Inverter & coffee maker

[1500]

I just use a french press. Better cup of coffee and no need for power or waiting for water to drip through a filter.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by 1500

I just use a french press. Better cup of coffee and no need for power or waiting for water to drip through a filter.

I always take our steel french press (unbreakable), bought after my glass carafe broke. I was still camping out, and, a certified coffee addict, desperate for something to make coffee. And it makes the best tasting coffee! My only problem with the French Press is the messy cleanup from all those itty bitty coffee grinds.

The Coleman (which now has a metal carafe) is very easy to clean, requiring little water. Both take the same amount of time to brew coffee. My only drawback with the Coleman is that the coffee cools down quickly once the stoves turned off. So you need a good travel mug.

BTW, you can put the Coleman on a camping fire. Too big for backpacking, but easy to stow in a trailer & lightweight.

I would seriously consider an AeroPress if I could drink just one 8oz cup of coffee.

[Tom Trostel]

Dead Eye Dan,
My method for 18 oz. of coffee in the Aeropress. Heat 18 oz. water to boil and remove from heat. Wait 1 minute, temperature should drop to about 200 degrees F. Pour water into inverted Aeropress atop 3 tablespoons of ground coffee until full. Pour remaining water into 20 oz. Ozark Trail stainless mug. Stir the grounds and water in the Aeropress and wait 1 minute. Invert Aeropress over 20 oz. mug and press. Stir and divide into 2 smaller mugs. Enjoy. This is every morning at home or in the trailer.

P.S. I use paper filters twice if I make more coffee later that morning. New day, new filter.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by DeadEyeDan

I am curious how you are making 2 cups at a time. For us, 1 level scoop with the provided scooper makes a perfect cup, filling the tube with hot water to the top. Eject after pressing, and repeat for second cup. Are you making two passes?

And how, (and why) are you using the paper filters repeatedly? They are pretty cheap.

(By the way, we are coming to the reunion, maybe we can meet up and compare notes).

I grind about 40 gms of beans, which is about three very slightly rounded scoops, then dump in the AP. I then fill the plunger to the very top with boiling water, effectively cooling it a bit. I like the performance of the filter better after a few uses, and find it a pain to have to dig out a new one. I then pour about an inch of the water on the grounds and let them bloom about 30 seconds, then stir them to condense them and stir in the rest of the water. I let this sit about 30 seconds, then stir again and rest for about 30 seconds, then press. With the syrup made, we get two 10-12 oz cups of coffee.

I just give the paper filter a quick rinse under the tap. When camping I use an Able SS fliter. I pour about 1/4" of boiling water on it in a cup, swish a bit and call it clean. The hot water cleans the holes out great.

What are you reffering to as the reunion, the Boler 50th? Whatever it is, we can certainly compare notes, and roasts, then later other things.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by DeadEyeDan

I am curious how you are making 2 cups at a time. For us, 1 level scoop with the provided scooper makes a perfect cup, filling the tube with hot water to the top. Eject after pressing, and repeat for second cup. Are you making two passes?

And how, (and why) are you using the paper filters repeatedly? They are pretty cheap.

(By the way, we are coming to the reunion, maybe we can meet up and compare notes).

The way you do that is to put two scoops of coffee into the Aeropress then put in the maximum amount of water level into the press piece. Divide the resulting strong espresso into two mugs and top up with plain hot water to dilute to the right strength. We have done it that way for quite a few years now.

I bought my Aeropress a dozen years ago not too long after they first came out when I saw it in a specialty kitchen store. I dropped it and cracked the top rim of the press piece this last year, mended it with WeldOn acrylic glue and it is still working great. They sure are tough.

As to getting coffee to put into it. I go to grocery stores that sell beans in bins and have grinders for them as I don't want to travel with a grinder. The grinder needs to be set about halfway between the espresso and drip grind marks. The esresso setting is too fine of a grind and then you can't easily push the water through. The drip coffee grind setting is too coarse and the water goes through so fast that you can't get a good quality brew. But the middle between those two is just right Keep the bag of ground beans in the refrigerator or freezer because that keeps the oils from evaporating so that the coffee does not go stale. When you buy the coffee from the bulk bins you are not forced into buying large containers of it. Just buy enough for your needs until your next grocery store visit.

