Instant
Often generic or store brand.
Guess I'm not a coffee snob.
Now tea - that is another matter!

I bought a Vietnamese coffee maker when I was in there last year. If you go to any restaurant in Vietnam they make your coffee for you right at your table with one of these babies, its a French colonial influence. http://www.espresso-machines-and-cof...fee-maker.html

They are a lot better than the plastic ones that have been posted because they are metal and tough. They don't make the coffee taste like hot plastic, they don't require paper filters so there is less to carry, and they are a lot smaller because they are meant to actually BREW the coffee rather than just drip over it.

With the plastic ones I have used, this might not be true for all, the reservoir is always too big and once you pour the hot water in it goes straight through the filter very quickly and leaves you with watery coffee. Not so with this little beast. The reservoir is much smaller which forces you to refill it 2-3 times for a cup of coffee but it insulates the top of the mug while you are doing it so your coffee ends up much hotter, and darker than with other drippers. They come in a couple of sizes but the smallest one is best for touring. If you tour with a lot of people just get a couple of the small ones because its easier than one big one.

Here is a website with more info and better pictures: http://www.trung-nguyen-online.com/brewing-coffee.html

There are a lot of them on Amazon for about 3-5$ This one looks a lot like the one I have. I should have gotten more than one when I was in Vietnam because mine only cost about $0.25 or 5,000 dong! http://www.amazon.com/Newstar-Intern...f=pd_sbs_gro_1

One of these days I'll figure out how to bring a Keurig brewer on tour. ;)

I second the Aerobee Aeropress. Simply the best coffee maker I have ever used, home or away. Easy to use on the road and cleans up with a paper towel or whatever. I now own 3.

Interesting... I've never seen one of these.

That Aerobee Aeropress looks pretty sweet too!

And I also do agree there is a difference in taste between coffee made in plastic vs metal.

+1

I wasted countless hours waiting for coffee to drip using a GSI Java Drip, and eventually settled on the Big Sky Bistro Mug.

I'm still on my original one over a year later, it's been eaten by animals at night, I hear a wheezing sound when I fill it up with hot water, but I will throw some shoe goo on it before I head out again in a few weeks. I use it 2 times a day, Clips onto my panniers or rack, and I'm a master of a one handed rider now - If I didn't have the Big Sky Bistro riding through the 9 days of hell going to Yellowknife with little to no food, water, people - but bugs (LOTS) and bear, and bison - I would have lost my marbles...
further.

I wrote a review here on it:
http://www.tiredofit.ca/2010/01/big-...ffee-pressmug/

I can't find it at the local outdoors store where I picked it up from originally for $15 but you can buy it from Amazon

I didn't read any of the posts. Anything interesting?

+100 for the aerobie!!! It doesn't make pretty good coffee, it makes awesome/super smooth coffee, fast. Yes, what you press out of it is a concentrated espresso, but then you add enough hot water to fill your mug and you have great coffee. (or you heat up milk to add for a latte)

On our last long trip we brought a backpacking french press made of plastic so it wouldn't break like the glass versions would. But the strainer part on top eventually started leaking. I bought an aerobie from amazon and have found it to be a great bike touring coffee maker. Faster and better tasting than a drip device, lightweight, packs smaller than a french press (and cleaning is waay easier than a french press).

http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPr...7995496&sr=8-1

Yes, everyone pretty much suggested Ovaltine.

Cowboy coffee is the way to go on tour. Bring water almost to a boil, add grinds, let sit for a minute, then stir and let sit for a little longer. Then pour and be careful not to get the grinds in your cup. Makes great coffee, i even drink it black. This is what I did on my transAm tour this summer. And yes im a coffee addict too

I like your style. Cowboys > *

If a buck a cup is in the budget, 1+ for VIA.

DIY: paper filter, fav coffee, twist top closed, secure with clothespin, dip. Dime a cup.

I drink coffee everyday but without half and half, its just not worth it to me. Doesn't taste good without it!

On tour I just have tea. Easy as can be.....

