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You are here: Home / Podcasts / Podcast 021 | Backcountry Coffee

Podcast 021 | Backcountry Coffee

by Backpacking Light on November 30, 2019 New Features, Podcasts

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Summary

Coffee. What makes a good cup, what makes a bad cup, and what are the best ways to java yourself in the backcountry? All these questions and more are the subject of this episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast.

To shed some light on this issue, Andrew turned to two experts. The first is Emylene VanderVelden. Emylene is a longtime-author at Backpacking Light – she partnered with BPL publisher Ryan Jordan to write an article on coffee that we published recently – and she is a self-described caffeine enthusiast and former barista. Emylene is from Alberta, Canada, where she enjoys backpacking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, kayaking, and horseback riding.

Today’s other guest is Jono Ramey. Jono is the owner and head roaster at Savage Boys Coffee Roasters in Newnan, GA. Savage Boys only purchases fair-trade and direct trade beans and are committed to roasting organic beans whenever possible.

So brew yourself a cup and settle in – your backcountry coffee skills are about to level up.

Outline

  • Guest introduction
  • Bean origin
    • Flavor profiles by region
  • Roasting method
  • Compensating for altitude (water temperature)
  • Flow rate
    • Oils!
  • Pressure
    • Crema
    • How to avoid dead shots
  • Backcountry Coffee Preparation Methods
    • French Press
      • Emylene uses the Jetboil Coffee Press
      • The Snow Peak Titanium French Press is a standalone press at only 6.3 oz (94 g)
    • Infusers
      • Terrible coffee – good for Leave No Trace!
    • Pour Over
      • A nice, clean cup of coffee – Jono’s favorite way to prepare a cup
      • Emylene likes the GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip Coffee Maker
        • She also uses a GSI Outdoors Coffee Rocket and Sea to Summit X-Brew Dripper – each is not without its downside.
    • Instant
      • Jono talks about how instant coffee is created – he’s not a fan.
        • What accounts for the differences in flavor and price in instant coffee?
      • Starbucks Via vs. Alpine Start
    • Mini-espresso makers
      • The Wacaco Nanopresso is 11.9 oz  (336 g)
      • Both our guests think the AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker (8 oz / 227 g) makes a great cup of coffee (but not necessarily an espresso).
    • Cold Brew
      • Timing and benefits
      • Might appeal to backpackers who are planning to cold-soak their food anyway.
    • Cowboy Coffee
      • Methods of removing grounds from the water
      • Eggshells as a solution for a cowboy overbrew? Check this out.
  • Grinding your own coffee in the backcountry
    • Does a fresh grind make a difference?
    • Emylene has a pepper mill experiment going.
    • The Snow Peak Field Barista Coffee Grinder (12 oz / 340 g) is a beautiful (but pricey) design.
  • Chocolate covered espresso beans – and other direct methods!
  • Final thoughts

Resources

  • BPL’s recent coffee preparation article
  • Emylene VanderVelden on Backpacking Light
  • Savage Boys Coffee Roasters
    • On the web
    • On Facebook

Feedback, Questions, Tips?

  • Submit them to podcast@backpackinglight.com or Twitter and get featured on our next podcast!

Credits

  • Backpacking Light – Executive Producer
  • Ryan Jordan – Director and Host
  • Andrew Marshall – Producer, Host, and Editor
  • Look for Me in the Mountains – Music
    • Written by: Chris Cunningham and Ryan Jordan
    • Performed by: Chris Cunningham (acoustic guitar, lead and harmony vocals, harmonica), Chad Langford (upright bass), and Tom Murphy (mandolin).
    • Produced by: Basecamp Studios in Bozeman, Montana

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  • This episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast is supported and kept advertising-free by Backpacking Light membership fees. Please consider becoming a member which helps support projects like this podcast, in addition to a whole slew of other benefits!
  • This episode of the Backpacking Light podcast iis also brought to you by Douglas Fir trees. Douglas Firs: they make it smell like Christmas!
  • In addition, some of the links on this page may be affiliate links that refer to our partner merchant retailers. If you follow a link and then make a purchase, we receive a small commission which goes a long way towards helping us pay for podcast production, hosting, and bandwidth fees! Thanks for supporting us in this way!
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You can contact us at podcast@backpackinglight.com, or follow us on social media –

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Disclosure

Updated November 7, 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.
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aeropress, alpine start, coffee, GSI Outdoors, jetboil, podcast, savage boys, Sea To Summit, Snow Peak, wacaco

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Comments

Home › Forums › Podcast 021 | Backcountry Coffee

Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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  • Author
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  • Nov 30, 2019 at 6:51 am #3620957

    Backpacking Light
    Admin

    @backpackinglight

    Locale: Rocky Mountains

    Companion forum thread to: Podcast 021 | Backcountry Coffee

    Coffee. What makes a good cup, what makes a bad cup, and what are the best ways to java yourself in the backcountry? All these questions and more are the subject of this episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast.

    Dec 1, 2019 at 1:54 pm #3621024

    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Thanks, Guys! A good overview of coffee making.

    Dec 2, 2019 at 11:53 pm #3621255

    Eric Blumensaadt
    BPL Member

    @danepacker

    Locale: Mojave Desert

    for high altitudes backpacking I’m not wanting the vasoconstriction, especially in my alveoli capillaries, that caffeine brings. That said I do enjoy a cup of Starbucks VIA Decaf at dinner time.

    Via is easy to carry and “good enough” ’til I get home to my coffee grinder and drip coffee maker.

    But food ia another matter. Like the French I “live to eat” and not the other way around. Thus I’ll make Pad Thai from supermarket noodles and retort pouch shrimp plus some chopped scallion greens and extra crushed peanuts that I brin in a snack bag. The taste and aroma is SO much better than freeze-dried Pad Thai.

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