coffe - the most important food group

hey - this thread - isnt really about coffee - though it is my most important food group

its about how to make it - WELL - without your kitchen

any fool can throw a teaspoon of nescafe into a cup of hot water under any conditions

but i must confess - i am a coffee snob

and like my coffee to be real coffee - wherever i am

now i realise that there is no " cookie cutter " solution to all eventualities - i already has 3 " camp coffe makers " - an indestructable stainless steel caffetiere , and a large and small coffee maker [ moka pots ]

that are indespensible for group trips - but when i am solo [ which is quite a lot of the time ] i want light weight - fast - quality coffee

option one - Aerobie AeroPress

obviously - i would by the upgrade - stainless steel liftime filter element too

otion 2 - handpresso

option 3 - is a pump expresso maker - i cannot find the link for now - but it looks too fiddly - and only takes a tiny amout of grounds - so is not really in the running

lastly - there is the cheapo - back to basics : " drip funnel type " - that just holds a scoop of groiunds in a holder over the cup

- the cheapest - and lightest option - but - the most basic brew quality wise

any experience of these type of coffe maker - or a different reccomnendation

to re-itterate - most important criteria are :

1 - quality of coffe
2 - pack size // weight

The funnel drips aren't bad, really. They are over hyped.

I really love my aeropress, but there is a problem with it. After about 5 years of daily use, the plastic has worn so much that it's hard to get it to seal and create the vacuum. I stopped using it and started using a regular French press. If they made an aeropress out of stainless steel, I would be in love all over again. It is some of the best coffee ever.

Good antique percolator ? Looked forever to find mine.No , not a modern one , a real one.
Just throwin that out there.

How about an all steel French press? No glass to worry about and it's still very light.

www.amazon.co.uk...=pd_sim_sbs_79_14?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=88K1A2J6Y6VR5DFKQ8DN

During the US Civil War, soldiers on both sides were issued roasted coffee beans in their rations. They would grind them however they could, sometimes by putting beans in a handkerchief and pounding it between two rocks.
The coffee was boiled in a pot or sometimes in a tin cup if a pot wasn't available.
They put the ground coffee in the receptacle with the water and boiled it, then let it cool just a bit and let the grounds settle to the bottom.

Not exactly a Keurig, but it did the job for them.

If they couldn't get coffee, they roasted grain, chicory, dandelion roots or the beans from the Kentucky coffee tree to substitute for it.

Why complicate the process? Do like the old timers. Take a pot, fill with the amount of water desired, estimate the amount of ground coffee needed and dump it into the water. bring it to a boil and then let it sit. The grounds will settle to the bottom.

Damn slow comp. this morning.

a reply to: butcherguy

You beat me to it. LOL

a reply to: ignorant_ape

God this makes me want coffee right now....

a reply to: DAVID64

Yes. Stainless steel French press is foolproof. All you need is hot water. And you can/should use corse ground beans. I use it camping all the time

originally posted by: butcherguy
During the US Civil War, soldiers on both sides were issued roasted coffee beans in their rations. They would grind them however they could, sometimes by putting beans in a handkerchief and pounding it between two rocks.
The coffee was boiled in a pot or sometimes in a tin cup if a pot wasn't available.
They put the ground coffee in the receptacle with the water and boiled it, then let it cool just a bit and let the grounds settle to the bottom.

Not exactly a Keurig, but it did the job for them.

If they couldn't get coffee, they roasted grain, chicory, dandelion roots or the beans from the Kentucky coffee tree to substitute for it.

Actually, they were issued green beans, which they usually roasted in a skillet. They'd crush the roasted beans with their rifle butts.

You can still roast using this method, but it's best done on a gas grill outside due to the smoke and chaff generated. Lodge makes a variety of iron skillets, which work well for this purpose.

I use the heat gun/dog bowl method. It's a bit trickier as it's easy to burn the beans if you don't pay close attention to details - temp, color, crack, in particular. I roast on my back patio, and in the garage during the winter.

What about a flavored coffee packet thingie maker?
Are those any good?

a reply to: 123143

Here is a pdf that contains a list of rations, including green or roasted coffee beans:

15 pounds of dried beans or peas
10 pounds of rice or hominy 10 pounds of green coffee or 8 pounds of roasted coffee, or 1 pound 8 ounces of tea
15 pounds of sugar
4 quarts of vinegar
1 pound 4 ounces of candles
4 pounds of soap
3 pounds 12 ounces of salt
4 ounces of pepper

So they got coffee both ways, depending on how the sutlers were able to procure it.

I forgot to add, there were models of the Sharps rifle that had a coffee grinder built into the buttstock.

Went camping with a friend and fellow coffee snob last month and enjoyed a couple of cups of excellent coffee by the side of the river while watching deer grazing on the far bank.

She brought along a huge jar of top notch cold brewed Brazilian coffee concentrate that we simply added hot (not boiling!) water. Now granted, it was kept in the cooler along side the rest of our food. So if carrying a cooler with you is not a problem, that may be a solution to consider.

a reply to: butcherguy

I'm leery of any source written by a reenactor.

What we in Australia call "Turkish Style Coffee".

A lot like the old timers made it but with better results.

It is very thick and you can't have milk with it, but milk might be a luxury by then.


You need one of these to make it in


These are the dregs left behind.



Here is a video that puts it all together.


And make sure you pack one of these in your bug out bag in case you run in to company LOL.



Traditionally it was made on hot sand.

originally posted by: 123143
a reply to: butcherguy

I'm leery of any source written by a reenactor.

Since you are leery, I will direct you to the 1861 US Army revised Regulations, where you will find the exact list in the previous link:
University of Michigan
To save you time looking, check section 244 first. It will relieve you of the boredom of checking through regulations pertaining to the rations of hay for mules vs horses.

I like coffee too, but...

Just bung a teaspoon of espresso coffee into an espresso cup, add 50mls hot water, bingo.

Stir, inhale, then drink.

Life's too short.

a reply to: ignorant_ape

During Katrina's aftermath, coffee was something I wish I had had.

I am a total coffee addict. I went into withdrawals that lasted about three days in the aftermath of Katrina. Slept around the clock when I wasn't barfing or crippled with migraines for the first time.

Afterwards, I recovered pretty quickly, but for the first few days, the lack of coffee was devastating.

I would have chewed on coffee beans or dosed up with instant, if I had been smart enough to have planned ahead. Didn't even think about it until it was too late.