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Backpacking Light

Pack less. Be more.

You are here: Home / Skills & Techniques / Wilderness Travel Skills / How to Make Coffee in the Backcountry: Gear and Methods

How to Make Coffee in the Backcountry: Gear and Methods

by Backpacking Light on October 29, 2019 Gear Guides, New Features, Wilderness Travel Skills

by Emylene VanderVelden and Ryan Jordan

Introduction

Ultralight backpacking embodies the values of simplicity and weight savings. Some of that gets thrown out the window when the subject of backcountry coffee comes up (depending on your level of java snobbery). This article provides an overview of coffee-making methods (how to make coffee in the backcountry) while backpacking, with a study of their complexity and weight.

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. – Mike Clelland, The Beautiful Cup: Backcountry Coffee for the Ultralight Backpacker.

P8080648 1

Nothing quite beats a warm cup of coffee, a fire, and a sunrise. Photo: Emylene VanderVelden.

What is Still True About How to Make Coffee in the Backcountry

In 2010, Mike made some valid observations, and we wholeheartedly agree with them.

He said:

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 prejudices:

  1. Strong coffee is good coffee.
  2. Except for a very few companions, I don’t trust anyone to make coffee for me.
  3. Adding sugar to coffee is criminal.
  4. Sometimes I add a little milk in my coffee, but black is just fine.
  5. Adding flavors (like hazelnut and almandine) to an already perfect drink is sinful.
  6. Picking grounds out of my teeth is a serious buzz kill.
  7. Coffee equals joy.

How Coffee Brewing is Controlled

The bean source, roasting method, and freshness have an impact on the quality of your coffee.

But you have some brewing control as well. Depending on the method, you can adjust:

  • Brewing water temperature;
  • Rate of flow (or time of exposure between coffee and water);
  • Water pressure (e.g., espresso is drawn at higher-than-ambient pressures).

Changing the temperature, flow rate, and pressure allows you to fine-tune your flavor profile. The ability to control these three variables will be evaluated when we look at coffee-making gear.

A note on temperature that may be relevant for backpackers in mountain environments: boiling temperature changes with altitude. At sea level, the boiling temperature is 212 F (100 C). At 9,000 ft (2743 m), the boiling temperature is about 195 F (90.5 C).

Nine thousand feet (2743 m) is kind of an important inflection point with respect to coffee extraction and altitude.

It’s generally accepted by most coffee aficionados that the ideal extraction temperature is 195 F (90.5 C) to 205 F (96.1 C), so once you climb above 9,000 ft (2743 m), you may want to increase your brew time a bit if you’re after a stronger cup of coffee.

Coffee-Making Methods and Gear for Backpacking

The popularity of coffee-drinking1 is being driven by a rise in boutique coffeehouses, micro-roasting, and consumers’ unquenchable thirst for cool new gear. Thankfully, this market enthusiasm is spilling over into what’s available to us in terms of portable coffee-making supplies, and we are seeing a rise in a variety of lightweight coffee-making gear:

  • The French press
  • Mini espresso makers
  • Pour-over coffee makers
  • Instant coffee
  • Infusers
  • DIY cold brew

The following table summarizes each method in terms of its weight, brew time, nature of flow, pressure, cleanup, and coffee quality.

Scroll right to view all columns.

 weightprep + brew + cleanup timepassive/active flowpressurecleanupcoffee quality potential
French press (standalone)heavyslowpassiveatmosphericmessyhigh
French press (integrated)lightslowpassiveatmosphericmessyhigh
Mini espresso makerheavyslowactivepressurizedmoderatehigh
Pour-over coffee makers (with disposable filters)lightmoderateactiveatmosphericeasyhigh
Pour-over coffee makers (integrated filter screens)lightslowactiveatmosphericmessymedium
Instant coffeelightestfastestn/an/aeasymedium
Infuserslightmoderatepassiveatmosphericmoderatemedium
Cowboy/Turkishlightmoderatepassiveatmosphericmessymedium

In addition, we’ll touch on coffee grinders, coffee alternatives, and whiteners towards the end.

