLE coffee, but it's free (or a couple grand for the room and board, lol) so I just drink that. It comes out of a machine, 24/7, it's strong, hot, and I drink my coffee black, and LOTS of it that one week....so it only has to be caffeinated to be good enough.

 

[APBinNCA]

@FarmerTan
Please take care of yourself! You can get instant Arabica in little sachets. I drink it, it's good. Cheap coffee is primarily Robusta, can ruin your system. Its only advantage is it's higher caffeine content. Just drink more Arabica.

 

[Doc4]

I am planning to do a road trip in the near future and was going through my gear deciding what I would take to make coffee without bringing my coffee scale and variable temperature electric kettle. The idea would be more of getting hot water from a fast food place and making decent coffee for the drive.

In the past, I have taken my Planetary Designs 'double shot' french press mug.

I recently picked up an ESPRO "P1" ...

P1 Travel Coffee Press

ESPRO Travel Coffee French Press P1, 12oz, Brushed Stainless Steel

www.espro.com

... and am looking forward to giving it a go on this summer's upcoming camping trips. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[APBinNCA]

I recently picked up an ESPRO "P1"

Solid choice

 

[GoodShave]

These are all great tips and similar to my "how get coffee at work", I think I would go aeropress, though I'm not sure.

I have been enjoying your "how get coffee at work" thread as well. Thanks for making that thread!

 

[TexLaw]

This tends to be my travel coffee kit:

Or it could be a bunch of Via packets, depending on what I have on hand, what I'm doing and how long I'm gone, and my mood. It's better than decent coffee--quite good, actually. It's absolutely no fuss, whatsoever.