Under no circumstances should you let a non-coffee drinker brew your coffee.
Non-coffee drinkers CANNOT be trusted to make acceptable coffee. If some well-meaning tent-mate gets up early and offers to bring you coffee in bed, do NOT let them. You will be sadly disappointed, and the entire day may founder in a miasma of negative drama. Let's face it, the coffee ritual is something those not addicted to coffee will never understand. Politely get up and give them a genuine and heartfelt thank-you. Then make your own beautiful cup.
(Note: it's possible that your hiking companion will be annoyed at this type of behavior and come to view you as the control freak that you are. But remember, joy is joy, and any impediment to your coffee bliss MUST be avoided.)
As you may have gathered, I've got some opinions about this whole coffee thing. So, before we go any further, and in the interest of full disclosure, here are a few of my personal prejudices:
- Strong coffee is good coffee.
- Except for a very few companions, I don’t trust anyone to make coffee for me.
- Adding sugar to coffee is criminal.
- Sometimes I add a little milk in my coffee, but black is just fine.
- Adding flavors (like hazelnut and almandine) to an already perfect drink is sinful.
- Picking grounds out of my teeth is a serious buzz kill.
- Coffee equals joy.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- IMPORTANT TRUISM #1
- The Methods
- FRENCH PRESS
- SMALL FILTERS
- SMALL FILTER 2.0
- JAVA JUICE
- COLD PREPACKAGED COFFEE IN CANS
- COWBOY COFFEE
- TURKISH GROUNDS
- TURKISH COWBOY
- Condiments
- POWDERED MILK
- SUGAR
- IMPORTANT TRUISM #2
- Alternative Caffeine Delivery System
- Jolt Gum
- A Backcountry Coffee Code of Conduct
# WORDS: 3130
# PHOTOS: 11
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Companion forum thread to:
The Beautiful Cup
And full disclosure: I prefer my coffee khaki. It’s so adulterated that Mike probably wouldn’t deign to recognize it as coffee any longer. It’s hard to live with myself sometimes, but then I make some more. MMMM!
Finally! The kind of beautifully illustrated, informative and humorously written article that I signed up to BPL for.
If I had to read one more article on yet another UL down jacket I was going to scream.
Hi Addie,
Your khaki beverage is what we professionals call "gateway" coffee. Somewhere out there, in the hazy caffeinated distance, is an Addie savoring double espressos prepared by some half-addled Bozeman barista who's a WBC runnerup. Trust me, it'll happen.
As a coda to Mike's fine piece, a shoutout to Starbucks' Via. It has simplified my camp coffee fiddling considerably. Now, if they'd just come up with some bulk packaging.
Cheers,
Rick
When i want some coffee while hiking i use senseo coffee pods
i put one in my cup, poor the boiling water on it, and press it with my spoon 2-3 times in 1-2 min.
but the sad truth is if i hike with more than a few days of food in my backpack , i skip coffee to save weight.
i just use a merino sock in the morning …
just adds to the taste … there's a reason why i buy my socks black …
Not all that interested in exotic coffee in the bush (sad for an Italian…) but if Mike did an article on toe nail fungus (with illustrations) I would read that too.
No I don't have problems with my feet.
Franco
What's wrong with NesCafe? :)
I like a little bit of coffee with my cream and sugar. Still taking real grounds in the backcountry.
Good article, worth reviving.
Via is pretty awesome stuff, though Forrest McCarthy demonstrated good cowboy coffee the other week. He puts the (super fine) grounds in the pot before it boils, and boils it a wee bit. Helps accelerate sinkage, at the risk of (excessive) scourching. Good mixed with swiss miss for a turbo backcountry mocha on cold mornings.
Also agree with Via. Both Columbian and Italian are good, easy coffee solutions. One stick worked well in my Trappers Mug.
Last Spring my wife and I tried the Starbucks Double Shots in the can. Those are powerful! Fun for a quick overnighter when you need to hurry back to your transportation in the morning.
