The trouble with a coffee press is the clean up. I've used the nalgene bottle press on several trips. It does work well, but sometimes you don't have access to enough water for cleaning it out. It gets to be a bit messy. If I'm packing for a limited water type of trip, I use the coffee tea bags as mentioned brfore, or the paper filter over the cup setup.

__________________
It's not about the speed....it's the adventure!!!

The aeropress mentioned by Warhammer does make a decent cup of coffee although it can take a bit of practice to get it dialed in to your tastes. Also, you need boiling water from somewhere as it is just a coffee press. That said, cleanup is very simple and requires a minimal amount of water. Yields a strong, flavorful cup of coffee.

Another decent solution is a moka pot. Depending on the type you get and the material of the handle, you can set this right on some hot coals and get a finished product. Very easy cleanup. Yields a strong coffee/americano type of flavor.

If you are looking for something approaching a true espresso, and you don't mind shelling out some serious dinero, you might try the Mypressi Twist, though you will need a source of boiling water. Cleanup is fairly simple. yields a simple espresso flavor (no great complexity).

I use the aeropress and it rocks!

__________________
Big D
IBA# 37957

Big Dadddy's Ride Reports

2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250SA
2003 Suzuki DR650

Well, I got the AeroPress and I've been using it for a couple of weeks. Here are my impressions:

This is a cool gadget and makes a damn fine cup of coffee. See the video in the link (not my video) for an example of how it operates. This is a really ingenious device and is really well thought out. Let me say right from the beginning that this does not make a true shot of espresso. However, it does make a VERY concentrated shot of coffee that is a pretty fair approximation of an espresso, and it does it with less fuss and for WAY less money than the real thing. For simplicity’s sake, I will be referring to these shots of coffee concentrate as “espresso” during this review. If you can’t handle that, just stop reading now.

Price and contents:
The AeroPress’ price varies depending on where you buy it, but it’s usually around $30. I bought mine for $27.95 (with the tote) from Amazon with free shipping. The set came with the brewer itself, 350 filters and a filter caddy, funnel, scoop, stirring paddle, and the tote/storage bag.


Tote bag:
You have to search a bit, but some sets come with the bag and some don’t. It’s a simple nylon zipper bag. With a little experimentation, you can nest everything together so that it all fits inside the bag quite nicely with just enough extra space for about 3/4 of a one-pound bag of ground coffee.

Filters and caddy::
The filters are simple paper disks and 350 are included with the AeroPress. The caddy looks like it would hold about 700 filters and is a nice way to keep them all in one place. The instructions say that they can be washed and reused, but at about $5 for 350 filters, I don’t think it’s worth the effort.

Scoop:
The scoop is sized for portioning your coffee into the brewer. Here’s a slight quandary: the instructions say to use one scoop of ground coffee OR one scoop of whole beans (which you would, of course, then grind) per cup of coffee. But a scoop of ground coffee has more coffee than what results from grinding the same scoop of whole beans. Hmmm… Oh well, it’s really a non-issue to me since I will primarily use this brewer while on the road, thus I’ll be using pre-ground coffee.

Stirring paddle:
The stirring paddle is flared at the top to limit how far you can put it inside the brewer. There is no way that you can put the paddle in too far and snag the filter while stirring the coffee.

Funnel:
I found that the funnel is actually dual-purpose.
1. According to the instructions, it is for dumping coffee into the device prior to brewing. This is good for if you grind your beans just prior to brewing and you’re dumping the coffee straight from your grinder. If you’re using pre-ground coffee (as you most likely would when camping), the funnel is not needed since you'll be using the scoop.
2. Although it isn’t mentioned in the instructions, I have to believe that the fact that the bottom of the brewer perfectly nests inside the funnel is not coincidence. This allows you to brew directly into a travel mug, which may be too narrow to set the brewer on by itself.

Plunger:
The plunger not only pressurizes the brew and extracts the coffee, but it’s also a measuring cup. Numbers on the plunger correspond to the right amount of water to brew 1-4 shots of espresso. The plunger is also microwave safe, allowing you to heat your water in the plunger, saving you from using a separate cup. With a little experimentation, you can figure out how long to nuke your water to hit just the right temperature (175 F) for best brewing.

Brewer body
The brewer body has markings to let you know how much water to add for 1-4 shots of espresso. This is helpful if you heat your water in a separate kettle, rather than nuking it in the plunger. The business end of the body has the twist-off “screen” that holds the filter. A quarter turn removes the screen and the filter is placed inside. Making sure the filter remains flat, another quarter turn reinstalls the screen The coffee is dumped in on top and the body is placed on to of the coffee cup. (Be sure to place the body on the cup BEFORE you add the water if you want to avoid a mess. Don’t ask me how I know.) Dump in the water, stir for about 10 seconds, insert the plunger and press evenly and... voilà! You have an espresso. Just add hot water to dilute it to your personal taste.

Pros:

• Makes one of the best cups of coffee I've tasted
• Easy to use (once you've played with it a bit)
• Quick
• Easy clean up, even with limited or no water
• Packs pretty small (mine came with a zippered tote bag)
• Light-weight
• No grounds/sediment in your coffee
• Very low acid coffee (great if you get heartburn)
• You even get the crema (or a close approximation) on your espresso
• Brews directly into your mug or travel cup

Cons:

• Relative to "normal" methods, it uses a lot of coffee per serving
• Needs very finely ground coffee, so you'll have to grind specifically for this method
• Max output is 4 shots of espresso per batch, so it's not the best if you're brewing for the whole camp. For 1-2 campers, it’s great!
• Learning curve; you won’t make a great cup of coffee your first try or two.

Overall, I’m really happy with my purchase and this has definitely earned a place on my camping gear checklist.

__________________
P-40 Warhawk motorcycle graphics and V-Strom hand guard extensions.
PM me for info.

Jesus! He writes a friggin dissertation!

To summarize, it's very small, sells for around $30 and makes an awesome cup of coffee. I even use mine at home when I don't feel like making a whole pot.


Hi Warhammer! Did you miss me?? :-p

__________________
Big D
IBA# 37957

Big Dadddy's Ride Reports

2007 Suzuki Bandit 1250SA
2003 Suzuki DR650

Yeah... like an impacted wisdom tooth!

__________________
P-40 Warhawk motorcycle graphics and V-Strom hand guard extensions.
PM me for info.

I find it handy to pack something to start a fire with, especially in cooler/wet weather. A ziplock with pieces of starter log are my favorite, but you can also use cotton balls smothered in Vaseline. Anything that burns for a while to get things going. Spare fuel can also work in a pinch, but I don't recommend that.