Real coffee in the field

[Doc]

I like real (ie made from ground up coffee beans and hot water) coffee, especially in the morning. I know this is a bit of a luxury, but "any fool can be uncomfortable in the field" and I don't see any reason to deprive myself of it just because I'm out in the woods.

Interestingly Nessmuk devotes several pages to making coffee, so I'm not alone in this.

On the other hand - I don't want to carry a lot more kit, especially if heavy, bulky or easily broken, and I don't like bits of ground coffee floating in the cup.

Any tried and tested techniques?

[Great Pebble]

I have a gadget for making it (you do need pre-ground though) sort of like half a cup with a screw down filter element, all stainless, you pop it on top of a cup and pour water over it, allowing the coffee to filter down... Actually for something so simple it's hard to explain :-D

[Gary]

I like a good strong coffee too - I usually carry ground coffee such as Java Lava or the swedish stuff sold by Ikea.

Trick here is to fill your billy with cold water and add one spoon of coffee gounds per cup plus one for luck - bring this to the boil and remove from the flame.

Now (and I know this sounds daft) tap the side of your billy 3 times then leave it for a mo.

All the grounds should sink to the bottom of the can so you can dip in your cup without stirring up the dregs at the bottom and then enjoy your strong coffee.

This is an ideal time to use a flexi-cup or a Kuksa by the way - unless you have a ladle I wouldnt think a metal mug would be much use.

[jamesdevine]

I to like a cuppa Joe in the morning,evening, afternoon, mid-afternoon, mid-morning. well you get the picture.

Nessmuk talks about using a cloth filter which been pretty light to carry and idea I was going to try myself.

How do you carry your coffee if pre ground?

James

[Keith_Beef]

There are two ways I can think of for making good coffee:
1. Espresso
2. Greek


1. Espresso method.
Yes, I'm not pulling your leg, you can have real espresso coffee on camp. Get a Bialetti (or knock-off) screw-together espresso maker.

It looks like a "heaxagonal jug". You unscrew the top half from the bottom half to reveal a sort of funnel that sits on the rim of the bottom half. Take this out. Fill the bottom half with cold water. Put the funnel in place and fill it with ground coffee. Screw the top half down onto it, and set it to cook. The water boils, forces its way through the coffee, through a perforated plate, up a tunnel into the top half.

2. Greek method (or Turkish, or Russian...)
This is like a small, narrow, deep saucepan with a "waist" and pouring lip. I bought a small one (one cup) on Crete, and another (four cup) in Paris. Its called a "kaffeinik" in Russian.
You put one desertspoon of ground coffee per cup in the kaffeinik, and add water (it's better to take the chill off the water, or even get it hot, first). Leave enough room for it to well up. Bring it to the boil, and let it well up, but take it off the heat before it boils over. The coffee grounds float on the top at this stage. Hold it off the fire for a few seconds, and return it to let it well up two more times. Finally, let it stand for about twominutes, so the cofee grounds fall to the bottom, before pouring it into heat-resistant glasses (or kuksoja).


Keith.

[Great Pebble]

We've got one of those espresso makers....

And now I know what it is.... Which I didn't until I read that post.

[stevec]

how about the filter paper holder by ortleib? you need to take paper filters, not that these weigh much and you can burn them afterwards.
http://www.ortlieb.de/_prod.php?lang...=filter-coffee[/url]

[EdS]

Keith,

You beat me to it.

I got my pot in Crete as well - nice copper one with tin lining. Works a treat on a camp fire or more often than not the open fiore at home.

[JeremyH]

Ortlieb is the best by far. We have had one for the past nine years and use it regularly. It works, is simple and easy to keep clean. Filter papaers can be a bit of a pain but worth it in my book. Last time it was in use? - Yesterday at Port Mor when eight of us paddled down the coast,
had a beach sausage sizzle and drank fresh coffee - grat pick me up for the paddle home - following sea, four foot swell and high mental concentration!

[Bug Boy]

I usually carry my millbank bag, it filters coffee fine, then reverse it and rinse it, good as new.

[sam]

looking at the filters from ortlieb, they seem a bit big. Across here (holland) you can get packages of individual filters that you put coffee in and just pour your water through.

here's the link (kitchen utensils page 3 ithink?)

http://www.coghlans.com/home.html

[NickBristol]

Does anyone know if you can still buy coffee bags? These are identical to your usual tea bags, just with ground coffee inside obviously :roll:

I used to love using these out in the field as they make suprisingly good coffee. I used to get mine from Somerfield or Tesco but since I moved over to using those little coffee sticks liberated from various hotel rooms I stay in I've not been looking for them anymore.

Cheers
Nick

[Doc]

Thanks guys.

Just found Lyons coffee bags in Asda. Individually packed in sealed foil pouches, so very handy.

They do warn you that although it will turn the water brown and smelling of coffee instantly, you do need to give them three minutes to brew.


Tried them and very good - not quite as strong as I like, but still good.

I guess the other methods make better coffee but weigh a bit more.

[Keith_Beef]

Thanks guys.

Just found Lyons coffee bags in Asda. Individually packed in sealed foil pouches, so very handy.

They do warn you that although it will turn the water brown and smelling of coffee instantly, you do need to give them three minutes to brew.


Tried them and very good - not quite as strong as I like, but still good.

I guess the other methods make better coffee but weigh a bit more.

The kaffeinik that I mentioned is useful for heating water for dry foods like powdered soup and noodles. If you're going to use coffee bags, you still need a billie can or a kettle to heat the water, so I don't think weight is much of an issue here.