Thanks for an informative report. Great drawings!
instant coffee is easy and light (and usually crappy tasting!), w/ the advent of Via it makes it an easy choice what I'm carrying for my caffeine fix :)
Via is the best instant coffee I've drunk. That's the good news. The bad news? It's still tastes like instant coffee, a far cry from good cowboy coffee or French-press style coffee. There's an easy way to do French press coffee – get a Jetboil with the French press accessory. Maybe not BPL-correct but wonderful high octane coffee. And Jetboil is coming out with a smaller cup, available in titanium, that gets the set's weight down to about ten ounces or so. But the original works so well that it's in my pack even on solo trips.
Good artcle.
I'm really happy with my MontBells O.D. Compact Dripper. Again, not the most amazing coffee, but it works on the trail and I prefer it to the MSR drip filter.
Cowboy is the only way to go if you like it strong.
Easy…no extra gear to carry and I always have fresh grounds in the house. And does the trick so much better after a night of whiskey and beer!
I do a handful of unplanned 24 hour trips per month; hunting, drinking with friends, out with my kids, whatever the occasion…I've never cared for backpacking food/drink menus that require buying stuff I normally don't stock in the kitchen or eat regularly. Much easier if I can just raid the pantry and go…so cowboy it is.
Nice boing marks Mike!
I'm always bummed getting my new Climbing magazines and not seeing your work anymore…
I cold brew concentrated coffee for regular daily use using a Toddy Cold Brew System (http://www.toddycafe.com). About 1oz to 2oz of my concentrate, diluted with hot or cold water does the trick for me. 6oz of concentrate weighs 180g plus the container to hold it, yielding as many as 6 cups of hot or cold coffee. You can use pretty much any ground coffee, but I find French Market brand tastes the best. The chicory does it for me.
If I can't have that, I use NesCafe, but I use the version that's imported from Greece. It's a bit stronger.
Been experimenting with this process, and I am hooked. Cowboy coffee to the next order! The process usually calls for multiple boilings and is outlined well here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee#Preparation
Critical article, but missed one of my staple pieces of kit:
Primus makes a French Press insert which fits several of their current generation of 1 liter LiTech Al kettles.
I use it quite successfully with their previous generation 1 liter pot, too. I know, a bit heavier than ultralighter's would consider with their Ti kettles, but the Primus anodized Al seems bullet proof. I've had 2 for *years*, and plan on passing them down to my grandchildren (but not soon!).
Also, one further important use for high quality coffee beans on the trail — barter! After fully supplying the adult crew with morning Java for the whole of my son's 2 week Philmont trek, I had enough Peet's left our last night at one of the high base camps to trade the staff for 2 dozen doughnuts. Boy was I popular, both with our kids & adults, and the high base camp staff!
"Finally! The kind of beautifully illustrated, informative and humorously written article that I signed up to BPL for.
If I had to read one more article on yet another UL down jacket I was going to scream."
+1. Well said, Joe. We need more of these kind of articles!
Fun article with great illustrations!
I really like Java Juice and Starbucks Via, but they are a bit pricey. I wonder if there's a way to take bean coffee, grind it really really fine and fill those empty tea bags you can find in specialty stores with your own grind.
I didn't realize I was committing a crime by adding sugar and cream to my coffee! LOL Please – I beg you: don't call the Coffee Police on me!!
And I agree with Joe. I was getting overwhelmed with the down jacket reviews, too. :)
It is not the very lightest method, but I strongly recommend the Aerobie Aeropress as a very portable way to make excellent coffee. It can easily be customised to hold ground coffee in the plunger.
http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm
Nice, fun article, Mike!
If anyone is sensitive to caffeine, or likes a hot drink before bedtime without the buzz keeping them awake, I just discovered a coffee substitute: Oskri's Barley Coffee. Its an instant drink that, although does not taste exactly like real brewed coffee, can help those who need to do without caffeine.
Considering that it's not even coffee, Oskri does a really good job with the flavor!
I 3rd Joe's comments. Coffee is like sex. We all have different tastes and techniques but it can really perk up ones day (no decaf allowed) .
Mike, if there were a tip jar I'd stuff it with bills.
The Jetboil French Press also works with the new GSI Minimalist :)
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