Who travels with coffee?

[freqz]

Coffee in the hotel room is out of the question.

The stuff from the "free" breakfast is usually worse.

I'm a operations engineer in the oil field, so I'm sitting out in some field all day in a van...I've at least trained the guys to at least rinse the coffee pot once a month or so (don't laugh, it is an improvement). This also rules out finding a good local place since I'm normally in the middle of nowhere.

Big thermos: I'm set.
Beans: I'm a home roaster, so my supply remains pretty good.
Brewing: perhaps one of those pour over deals and an electric kettle.


That brings me to the grinder. One of those hand grinders? Those Zassenhaus (sp?) grinders with the wooden box are fantastic, but I think that might make the kit a little too big. A whirly blade? Bite the bullet and, gasp, grind coffee for the week before I leave out? Any body have a travel coffee 'kit' and willing to share some ideas?

 

[Jim]

I use a small perk pot to boil water and use a # 6 filter cone into my thermos.
I do grind at home as a "best option" but if I traveled more I would add a small whirlybird grinder.

 

[mankini]

I too travel a lot but no where as remote as you do. Although recently I had the luxury to be in Beeville TX (not much going on there.) Getting good coffee and tea is always a challenge while away from home. I have considered carrying a coffee or tea kit with me as well. Since coffee does require fresh beans (you have that covered) that is freshly ground I do not see any way around packing some kind of grinder.

The only reccommendation I can make is to consider converting to quality whole leaf tea while you are away. All you need is a strainer and really hot water.

 

[Jasonian]

I do.

I take a whilry blade grinder with me unless I'm traveling for work (in which case, good coffee is usually not difficult to come by).

I generally will carry a #2 Melitta pourover with filters along with ziplocks of pre-dosed whole bean coffee.

Empty ziplock, grind in pulses, and then brew.

As for the water, you have a couple of options. Use the brewer in the hotel room. Use the hot water tap. Neither is optimal, but you do what you can with what you have, you know?

Lower temp will mean under-extraction, so I'll generally allow for more dwell time when brewing this way.

When on snowboard trips, the coffee is never good. The altitude drives the boiling point lower than what is acceptable for adequate extraction. (same kit, though maybe this can be somewhat compensated for with an Aeropress. I haven't carried mine to altitude, so I can't say for sure.)

It's always a hassle. +1 for the ease of loose-leaf tea by comparison.

 

[expatCanuck]

Haven't (yet) travelled with coffee, but increasingly I do travel with tea -- I'm at my folks' house in Toronto right now drinking a cup of Bai Hao oolong that I brought with me.

 

[ouch]

Who travels with coffee?

Juan Valdez?

 

[freqz]

Juan Valdez?

OK, OK. Who travels with coffee and doesn't need a donkey to pack all the gear?

Seriously guys, thanks for the tips.

 

[_JP_]

Small, cheap, and packable!

 

[homebrewer]

My parents head every summer to Kiawah Island, and sometimes stop up along the way to pick me up and bring me along... BTW, if you don't know about Kiawah, and you're on the east coast and enjoy golf, you need to look into it.

Anyways, last year I popped the trunk of their car, only to find not only the 2 golf bag, but a full kilo of Lavazza beans, their espresso pot, and their grinder sitting in the trunk.

 

[Poulin]

I bring coffee and filters for sure. The stuff in those packages that is supposed to be coffee is horrid!

 

[whitebar]

I do a lot of traveling as part of my job and have found the Zassenhaus Turkish Mill to be a wonderful tool. I take along my homeroasted beans, a pour-over with gold filter, and a small electric kettle. The whole setup fits into a small backpack and is easy to transport. The turkish mills seem to sell out fast wherever they are sold but the search for one is worth the effort as they are excellent quality grinders.

http://www.sweetmarias.com/zassenhaus/zas.turkish.cat.jpg

 

[netsurfr]

I haven't traveled much in a while but when I did it was to places that did not have either good coffee or tea. I quickly learned to pack my own coffee and most certainly my own tea.

 

[Trius]

I don't travel a lot, but when I do, I take the following:

1. Bialletti Brikka moka pot
2. Turkish mill grinder
3. Organic sugar
4. Tudeau espresso cup
5. Java Joe Espresso Adoration beans

The beans and sugar are in individual Lock-n-Lock containers. Those plus the other items are all in a larger Lock-n-Lock.

I take this with me when traveling to visit family (they have no idea of what real coffee is) and I also take it camping.

There is nothing like a good espresso in the morning along the shores of Lake Superior!

 

[OldSaw]

I don't travel a lot, but when I do, I take the following:

1. Bialletti Brikka moka pot
2. Turkish mill grinder
3. Organic sugar
4. Tudeau espresso cup
5. Java Joe Espresso Adoration beans

The beans and sugar are in individual Lock-n-Lock containers. Those plus the other items are all in a larger Lock-n-Lock.

I take this with me when traveling to visit family (they have no idea of what real coffee is) and I also take it camping.

There is nothing like a good espresso in the morning along the shores of Lake Superior!

Do you mean one like this?
View attachment 36032

I never thought about taking mine with me when I travel. Being stainless steel it is kind of heavy and I still need a burner, which hotels rarely have. Maybe I will take it with me to Virginia next week when I go to my sister's.

 

[Jasonian]

erm.. moka is not espresso. Espresso is not moka.

 

[freqz]

Can't say that I've ever had anything out of a Moka pot...tempted to try, but that's a different thread

 

[Trius]

Dennis, no, it's this:

Jason: Yeah, I know, but the Brikka is a different class of moka, and with the right beans, you can be fooled most of the time. And as I implied, are you going to take an espresso machine traveling? Camping?

Can't say that I've ever had anything out of a Moka pot...tempted to try, but that's a different thread

And I can't speak for the whole range of moka pots, but the Brikka is very nice, and cheap.

 

[OldSaw]

Dennis, no, it's this:

Jason: Yeah, I know, but the Brikka is a different class of moka, and with the right beans, you can be fooled most of the time. And as I implied, are you going to take an espresso machine traveling? Camping?



And I can't speak for the whole range of moka pots, but the Brikka is very nice, and cheap.

OK, you have the aluminum one. I got mine for a steal and couldn't pass it up. I made a pot after posting that pic on Saturday night while we watched a movie. My wife didn't want any, so I drank it all. I couldn't get to sleep until 5 AM.