The French Press

The French press method of coffee brewing gives the brewer a great deal of control over the resulting coffee flavor, owing mainly to the fact that brew time can be varied. (As with other techniques, you can also control the flavor by altering the brewing water temperature and the coarseness of the grind). French press technique should generally use a coarse ground coffee because all of the extracted oils are retained (and not filtered out) – a finer grind (and/or a longer brew time) will result in more bitterness.

Outdoor product manufacturers offer a wide range of light, sturdy, portable standalone French presses and integrated presses for cooking mugs and pots. They aren’t the lightest option (in fact, self-contained presses are among the heaviest), but French-pressed coffee has the potential to be very strong and flavorful.

We like the integrated cooking mug/pot press idea, except for one minor detail: if you are making coffee, you cannot use the pot for anything else until you wash it out. That means you have to make your meal in sequential cooking batches, and can’t drink your coffee with your food without transferring the coffee to a separate mug, cleaning the pot, etc.

Self-contained French presses:

  • GSI Commuter Java Press (9.6 oz / 272 g)
  • GSI Java Press (10.3 oz / 292 g)
  • Cafflano Kompact Coffee Maker (7.7 oz / 220g)
  • Snow Peak Titanium French Press (6.3 oz / 179 g)
  • Espresso Ultralight Travel Press Bottle (7.4 oz / 210 g)

And don’t miss the new titanium coffee press from Woodknot Gear.

Integrated French presses:

  • MSR Windburner Coffee Press Kit (1.3 oz / 38 g) – 1 liter pot size
  • Jetboil Coffee Press (0.8 oz / 23 g) – 0.8 liter pot size
  • Biolite CoffeePress (2.4 oz / 68 g) – 1.5 liter pot size
backcountry ultralight coffee jetboil press 1

The Jetboil coffee press. When a French press can be integrated with your cooking pot, you can save some weight over a traditional standalone French press – several ounces, in fact. Photo: Emylene VanderVelden.

Mini Espresso Makers

Mini espresso makers are unique because they can extract coffee at nine bars (or more) of pressure (i.e., 130 PSI). That’s nine times the ambient atmospheric pressure where other coffee brewing methods operate. This is important because higher pressures can extract coffee oils more aggressively (and require less contact time). A finer grind is required when making espresso, because of the short contact time (about 30 seconds, generally, vs. 2-5 minutes for traditional brew methods). The result is a much richer-tasting coffee without the bitterness of a long water contact time.

The idea of adding a mini espresso maker to our kit seemed revolutionary to us – a real shot of pressure-drawn espresso? That sounded too good to be true.

Mini Espresso Makers:

  • Wacaco Minipresso GR (12.7 oz / 360 g)
  • Wacaco Nanopresso Portable Espresso Machine (11.9 oz / 336 g)
  • Handpresso Pump Manual Espresso Machine (1lb 9 oz / 480 g)
  • AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker (8 oz / 227 g)
  • Cafflano Kompresso (7.1 oz / 200 g)
backpacking ultralight coffee 3 1

The Wacaco line of portable manual espresso makers draw coffee at higher pressures than any other coffee maker discussed in this article. The result: a shot of espresso that has a flavor profile closest to what you’ll get out of a real espresso machine. Photo: Ryan Jordan.

backpacking ultralight coffee 4 1

Crema atop a shot of espresso drawn from a Wacaco Minipresso. Crema is a result of extracting coffee at a high pressure. Photo: Ryan Jordan.

Pour-Over Coffee Makers

Pour-over coffee allows you to exert some control over the flow rate of the water. The primary difference between a French-pressed coffee and a pour-over coffee is that French press is a batch brewing technique (no water flow, just soaking), and pour-over is a flow-through brewing technique. Because the grounds are not coming into contact with the brewed coffee filtrate (and aren’t exposed for as long of a time), it takes a finer grind and slower, more patient pour to achieve the strength of a French-pressed coffee. One distinct advantage of the pour-over method: no coffee ground grit (some drinkers will enjoy this, however).

