coffee

[rtrimarc]

All,

While i still do a lot of lightweight canoe and backpacking trips, i find that more and more we are heading out with more gear and shorter hikes to campsites. This is for a variety of reasons mostly time and bringing along less experienced/equipped folks. Often we just get away for a nite or 2 in the winter - find a lean-to within a mile of the truck and use that as base camp for dayhikes/ski trips.

Therefore, with weight not as much an issue, i am about ready to give up the coffee-in-a-tea-bag and find a way to actually prepare GOOD coffee.

I have seen french presses and other equipment - does anyone have any favorite brands or means of a good cup 'o joe?

BTW, i did a search for "coffee" and came up rather empty.

 

[MadRiver]

Here is what I use.

http://www.kitchenemporium.com/cgi-bin/kitchen/prod/16co270.html#Top

I mix three scoops of regular coffee and one scoop of espresso coffee and mix them together and then put one scoop into the coffee pot. The coffee pot also does double duty if I need hot water for oatmeal.

 

[mtnpa]

You can make fresh brewed coffee using a travel mug and a regular coffee filter. Put finely ground coffee in the filter and place the filter in the top of the mug under the cap. Pour hot water in slowly allowing it to drip through the grounds. It takes some time, but will produce an excellent cup of coffee.

 

[Oldsmores]

If you're not worried about carrying too much, NOTHING beats a percolater (IMHO). I've got an old aluminum one that I use when car camping. It makes about 8 cups and the coffee is excellent.

 

[Papa Bear]

This is not likely to be what you want but it's a true story about making good coffee. It goes back maybe 50 years when I was in Boy Scouts.

The method was as follows

1) Fill an empty coffee can about 3/4 full of water.
2) Boil water over an open wood fire.
3) When water is boiling dump in about 1 cup of regular coffee.
4) After the coffee has boiled for a minute or so, remove can from fire.
5) Take a red hot wood stick from the fire and thrust it into the center of the "coffee pot". This will cause the water to boil in the center and create a convection cel with the water rising in the center and falling around the edges.
6) Let coffee cool briefly, then bang the side of the can with something. This causes the grounds to drop to the bottom.
7) Pour carefully and serve with sugar and instant Starlac milk powder.

If you are worried about exactly how much water, how much coffee, how long to boil, etc. you're not in the right place to be doing this. None of that stuff really matters, it's always good.

Never do I remember such good coffee after a cold night on an overnight.

 

[Rick]

I am a coffee-holic and absolutely demand a great cup of coffee in the AM - Finely Ground and Filtered.

This is what I like in order:

ultralight filters this has been my standard for at least 15 years and I find them the be the lightest alternative as well having multiple uses - put over your water filter intake hose to act as a prefilter, or to use as emergency TP or to write on and leave a note for someone somewhere..

I also use this MSR Mugmate on occasion (bought on a whim a number of years ago). I like it and it delivers strong coffee by allowing more grounds for a stronger brew, However, it is a pain to clean out sometimes (especially in winter when the grounds freeze quickly to the filter element) and the grounds don't neatly get folded up in a paper filter like they do in the paper filters I normally use, in order to pack out.

I have a 3-cup stainless percolator, which I use for car camping, but perking takes just too long for my patience level in the AM and I can never get it right, despite spending my first 5 years of coffee drinking with a big bright green plastic electric percolator before buying a newfangled Drip Mr. Coffee..

The absolute worse thing is this Cuppourri - there is a reason it is marked down. If you were making 6 oz cups of coffee, it would work fine, but for my 12-18 oz mugs, it cannot hold enough grounds. IMMHO, Don't waste your money.

I've also done instant (Yechhhhhh!!!!) and the Instant Coffee Bags (Folgers and Wegmans brands contain slightly more coffee per bag than Maxwell House (Double Yecchhhhh!!!),

...but in the end, I always come back to my true love, Coughlin's paper single cup filters with the little plastic spear to hold it in your cup

 

[Artex]

Ever try cowboy coffee? (no filter, all killer)

 

[woodstrider]

Cowboy Coffee

I just boil up some pre-ground coffee in a pot of water.
let it settle a minute
carefully pour off the top into a cup

Add sweetened condensed milk (put this in a good plastic bottle from the can just before you leave. Stays good for awhile (several days at least) this way
and/or
a hit of nutmeg, cinnamin, or what ever you can think of.

In this way, none of the essential oils are eliminated by , say , a paper filter, making for a rich cup of joe.