[QUOTE=valygrl;12240170]I carry a plastic coffee cone and paper filters. Many bigger grocery stores sell coffee in bulk, so you can buy & carry only as much as you'll need until the next resupply location. That said, I often buy a whole pound, that's how important coffee is to me.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

+1 etc to this method. Use it all the time at home and on tour. The cone and filters are light weight and easy to transport. Prefer bulk coffee ground very fine for this method. I've also used the cone as a sort of colander.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=190377http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=190377http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=190377

I use the tea bags used for loose tea, just with coffee instead. I get the bags at the local Whole Foods store. I just dunk the bag up and down to extract the coffee. No mess, no fuss and good coffee. Good for short or long trips, a box of 200 filters weighs 4 oz, so you can take enough for any length tour. (I'm assuming that in tour longer than 200 days, you would be able to find more somewhere in the last 100 days : )

Pour boiling / hot water over coffee bag, dunk, discard bag, drink.

For backpacking I make them up ahead of time and just put the sweetener right in with the coffee. Used coffee bag goes on the campfire if it's burning hot enough.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/wordp...affeine-IV.jpg
http://www.etftrends.com/wp-content/...equal-sign.gif
http://ny-image3.etsy.com/il_430xN.77463751.jpg

GSI used to make a green lexan french press. The green one was much lighter than the black one. I just looked at REI website and they no longer sell the black one either. I prefer Folgers Gourmet Supreme from a french press.

I bought one of these for solo trips but have not tried it yet.
http://www.rei.com/product/792857

I also have taken instant on backpacking trips but I have to be really concerned about weight before I settle for instant.

This year we are going to try our two new Bodum Travelpress on our touring bicycles.
http://www.bodum.com/dk/da/shop/detail/11057-01/

Nice to be able to have a good cup of fine coffee. Usually we prefer Moonsooned Malabar, although we have difficulties getting this from our coffee house here at last. We are still searching easy and light ways and equipment to getting the water boiled.

Starbucks Via is amazing. I drink it at work.

Yeah, Via. Perhaps larger problem is that coffee in the PNW is so good that when touring or traveling in the wider US, we just don't make coffee stops the way we do here. The stuff is awful. Saves money! Sort of like traveling in Germany and then coming back here and tasting the nasty stuff they call beer here. Not worth the calories.

I use instant coffee and a Trangia to heat the water. Using water off the boil improves the taste compared to boiling water.
There is quite a difference in the quality of instant coffees. Standard Nescafe, Blend 37 and the fancy versions (eg Alta Rica) seem to be much better than Gold Blend or cheaper supermarket labels.
It is really hard to find small jars of good instant coffee in places where coffee=beans.

I like to make a large mug of coffee to wash down a bread roll from yesterday afternoon then pack up and get going ASAP.

Totally agree!

I've used Via since it came out....on backpacking, canoeing, motorcycle camping and bike trips. I fit the whole thing in my kettle - Via, cup, fork to stir with...since I drink it black thats all I need. Now if someone made powdered Bailey's.......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartcafe-Ho...8067421&sr=8-2

This looks pretty good to me, and gets good reviews.

I have made coffee with my foldable ortleib coffee cone. I love my ortleib coffee cone and have collected sticks from all over north america to use as supports.
A friend and I had a coffee makin' contest this past summer - Me with my Ortleib and he with some portable camping coffee press. All the judges asked for more Ortleib coffee and my friend went off and sulked :)

Zeppinger, that's the exact little espresso thing I got at a Vietnamese store and use. I have two of them and use one at work. I love how small and durable they are. They are also very cheap. I only paid about $3 each for mine.

IIRC, it was just the stuff he used at home in his drip coffee maker.:bang:

I bought one of these because it looked kinda cool. No surprises, it doesn't work very well. It's awkward, difficult to use, and kind of bulky.

I also have a few of the Vietnamese coffee pots, but I don't know if I can handle the coffee without the ice and condensed milk, it just seems wrong.

I'm about as coffee snob as they get, but I just rough it when touring. I figure even mediocre coffee is better than no coffee.

And don't get me started on tea, I won't touch tea touring because I know I can't do a decent job of brewing it (If anyone mentions a bag, I'm leaving).

Sleeping bag. See ya!

:)