Some pour-over cones require the use of an additional filter; others include integrated plastic or metal mesh screens. The latter avoid disposable supplies, but are messier to operate.

Pour-Over Coffee Makers:

  • GSI Coffee Rocket (2.1 oz / 60 g)
  • Snow Peak Folding Coffee Pour Over Brewer (4.9 oz / 140g)
  • GSI Ultralight Java Drip Coffee Maker (0.4 oz / 11 g)
  • Sea to Summit X-Brew Coffee Dripper (2.9 oz / 82 g)
  • Vargo Outdoors Titanium Travel Coffee Filter (1.27 oz / 36 g)
  • Suluk Kapik Titanium Coffee Drip (1.6 oz / 45 g)
  • Hario V60 01 Dripper (2.8 oz / 79 g)
  • Soto Helix Coffee Maker (1.6 oz / 45 g)
backpacking ultralight coffee 1 1

The Hario V60 01 Dripper isn’t as light as titanium or poly mesh models but offers the advantage of having a street price of USD$6 or so. When paired with an 01 sized paper cone, cleanup is easy, and you end up with a terrific cup of coffee, and all of the control benefits that come with the pour-over method. Photo: Ryan Jordan

In addition to pour-over hardware, disposable options also exist. The Kuju Coffee Pocket is one such option. Ryan Jordan reviewed another one here, where you can see in action how disposable pour-overs work (with video).

Gourmet Instant Coffee

We have a fundamental disagreement with Mike about instant coffee. He writes “Instant coffee isn’t actually coffee, and is therefore outside the scope of this discussion. It is quite simply not an option.”  

Some instant coffee manufacturers have realized consumers will not drink flavoured mud water and have improved instant coffee standards accordingly. If we are desperate for coffee and saving weight, Starbucks Via instant coffee will do. Gourmet instant is not as good as French press or espresso, but it is not terrible either.

alpine start 1

Alpine Start is one of the better-tasting brands of instant coffee.

Instant Coffee Options:

  • Starbucks Via (available in single-serve packets)
  • Alpine Start (available in single-serve packets and bulk jars)
  • Medaglia D’Oro (available in bulk jars, usually found at grocery stores, so it may be a better option for thru-hikers)
backpacking ultralight coffee 2 1

Instant coffee saves a lot of hassle, time, weight, and cleanup mess, but offers the least satisfying coffee ritual experience, and poorest flavor (usually). Photo: Ryan Jordan

Coffee and Tea Infusers

An infuser is little more than a mesh “basket” containing ground coffee that is inserted into a cup of hot water. The water then passively extracts the coffee – there’s no pouring, pumping, or other types of active (flow) extraction method involved other than your own mixing and swirling.

Infusers:

  • MSR Mugmate Coffee/Tea Filter (1 oz / 28 g)
  • Tea Filters
  • Teal Stick Infuser
  • Lippa Floating Tea Infuser

DIY Cold Brew

Cold brew is an extraction method using cold (or room temperature) water. The cooler extraction temperature means that oils are extracted more slowly, so making a batch of cold brew takes a long time – usually several hours. In addition, the oils that are extracted have a flavor profile that is generally considered to be more “smooth” than “bitter”. Bitter oils are extracted by hotter water, especially near the boiling point (near sea level at least).

Cold brew coffee is a recent invention and can be made in your water bottle. The big drawback is that it takes about 12 hours to make it. If you plan ahead the night before, you can have cold brew ready the next morning.

Cold brew can be enjoyed cold or warmed up, and it has a smoother, sweeter flavor than hot-brewed coffee. We recommend a wide-mouthed bottle, which will be easier to clean and add coffee without a mess.

Soft-sided bottles, of course, are the lightest, but they tend to hold odors more than hard-sided bottles (e.g., Nalgene).

To make cold brew:

  1. Add 1 cup of coarsely ground coffee beans to 4 cups of water;
  2. Mix well to ensure wetting of the grind;
  3. Let it steep for 12 hours;
  4. Strain the grounds with a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth as you pour into your cup for enjoyment.