Also, although I didn't buy mine for camping, both are quite light; the Cretan is aluminium, the other is thin Chinese stainless.


Keith.

[Roving Rich]

Fantastic, I love coffee, but haven't found the ideal field solution yet.
I knew folding filter holders were available and have been looking out for one for years. So where can i get the ortleib filter?
I currently use an enamel coffee pot, just let the grounds settle, pour it gently and dont drink the bottom bit.
I do the same in my mug, let it settle and sup it through me teeth :-o
Cheers
Rich

[EdS]

Rich,

Get your self an ibrik/kaffeinik the only way to make coffee.

[Kath]

I love coffee but never bothered about whether it's 'proper' filtered coffee or not. I'll take it any way! :twisted: My favorite camping java is the Rocket Fuel brand ... a GREAT way to start the day! 8-)

[NickBristol]

mmm Rocket Fuel - i still have cravings for that stuff and I gave it up two years ago :shock: Had to stop as it was making me twitchy and stopped me sleeping at night if I had a cup after about 10am...

[Roving Rich]

EDs wrote

Rich,

Get your self an ibrik/kaffeinik the only way to make coffee.

where? i still can't picture it, any chance of a link?
Cheers
Rich
PS Just bought some Coffee bags to try this weekend :wink: (well i couldn't go without now could i)

[jason01]

If youre an espresso addict theres only one way to go, you need a mini mocha pot, these are widely available in outdoor shops. Mine gets used several times a day at home because it makes a perfect size double shot espresso for one and my other half dont like real coffee nothing else comes close, instant, filter, caffatiere...(except greek/turkish which is good too)

Mind you, Im quite fussy about using freshly ground beans of my preferred type but I havent yet resorted to carrying a grinder!

Heres a pic next to an old Primus for scale. My only complaint, its made of aluminium, would like a stainless one!

[Adi007]

Wow! Blast from the past - does that old Primus still work?

[jason01]

It certainly does, I have a few of em, love em but use em in the field rarely for fear of stinky leaking paraffin, they are as hot as any modern multifuel stove but no regulator on most of em.

You can still get spares for them believe it or not, that one has a new flame ring.

Jason

[Adi007]

Had several years ago (as a youngster) but eventually binned them all for a variety of issues (one had a leaky fuel tank, others just no spares at the time ... jets, flame ring and so on).

Great kit though and as you rightly say, powerful.

Feel sad now I threw them away if spares are available. :cry:

[Kath]

Do you guys plan on grinding your coffee beans in the field too? (Remember what happened when Billy Crystal tried it and made the cattle stampede! )

[jason01]

That is a shame Adi :-( theyre becoming collectible now too, particularly the very early ones. Parts availability is patchy depending on the model but there are people with old stocks and there were many models by Primus and Optimus with common parts, they mustve sold millions of them, popular in third world countries and middle east too, I have one with arabic text on it.

Optimus still make the Hiker range which are much the same but in a square tin with a regulator and SVEA still make the classic "Climber", both descendants of the type in my pic.

Jason

[Adi007]

Thinking back I don't think any of mine had english on them bar the name ...

Wish I hadn't thrown them away now ... the stoves and the Aladdin pressurized lamps! :shock: (got to a point where there were no parts for them - pre internet - but the other day I came across some in a local store!).

[jason01]

I think Optimus came up with the pressurised lamps first, I have one of those too fabulous thing, noisy as hell, very bright and stinks when its going! The Swedish (I think Optimus or Primus) pretty much started it with the invention of the pressurised paraffin blowlamp circa 1882, the stoves came out soon after. All of these things are great fun to light and quite spectacular if you turn on the pressure before the manifold is hot enough!

People forget that MSR multifuel stoves and the likes are just modern versions of these old paraffin burners!

Jason

[Keith_Beef]

If youre an espresso addict theres only one way to go, you need a mini mocha pot, these are widely available in outdoor shops. Mine gets used several times a day at home because it makes a perfect size double shot espresso for one and my other half dont like real coffee nothing else comes close, instant, filter, caffatiere...(except greek/turkish which is good too)

Mind you, Im quite fussy about using freshly ground beans of my preferred type but I havent yet resorted to carrying a grinder!

Heres a pic next to an old Primus for scale. My only complaint, its made of aluminium, would like a stainless one!

I can't find any pics of a kaffeinik, maybe if you know the Greek name for it, you'll have better luck.

I'll try to find the time to take pictures of mine this weekend.

In the meantime, have a look at the Bialetti site:
http://www.bialetti.it/nonsolomoka_eng.html

This claims:
Aluminium is porous and absorbs the coffee taste giving it back more fragrant with every boiling: just like a pipe!

Hmm...

As for grinding your own in the field, you could try crushing the beans between flat rocks, like you would grind chestnuts to make flour...


Keith.

[Martyn]

The only problem with fresh coffee in the field, is having it pre-ground. I find pre-ground coffee goes stale extremely quickly - 24 hours opened and it's tainted and tastes disgusting. At home, once I've opened my bag of beans, I keep the beans in a tupperware container in the freezer and grind them straight from frozen. They'll keep like this for months and every cup tastes like you're using freshly opened bag of beans. I suppose if your trip is only for a day or two, then you could get away with pre-grinding, but any longer and the coffee would go off for sure. I think for longer trips, the individually sealed coffee bags would be better.

BTW, Taylors Kenyan beans are delicious.

[stevec]

for those of you who want spares for old primus, tilly,etc stuff try this site.
http://www.base-camp.co.uk