Portable Coffee Grinders & Brewing Kits Etc.

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oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,200
1,824
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
I learned how to use an ibrik in Crete in the 1960s. It does need a very fine grind and the right technique but makes the best coffee of all.

i do wonder about some of the insistence on the sort of coffee one makes at home even when out and about. I'm a stickler for proper coffee at home: fresh ground made with a filter with water just off the boil etc., But I'm quite happy with a high quality instant when trekking. I buy one-cup sachets in France. Just think of it as a different drink!
 
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Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
On the strength of high praise for the Aeropress, I 'added to basket' and, in due course, took delivery of it. I have to admit that initial outings with it have been none too favourable. I was expecting something akin to espresso in my cup but have ended up with a consistently disappointing variant on the cafetiere- type experience. I am not sure that this bulky piece of plastic will win itself a regular space in my pack; given the paucity of the coffee produced, I think I'm better off with tea - I'll wait 'til I get home to enjoy a decent espresso.

I suppose I could try the other, more expensive machine, in the hope that it might actually produce an enjoyable cup but, currently, I rate the Aeropress as a bit of a duffer, I'm afraid. Unless, of course, anyone has some useful hints about how to improve on the bronzed dishwater I manage to get it to produce...

Harrumph!
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,454
1,293
Aylesbury
stewartjlight-knives.com
On the strength of high praise for the Aeropress, I 'added to basket' and, in due course, took delivery of it. I have to admit that initial outings with it have been none too favourable. I was expecting something akin to espresso in my cup but have ended up with a consistently disappointing variant on the cafetiere- type experience. I am not sure that this bulky piece of plastic will win itself a regular space in my pack; given the paucity of the coffee produced, I think I'm better off with tea - I'll wait 'til I get home to enjoy a decent espresso.

I suppose I could try the other, more expensive machine, in the hope that it might actually produce an enjoyable cup but, currently, I rate the Aeropress as a bit of a duffer, I'm afraid. Unless, of course, anyone has some useful hints about how to improve on the bronzed dishwater I manage to get it to produce...

Harrumph!

What process are you using?
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
I remove the plunger thing, insert the paper and screw on the grid filter thing, put my espresso-ground coffee (1 scoop, as recommended) into the empty compartment, jiggle it around to level things off and then add the hot water. I follow this with steady, regular depression of the plunger thing until it won't go any further.

The result is coffee but, perhaps optimistically, I was hoping for something fuller and more concentrated in flavour - like an espresso - which would form the basis for a 'slight americano'. Instead, I end up with a very average cup that I am disinclined to drink.

Where am I going wrong?
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,454
1,293
Aylesbury
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Try the inverted method.

So turn it upsidedown, filter cap off. Put your coffee in, put a numbers worth of water in and stir to make sure it's all wet out. Give it a minute then pour more water in until as full as you like and leave to brew (how long you need to learn for your own taste)

Filter onto cap, put a splash of water on it to hold it in place then put cap on aeropress. Turn it over onto the cup but slowly so that the 'sludge' stays at the top. Plunge until you first start to hear a hiss of air going through - that keeps the bitter nasty sludge out of the coffee.

Top up as you would like.
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,454
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Aylesbury
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It can't be too bad using one - there's a world championship of aeropress coffee each year.

The inverted method was 'discovered' later on and I think the instructions have it made the right way up. Never made sense to me as coffee would start to trickle through immediately.
 

MartinK9

Life Member
Dec 4, 2008
6,546
525
Leicestershire
Ortlieb coffee filter holder:

42368845735_989f5e96c2_c.jpg
 
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Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
374
60
Gloucestershire
It can't be too bad using one - there's a world championship of aeropress coffee each year.

The inverted method was 'discovered' later on and I think the instructions have it made the right way up. Never made sense to me as coffee would start to trickle through immediately.

There's also world bog snorkling championships and global tiddly winks events, too!

I'll give the inverted method a try and see what happens. Making coffee the 'right way up' does mean that it goes through the filter before I've had the chance to deploy the plunger thing; so, really, all I'm doing in that case is squeezing out any remaining water through the grounds.

I'll give it a go and see what happens. Many thanks for the hint.
 