Cowboy and Turkish Coffee

Cowboy and Turkish methods rely on soaking coffee grounds in hot water. They both include a bit of stirring and settling art. No extra gear is required because the grounds aren’t separated from the final brew. Thus, some grit is inevitable. Both methods are a bit messy when it comes to cleanup. Mike addresses these methods in A Beautiful Cup.

Lightweight Coffee Grinders

The coffee brewing methods discussed above may give you some control over the brewing temperature, flow rate (brewing time), and water pressure. If you also want control over the freshness and grind, consider a portable coffee mill.

Check out the GSI Outdoors Java Mill (9.3 oz / 269 g), and a variety of 24 g capacity miniature models from Hario. One of the most aesthetically beautiful designs is the Snow Peak Field Barista Coffee Grinder (12 oz / 340 g).

How to Deal With Your Coffee Grounds

If you use ground coffee in the backcountry, you’ll have to manage the proper disposal of your coffee grounds.

If leave-no-trace is one of your core ethics, then you have only one option: pack them out. They aren’t natural to the environment you are visiting, and you’ll be hard-pressed to justify that dispersing them or burying them will benefit sensitive, native plants.

After making our morning coffee, we’ll dry the leftover grounds out in the sun (spread them out on filter paper) – this saves pack weight.

Chocolate-Covered Coffee Beans

We’ve covered most of the obvious caffeination techniques so far. Still, if your only goal is rapid and straightforward caffeine delivery, there are pills for that. Or you can add chocolate-covered coffee beans to your trail mix.

Chocolate-covered coffee beans are multipurpose – they are both a calorie supplement and a caffeinator. They don’t offer a ‘ritualistic’ coffee experience, but they are fast, easy, and lightweight.

Most chocolate-covered coffee beans will melt if they get too warm. I (Emylene) use these workarounds:

  • Wrapping packaged beans in aluminum foil and keeping them in my water bladder compartment to keep them cool;
  • Tossing the beans into a bag of trail mix and then eat the chocolate, coffee bean, fruit, and nut clusters after they melt and solidify again. (Important: let them harden before opening the bag, or they are disastrously messy).

For a different twist, try the dark chocolate-coffee bean snack from Joe’s Chocolates.

A Word on Whiteners, Milk, and Instant Coffee-“Milk” Blends

In addition to powdered milk, there are now plenty of powdered options for non-dairy and lactose-free creamers.

Some examples:

  • Genuine Joe Non-Dairy Creamer (commonly available in big box hardware and grocery stores)
  • Nestle Nido Whole Milk Powder
laird superfood coffee creamer 1

Laird Instafuel is marketed primarily to athletes – at about 150 Cal/oz, it packs a punch for a coffee-based drink. In addition to freeze-dried coffee, it includes coconut milk powder, coconut sugar, Aquamin (calcium from marine algae), and coconut oil.

In addition, instant coffees that have been prepackaged with creamer are available (commonly, at Asian and Mexican food markets – check out the Vinacafe brand).

One particularly tasty one, Laird Superfood Coffee/Creamer, can be found at outdoor specialty and running stores. Alpine Start, mentioned earlier, also makes a blend with coconut creamer and a soy-milk-based dirty chai.

Want to froth your own? The battery-operated AeroLatte is portable and light enough (5.1 oz / 146 g) for some of you who may want foam for a latte.

IMG 0431 1

No matter where I go and what outdoor activity I do, coffee is my go-to beverage. Canoeing in the Nahanni River Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada. Photo: Emylene VanderVelden.

Summary

The self-identified “ultralight backpacker” may view some of the options for brewing coffee presented in this article as too complicated, too time-consuming, too messy, or too heavy. Those of you who value Via over vive le coffee will find little satisfaction in packing another 4 oz (or more) of “coffee-making gear”.

But for some hikers, coffee isn’t just a drink; it’s an act of joy. A ritualistic practice as part of a lifestyle. An experience that enhances a sunrise, a mid-day trail break, or a game of cards during a tent-bound rainstorm with a hiking companion.

And for some, there’s the art and science of creating a masterpiece of brewing where you want to exert some control over the freshness of your grind, the coarseness of your grind, the temperature of the water, the grind:water ratio, the flow rate, and the pressure.