[1500]

Originally Posted by Jane P.

I always take our steel french press (unbreakable), bought after my glass carafe broke. I was still camping out, and, a certified coffee addict, desperate for something to make coffee. And it makes the best tasting coffee! My only problem with the French Press is the messy cleanup from all those itty bitty coffee grinds.

The Coleman (which now has a metal carafe) is very easy to clean, requiring little water. Both take the same amount of time to brew coffee. My only drawback with the Coleman is that the coffee cools down quickly once the stoves turned off. So you need a good travel mug.

BTW, you can put the Coleman on a camping fire. Too big for backpacking, but easy to stow in a trailer & lightweight.

I would seriously consider an AeroPress if I could drink just one 8oz cup of coffee.

That is a fair point about cleaning up after a french press. But I care a lot about the taste of my coffee, and have been roasting my own beans for years. Nice thing about roasting your own, is that you can get some real interesting green coffee beans for the same price as the general roasted mixed bag in the store. Green coffee beans last 6 months or more on the shelf, and you get to roast how you like it.

The AeroPress looks interesting, might have to give that a try. Not sure the clean up would be that much better than a french press though. But as I have not used one, I really don't know.

[Tom Trostel]

Aaron,
Aeropress clean up is very simple and quick. Almost as easy as tossing a used pour over filter. It's a 5:18 in this Youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmjPjZZRhNQ

[DeadEyeDan]

Originally Posted by 1500

That is a fair point about cleaning up after a french press. But I care a lot about the taste of my coffee, and have been roasting my own beans for years. Nice thing about roasting your own, is that you can get some real interesting green coffee beans for the same price as the general roasted mixed bag in the store. Green coffee beans last 6 months or more on the shelf, and you get to roast how you like it.

The AeroPress looks interesting, might have to give that a try. Not sure the clean up would be that much better than a french press though. But as I have not used one, I really don't know.

The clean up is seriously easier than a french press. When you are done you take off the screen and the coffee which has been pressed into a nearly solid puck will eject into the trash. After wiping it off there is nearly nothing to rinse.

Much less water use, which is a big help when boondocking.

As to the coffee's flavor, it is quite good.

[DeadEyeDan]

Originally Posted by k corbin

The way you do that is to put two scoops of coffee into the Aeropress then put in the maximum amount of water level into the press piece. Divide the resulting strong espresso into two mugs and top up with plain hot water to dilute to the right strength. We have done it that way for quite a few years now.

I bought my Aeropress a dozen years ago not too long after they first came out when I saw it in a specialty kitchen store. I dropped it and cracked the top rim of the press piece this last year, mended it with WeldOn acrylic glue and it is still working great. They sure are tough.

As to getting coffee to put into it. I go to grocery stores that sell beans in bins and have grinders for them as I don't want to travel with a grinder. The grinder needs to be set about halfway between the espresso and drip grind marks. The esresso setting is too fine of a grind and then you can't easily push the water through. The drip coffee grind setting is too coarse and the water goes through so fast that you can't get a good quality brew. But the middle between those two is just right Keep the bag of ground beans in the refrigerator or freezer because that keeps the oils from evaporating so that the coffee does not go stale. When you buy the coffee from the bulk bins you are not forced into buying large containers of it. Just buy enough for your needs until your next grocery store visit.

I was wondering about that. I also make two cups in the AM, one for me, and one for my Wife. I've been using 1 scoop, filling the tube to the top, and each one makes a single cup.

Like you , we don't carry a grinder (though we could). We've been buying a pound at a time and we have some plastic containers to keep the coffee in with easy screw off tops that fit in the door of the fridge.

I've found that grinding one click finer than espresso suits us. It is a bit harder to press but makes a richer (but still not bitter) cup of coffee and the exhausted coffee grounds usually eject as a solid puck.

I drink it black, but my wife loads it with vanilla soy creamer.

Interesting how we all have developed slightly different rituals that have become part of our camping experience.

[Steve L.]

Originally Posted by DeadEyeDan

...Interesting how we all have developed slightly different rituals that have become part of our camping experience.