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Duggie Bravo

Settler
Jul 27, 2013
532
124
Dewsbury
I use the inverted method too, but fill to the top number immediately and stir.
Wait for a minute then press.

I have a stainless steel filter for camp, less waste.

As a brew I find it really good and I like strong rich coffee.


Sent using Tapatalk
 

Stew

Bushcrafter through and through
Nov 29, 2003
6,454
1,293
Aylesbury
stewartjlight-knives.com
I use the inverted method too, but fill to the top number immediately and stir.
Wait for a minute then press.

I have a stainless steel filter for camp, less waste.

As a brew I find it really good and I like strong rich coffee.


Sent using Tapatalk

To be honest, I fill straight up too now but I'm not too fussy on taste. I think that first pour then second is for the coffee to bloom (gas off?) first and then a proper pour after.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,294
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Have any of you guys tried the Turkish style coffee?

The Ortlieb filter holder looks very interesting. Is it multi use or one/two use only?
 
Last edited:

MartinK9

Life Member
Dec 4, 2008
6,546
525
Leicestershire
The Ortlieb filter holder looks very interesting. Is it multi use or one/two use only?

The filter holder is multi use, had mine for years, just add a filter paper and your grounds.

42554474704_1e0ab868f1_c.jpg


I make my filter papers up as single use only, you could add more grounds and pour two out I suppose.
 
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FlashPan

Forager
Sep 7, 2015
119
9
Norf London
Ok, so admittedly no a grinder but for ground coffee I am due to experiment with a Vietnamese coffee filter:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vietnam-...var=431782770730&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

The holes in the bottom are quite large so could be good for corse ground coffee.

But I am waiting for this to arrive which will hopefully fit:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/60mm-Mes...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

So I am hoping to drop the mesh inside the cup, coffee grounds on top of mesh filter, metal plate on top of the grounds and fill the cup with water. May take a few pourings of water but I think for the price and hopefully sturdiness it could be a winner.
 

Tank

Full Member
Aug 10, 2009
2,015
278
Witney, Oxfordshire
Good to see lots of coffee fans here

I like others have an Aeropress and love it, makes really good coffee, but due to its bulk I tend to take out Ortlieb filter and papers (my Chemex just wont survive the trip out in a pack)

But to throw something else into the boiling pot of coffee in the woods, have a look at the GSI Ultralight Coffee drip, this is can be used with or without papers (nothin worse than going to make a coffee and you have run out of papers)

if you do go for the aeropress you can get a metal filter for it (not as good as the papers) but saves you on carrying and running out of papers when you need them most.

As for a ginder I have a Rhinowares Coffee ginder (but there are cheaper options out there)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rhinowares-RWHANDGRINDER-Hand-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00M0NS8A4
The bonus on a grinder like this is it fits int he end of the Areopress, and as your carrying the bulk of the areopress its makes it a bit more compact.
 
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Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,294
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
My parents were tight, and they had a filter manufactured out of gilded metal mesh. They bought it in the early 80’s in Germany and still had it the last time I saw them. Exactly the same shape as a Melitta filter.
Coul

I have looked for it many times withous success.
Brilliant.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,486
2,898
W.Sussex
I remove the plunger thing, insert the paper and screw on the grid filter thing, put my espresso-ground coffee (1 scoop, as recommended) into the empty compartment, jiggle it around to level things off and then add the hot water. I follow this with steady, regular depression of the plunger thing until it won't go any further.

The result is coffee but, perhaps optimistically, I was hoping for something fuller and more concentrated in flavour - like an espresso - which would form the basis for a 'slight americano'. Instead, I end up with a very average cup that I am disinclined to drink.

Where am I going wrong?

Firstly, don’t expect espresso from an Aeropress. I put a good scoop in (filter paper not metal filter). Add just off boiling water and park the plunger at the top. The brew then sits for a few minutes before slowly plunging. You’re not letting the coffee brew at all.
 

Chainsaw

Native
Jul 23, 2007
1,377
146
57
Central Scotland
I got one of them nanopresso things for christmas, tried it once, gave a very nice expresso but tbh I prefer something with more volume (ie a bigger drink!) so in the cupboard it went! I flip between an aeropress and an MSR french press-in-a-mug thing when outdoors. Always take the aeropress on holiday though
 

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