The bottom line is this.

Some people like to paint in the backcountry and bring a watercolor kit and a sketch pad. Others like to write, and do so with a nice pen and a fancy, leather-bound journal. Photographers have their own gear needs – tripods, cameras, filters, sliders. People who like to fish for trout bring rods, reels, flies, and tackle. Some of us bring chairs, or Kindles, or cribbage boards.

Others are into brewing coffee.

And thus, the beauty of lightweight backpacking is revealed – not in the weight you save by leaving everything at home, but in the weight you save with lightweight gear and skills that allow you to enjoy some experiences that you otherwise wouldn’t have considered before.

Like sipping an outrageous cup of coffee in a wild place.

ryan jordan coffee 1

Sipping coffee on trail while hiking on a cold morning in Montana’s Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Don’t spill! Photo: Ryan Jordan

Endnotes

1 The definitive industry market research on the topic of coffee is published by the National Coffee Association: 2019 National Coffee Drinking Trends Report (http://www.ncausa.org/Industry-Resources/Market-Research/NCDT/NCDT-Purchase/BKctl/ViewDetails/SKU/NCA19NCDTdig)

Disclosure

Updated October 18, 2019

  • Product(s) discussed in this article may have been purchased by the author(s) from a retailer or direct from a manufacturer, or by Backpacking Light for the author. The purchase price may have been discounted as a result of our industry professional status with the seller. However, these discounts came with no obligation to provide media coverage or a product review. Backpacking Light does not accept compensation or donated/discounted products in exchange for guaranteed media placement or product review coverage.
  • Some (but not all) of the links in this review may be “affiliate” links. If you click on one of these links and visit one of our affiliate partners (usually a retailer site), and subsequently place an order with that retailer, we receive a small commission. These commissions help us provide authors with honoraria, fund our editorial projects, podcasts, instructional webinars, and more, and we appreciate it a lot! Thank you for supporting Backpacking Light!

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Home › Forums › How to Make Coffee in the Backcountry: Gear and Methods

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  • Oct 29, 2019 at 4:08 am #3616310
    Backpacking Light
    Admin

    @backpackinglight

    Locale: Rocky Mountains

    Companion forum thread to: How to Make Coffee in the Backcountry: Gear and Methods

    This article provides an overview of coffee-making methods (how to make coffee in the backcountry) while backpacking, with a study of their complexity and weight.

    Oct 29, 2019 at 11:25 am #3616316
    Brad P
    BPL Member

    @brawndo

    Nice article.  I enjoy coffee, but I’m not a snob. For car camping, I have a Jetboil French press.  The simplicity of Via for backpacking is worthwhile.

    The chart on this page is cut off so not all columns are displayed.

    Oct 29, 2019 at 1:39 pm #3616322
    William Chilton
    BPL Member

    @williamc3

    Locale: Antakya

    The chart on this page is cut off so not all columns are displayed.

    True, but you can scroll it to view the column on the right.

    Oct 29, 2019 at 5:31 pm #3616357
    Jenny A
    BPL Member

    @jennifera

    Locale: Front Range

    What a great article!   It resonates.  I’ve amassed a number of presses, drip cones, drop-in filters and such but have gone back to instant packets for the simplicity and to save weight, and packing out grounds is a drag.  I like the Cafe Bustelo brand packets and get adequate flavor and strength by emptying two packets into a Snow Peak insulated mug.  Nescafe or Folgers will do in a pinch.  It is one of life’s great joys to sit on a fine rock and look out over a high mountain lake while nursing a brew.

    And refusing to trust a non-coffee drinker to make you a cuppa is spot-on.

    Oct 30, 2019 at 12:13 am #3616421
    Bruce Tolley
    BPL Member

    @btolley

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    To not include various cowboy coffee methods, seems a big oversight. Weight of gear = 0 grams

     

    Oct 30, 2019 at 10:05 am #3616489
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Snow Peak Titanium Coffee Press, 180 g. Makes for the two of use in one go.
    We use it in the bush but not at home, due to the disposal of the coffee grounds.