Exactly my thoughts as well. These coffee posts are perennial. I sometimes read through the posts but soon realized that I like my morning coffee ritual while camping (percolator). There are simpler, quicker and tidier methods I'm sure. Don't care. Even so, don't mind reading about them.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by 1500

Green coffee beans last 6 months or more on the shelf, and you get to roast how you like it.

Definitely more, way more than 6 months. I have green beans that are a few years old and roast up just fine. One of the most interesting coffees I have had was about a 7 year old Aged Sumatran that Sweet Maria's sold, which produced an extremely flavourful cup.

And yes, getting to roast it to the level you like, even playing with the roast profile, adds to the coffee experience. Beans fresh roasted and rested for a couple of days have way more flavour than those bought in a store. Like I mentioned, if you can buy at a local roaster you can get some good fresh roasts, which is what I do when on the road and my own supply runs out.

Originally Posted by DeadEyeDan

Like you , we don't carry a grinder (though we could). We've been buying a pound at a time and we have some

Originally Posted by k corbin

...I don't want to travel with a grinder.

I have said this here (and everywhere else) before, but nothing has a bigger impact improving the taste of coffee than fresh ground beans, regardless of your method of extraction.

Case in point, I went on a canoeing trip a few years ago and was going to be making coffee with my AeroPress for 6 people, something I often do, and decided to grind the beans ahead to save some effort, even though it is not tough to get someone else to crank out the grounds. We enjoyed the coffee in the great outdoors. Upon getting home I still had some left 5 days later, made some the following morning and thought it just was not as lively and bright as I would expect, then pressed some of the same beans this time freshly ground, and WOW, the rest went in the compost bin, it was that much of a difference.

I would never go back to using previously ground coffee, and for camping and travelling use a $200 manual grinder (Orphan Espresso Lido 3) and a $30 coffee maker (AeroPress). At home I have an electric grinder, but still use the AeroPress for extraction.

[minke]

I grind my beans for a french press with one of these: " https://kyoceraadvancedceramics.com/...e-grinder.html ". You can set it coarser or finer.

[1500]

Well looking into the AeroPress I am sold, and ordered one.

[Eggcentric]

SWMBO insists on her coffee maker brew every morning. A 100 watt panel, 2 6v trojan t105's and a 1,500 watt Cobra inverter drives the 750 watt coffee pot every morning.
I want her to enjoy camping so we have a bright trailer at night for reading and computering, and her coffee pot among other niceties.

[Civilguy]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

You can get a much simpler, more compact and cheaper coffee maker than that. Look up Melita pour over coffee maker. It's a cone filter holder ( available in one to six cup sizes ). You heat the water on your propane stove in whatever container you have. Pour it into the filter holder with enough ground coffee for your taste. We have a thermal carafe, but you can use glass or just use your cup, if it's large enough.

"simpler, more compact and cheaper coffee maker"; of course, adding a thermal carafe serves to offset those characteristics!

We had an old electric coffee maker for the trailer, along with a Melitta cone and a thermal carafe for use when there is no shore power. The coffee maker was on its last legs and required shimming under one side so that it wouldn't drool coffee outside the carafe. (I actually rather liked that aspect of it as I am similarly attaining the age where I also sometimes requiring shimming-up so I don't drool all over myself. However, the wife is not amused by either of us in that respect...)

So, we just bought a Black and Decker CM2035B which employs an insulated stainless steel carafe. The nice part about this is it eliminates the need for the other insulated stainless steel carafe we carried, so we gained some space in the trailer. That's well as electric coffee makers are definitely bulky.

The CM2035B brews well, and the carafe is wide-mouthed so can be readily inspected or cleaned. However, the two serving-interrupt valves (one on maker and one on carafe) make it something of a fuss-budget to put the carafe back under the filter, so we quickly adopted the simple expedient of setting it aside after brewing.

[John in Santa Cruz]

re fresh grinding, these rock. https://handground.com/ a bit pricey but very well made. in the finer settings, they take quite a while to grind enough for several cups, but at the medium '4' setting I use for conical drip or aeropress, its fast enough. for french press, you want even coarser, like 5 or 6...