The better the coffee that you start with, the better the result
Do not over boil
Pack out the used grounds in your barbage bag.

 

[Doc McPeak]

This has made my mornings bright fro the last 5 years.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Pro...&productId=5747921&parent_category_rn=4500495

I use it for my night cocoa as well, and bring a spare GMC mug lid for it.

Speaking of grounds, I read somewhere (and every composter knows how good coffee grounds are in their compost bin) that used grounds buried under 4" to 6" inches of soil will compost into a nutrient rich humus. Has anyone else seen this tidbit? I do know animals don't touch the stuff ... I mean aside from humans ...

 

[zman]

research suggests..

I to, am a coffee-holic-I prefer Starbucks or Petes coffee, sometimes with an espresso shot- I have been coffee free for about four hours.

I have tried all of the aforementioned methods, backpacking as well as car camping .My extensive field research has concluded that a simple melita plastic cone and same size paper filter is the way to go. Each system has its own merits…but cleaning and packing out coffee grinds is easiest with a paper cone filter..just remove it and pop it in a baggie..Coffee strength can be regulated by type of coffee and how much you use..
At home I prefer a french press but cleaning them in the backcountry is a pain—as a last resort some chocolate covered espresso beans will do the job………..

 

[mudhook51]

I now use a french press with a coarser grind for back packing , kayaking and so on. I even boil up a thermos of water at night so I can have coffee in bed in the morning. Its good enough I don't have to bring along my old enamel pot, but having a fresh pot on the fire is nice for base camp.

 

[keepin' on]

beer for breakfast; there is just no replacement.

I have found the cowboy coffee method to be good for larger groups of caffeine freaks. Boil water, add coffee (1 heaping tbsp/cup of water and one extra at the end for good measure), let sit for 5 minutes or so, and in addition to banging the side of the pot add just a few drops of cold water. it helps to settle the grounds. When in small groups or solo the paper filter/plastic basket is best for me.

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

...Speaking of grounds, I read somewhere (and every composter knows how good coffee grounds are in their compost bin) that used grounds buried under 4" to 6" inches of soil will compost into a nutrient rich humus. Has anyone else seen this tidbit? I do know animals don't touch the stuff ... I mean aside from humans ...

Worms love coffee grounds

 

[dottie]

check AMC

check AMC boards, this was heavily discussed.

http://appalachia.outdoors.org/bbs/searchresults.cfm?requesttimeout=500

dottie--I am a coffee-snob, and when I backpack, I use those Folger's coffee bags!

 

[zman]

Worms love coffee grounds

Ok...this could easily turn into a "pack it out...leave no trace" thread...however it is time for my afternoon brew!

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Ok...this could easily turn into a "pack it out...leave no trace" thread...however it is time for my afternoon brew!

I wasn't going there...I was referring to worm farms.

 

[Maddy]

I do not go anywhere without a french press.
My favorite coffee is Yukon Blend from Starbucks. They grind it coarse specifically for "french press".
Couldn't start the day without it.

 

[Andrew]

I enjoy the simplicity of Cowboy coffee, to the point of using as the at home method in the past. Word of caution though, I would not boil the grounds as it brings out bitterness.
I boil the desired amount of water and turn off flame. Immediately sprinkle grounds onto the water and cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove cover and touch back of spoon lightly to grounds to cause them to sink. You will be surprised by the frothy quality this puts on the surface of the brew. All except the extreme dregs poured last produce an almost grind free cup. If you are solo and hoping for the second cup- it may cool somewhat. But it will still be sitting in the cookpot and can be rewarmed carefully (no boil).

I think I saw a coffee press that fits into a Nalgene type bottle in the last REI catalog I browsed.

 

[audrey]

I too go the Melitta filter route and a Starbucks dark roast.

 

[Periwinkle]

The absolute worse thing is this Cuppourri - there is a reason it is marked down. If you were making 6 oz cups of coffee, it would work fine, but for my 12-18 oz mugs, it cannot hold enough grounds. IMMHO, Don't waste your money.

I beg to differ. I love that little sucker!!! Granted, it's really intended for backpacking, but that's all we use now, even on psuedo-car camping trips.

Rick is right -- it only makes a small cup at a time. But, when it's just the DH & I, we put both spoons in the pot of water twice and gently boil to make a whole pot.

To get a good result -- leave a little air space, only use good coffee, and swirl or gently boil (I'll put my metal mug right on the stove). Cheap and fairly easy. Only patience is required.

Link here: http://www.rei.com/product/203977.htm