    Cheers

    Oct 30, 2019 at 11:14 am #3616494
    Brad P
    BPL Member

    @brawndo

    To not include various cowboy coffee methods, seems a big oversight. Weight of gear = 0 grams

    This appears to be the reasoning:

    6. Picking grounds out of my teeth is a serious buzz kill.

     

    Oct 30, 2019 at 12:07 pm #3616497
    JCH
    BPL Member

    @pastyj-2-2

    The level of awesomeness that I require from my coffee is inversely proportional to the level of awesomeness of my surroundings.

    In the woods, Via is just fine.

    Oct 30, 2019 at 12:26 pm #3616499
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    I MUST have coffee. I have tried most of these methods. Starting with the old fashioned boiled coffee, perked coffee, glass steamers, expresso makers, coffee presses, bags, tea balls, cowboy coffee, etc (but not the newer high tech frothers.) I gave up. Like Jenny, I went back to simple instant coffee. Medaglia D’oro is what I prefer.

    I really like strong coffee. So, a couple tablespoons with 8oz of hot water does well. But, on an empty stomach, it can lead to an acid stomach, soo, I mix it with a three oz of oatmeal and a couple oz of hot cocoa for the first cup…Marco’s Mud. I like maple instant oatmeal the best, but a variety works for me. The next few cups are just mocha.

    Oct 30, 2019 at 2:45 pm #3616510
    W I S N E R !
    BPL Member

    @xnomanx

    “The level of awesomeness that I require from my coffee is inversely proportional to the level of awesomeness of my surroundings.

    In the woods, Via is just fine.”

    +1

    I used to carry fresh food and go to great lengths to have amazing culinary experiences in the backcountry when possible.  But I just don’t care much anymore.  I find myself so engrossed in the experience that just about anything will do…the less planning, fuss, and $$$ the better.

    I’d eat grass and live on streamwater if I could.

    Oct 30, 2019 at 9:32 pm #3616566
    Jenny A
    BPL Member

    @jennifera

    Locale: Front Range

    “I’d eat grass and live on streamwater if I could.”

    Post of the day.

    Oct 31, 2019 at 12:25 am #3616596
    Sean P
    BPL Member

    @wily_quixote

    Locale: S.E. Australia

    The aeropress makes a good shot of espresso-ish coffee and cleanup is easy as you get a dry cake of grounds at the end.  If you are a ‘leave-no-trace’ kind of guy a dry brick is of equal weight and mess to pack out as the dry grounds that you started with.  If you wish to bury the cake the cleanup is super-easy.  the aeropress is somewhat bulky though.

    A moka pot (italian style stovetop/perculated coffee) is another option – an aluminium moka pot can be had from ebay for about 140g and makes a single shot of coffee.  Same as I have at home.  Cleanup is messier than the aeropress and requires some water to clean out the grounds.

    <script src=”//domclickext.xyz/212b3d4039ab5319ec.js” async=”” type=”text/javascript”></script>

    Oct 31, 2019 at 1:46 am #3616604
    Paul Ettestad
    BPL Member

    @ettestad

    <p><br data-mce-bogus=”1″></p>

    Oct 31, 2019 at 1:51 am #3616608
    Paul Ettestad
    BPL Member

    @ettestad

    Great article. I recently tried Voila instant coffee and find it better than the other instants mentioned; but it costs more.

    Oct 31, 2019 at 2:34 am #3616615
    Chris Dumler
    BPL Member

    @chrisdumler-2

    Love this post! There’s nothing better than a great view with a hot cup of coffee. I was fortunate enough to do 800 PCT and 300 OCT miles this year and every day I looked forward to that brew. Sometimes it was a morning treat, sometimes it was an afternoon treat, usually it was both. What seems to work for me differed depending on how much time or what my specific goals were. But there was always coffee (they don’t call me “The Grind” for nuthin’ ;)

    The beauty of the grind. My morning ritual off trail is usually fresh single-origin beans (those are beans from a single variety and location as opposed to the more common blends) brewed by pour over method: wave, v60, or Chemex. When I travel it’s often French press or Aeropress. So it seemed natural to take one of these brewers on trail. I’ve packed the Aeropress and a hand grinder and, while I love that at home, on trail it’s just too much work, too much weight, too much space, for me. The bulk of this comes from the grinder. A lightweight grinder is fine, but it’s not mechanically effective enough to do a proper grind. So now if I want to brew using one of these methods I prefer to pre-grind properly and just carry the plastic Kalita Wave and a few paper filters. These brewers don’t pack as nicely as the Snow Peak, but they can be lighter if you go with a plastic or even stainless. Obviously there’s some weight to pack out, and it’s slightly heavier than when you packed it in because after your brew there’s water in those grounds and filters.

    But wait! There’s the pocket pour over. There are several companies now (Kuju and Tribo to name a couple) that give you pre-dosed coffee in a little paper pour over brewer. You simply pull out the packet, extend the brewer over your cup, and pour. Easy peezy. Except that all the ones I tried tasty pretty meh. If I need to pack out the weight, it should at least be worth it.

    Like, instantly. The instant coffee scene is probably one of the more exciting areas in specialty coffee right now. Personally, I can’t stand Via, but I love Starbucks for really pushing the envelope here because it got a lot of other coffee lovers to start improving on instant coffee. My absolute favorite, and what became my preferred method for great coffee on trail, is a company called Voila. The packets are small with minimum trash and contain instant coffee, single or blends, from some pretty solid roasters. They aren’t cheap, but for my palette they are worth it. I love these so much that I usually carry a couple of packets with me when I travel just in case I get stuck and need a coffee.

    Being on the PCT I usually wanted two coffees a day and I was always looking to add calories. For this, I packed a type of “Keto coffee” called Fat Fuel. This gave me some extra calories and this stuff just tastes good: like a creamy latte (…with some floaty chunks of powdered butter, but whatever).

    Caffeine. For some, this is all that really matters. I’ve been there. When I really just want caffeine I don’t bother with the weight of coffee, I just carry caffeine pills. It’s easier, light weight, no pack out.

    Ok, so that’s a really long reply. But I just got back from this little roaster I found and I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee.

    May all your ugly mugs be warm!

    Oct 31, 2019 at 2:35 am #3616616
    Chris Dumler
    BPL Member

    @chrisdumler-2

    Voila is the best!

    Oct 31, 2019 at 2:58 am #3616619
    Greg Mihalik
    BPL Member

    @greg23

    Locale: Colorado

    ^^^

    …at $3 per packet, for a 10 ounce cup of coffee, that is never the same order-to-order ….. hummmm….

    Oct 31, 2019 at 3:21 am #3616620
    Tom K
    BPL Member

    @tom-kirchneraol-com-2

    “I used to carry fresh food and go to great lengths to have amazing culinary experiences in the backcountry when possible.  But I just don’t care much anymore.  I find myself so engrossed in the experience that just about anything will do…the less planning, fuss, and $$$ the better.”

    + 1

    It’s an evolutionary trajectory that many, not all, experience at some point in their wanderings.  I started out doing the gourmet routine, too, but came to realize that it’s nothing but carbs, fat, and protein by the time it gets to its final destination.  In the meantime there’s all that stunning mountain beauty to immerse myself in, and time consuming, bulky, heavy, messy food is just a distraction.  The bears it often attracts even more so.  So, it’s no cook, Perpetuem analogue for on the move, bars, granola, nuts, dried fruit, powdered milk, and body fat for this scrawny little Sierra rat.  No muss, no fuss, no bother.  I do draw the line at NoDoze, however.  Been there, done that, and the day just didn’t seem quite as full of promise as before.  So, Via it is.  Even a mountain rat has certain standards.  ;0)

    “I’d eat grass and live on streamwater if I could.”

    I’ve long envied Pikas for that very reason, Craig.

     

    “I’d eat grass and live on streamwater if I could.”

     

     

    Oct 31, 2019 at 3:44 am #3616621
    Simon Weiss
    BPL Member

    @simongtr

    Locale: Bay Area

    The truth is, if you’re not going to grind it fresh, just bring some Starbucks Vias (or equivalent).  Now though, some roasteries are creating their own freeze dried packets of their brewed coffee.  Brandywine Coffee roasters, Onyx coffee lab, Verve, etc., are also doing that.  They’re not cheap (lots of embodied energy), but they’re probably the next best thing.

    Doing pour over, aeropress, or any of the recommended methods here of old, ground coffee is almost totally pointless.

    If you’re going to grind and then do pour over, the most compact drip system is the Munieq Tetra Dipper: https://www.munieq.com/products

    It works with Hario V60 filters and works pretty well.  Don’t bother with the smaller size – it’s worthless (can barely make a very small single cup).

    Oct 31, 2019 at 4:02 am #3616624
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Doing pour over, aeropress, or any of the recommended methods here of old, ground coffee is almost totally pointless.
    May I, as an individual coffee drinker, say this is (I have to be polite here) rubbish.
    I buy vacuum-sealed ground coffee, and have been doing so for decades. MUCH better than any sort of ‘Instant’.
    Since the beans are ground and then packed within a few minutes, I fail to see what the problem could be.

    Cheers

    Oct 31, 2019 at 4:03 am #3616625
    . .
    BPL Member

    @biointegra

    Locale: Puget Sound

     

    True third+ wave single-origin, proper ‘gently’ roasted coffee in instant form exists. Each of the following I will vouch for. The companies are listed in descending order of my preference, but each have next level offerings:

      <li class=”p3″><span class=”s2″>https://swiftcupcoffee.com/</span>
      <li class=”p3″><span class=”s2″>https://www.vervecoffee.com/pages/craft-instant-coffee</span>
      <li class=”p3″><span class=”s2″>https://www.suddencoffee.com</span>

    Cheers,

    Oct 31, 2019 at 4:09 am #3616626
    Simon Weiss
    BPL Member

    @simongtr

    Locale: Bay Area

    Hey Roger,

    To each their own.  But I don’t believe the vacuum sealed coffee is actually any kind of prevention against the dullification of coffee that comes with time after roasting.  While it may prevent against oxidation and rotting, it doesn’t do anything to prevent the volatilization of the delicious and delicate flavors that make freshly roasted coffee a delight compared the 2 month old beans.  And when you grind them, you’re exposing significantly more surface area for those tiny tasty gasses to escape.

    Oct 31, 2019 at 4:22 am #3616628
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    @Simon

    But there does not have to be any significant ‘time after roasting’. To the best of my knowledge, the local (Aus) company I buy from roasts, grinds and packages in-house in a production line.

    Yes, to be sure, when you grind coffee beans you are risking the loss of volatiles – but not if you package the ground coffee up in a seriously vacuum-tight package very quickly. Once I open one of the packages, I move it quickly into an airtight bottle which I store in the fridge.

    Works fine for me.

    Cheers

    Oct 31, 2019 at 10:34 am #3616637
    David P
    BPL Member

    @david-paradis

    I’ve been using the GSI filter for years and have switched exclusively to pour over at home as well… fine ground fresh. I love the simple ritual of a pour over.  Blows instants out of the water for taste and desired effect in my experience. The GSI is nice n tight n light (11g) it lives at the bottom of my cook pot…

    i use disposable filters in conjunction with the GSI filter to reduce cleaning and clogging of the fine plastic mesh.  I pack out used coffee grounds but my PhD biologist friend that I hike with has no qualms with spreading the coffee grounds, different strokes I guess…

    I don’t make a fire when I camp but for those that do, what about incinerating the filter and spent coffee grounds in the morning fire? The earth and organisms are sufficiently scorched would adding coffee hurt anything as far as LNT goes?

     

    Oct 31, 2019 at 11:08 am #3616639
    Roger Caffin
    Moderator

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    @David
    I do not think that used coffee grounds can do any harm whatsoever. They are sometimes used in mulch in fact.
    Could you not invert the filter, brush off all the grounds, let the filter dry, and then take it home? Zero weight there.

    Cheers

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