What's the point of an Ortlieb coffee filter holder vs just a paper filter secured with a clothes pin? You still gotta use a paper filter, fiddle with sticks, then clean up the Ortlieb, vs dip the clothes pin filter and throw away. No clean up, no fiddling.

A clothes pin filter is the simplest, cheapest way to make a great cup of no grinds coffee when on tour.

A funnel, cone filter and ground beans from home. Works for touring, backpacking, trips to my parents and other coffee barrens. I had one of those red thingys too, the funnel works better.

+10 Star Bucks Via. I use it for backpacking. I use to carry ground coffee and a small cone filter but the Via is far less weight,space,hazel, and tastes great.

three pages of ideas...
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/...eywords=coffee

EDIT: hmmm. OK, maybe one page. Not sure that a
Moving Comfort Vixen Bra A/B Cup - High Impact

qualifies, no matter what color it comes in...

The best way by far for me is grounded plunger coffee in an insulated cup made by "smartcafe" which has an its own plunger handle that slides inside and stays in whilst drinking, the cup is also designed for tea leaves also if your a tea snob.
These cups to my opinion are the "best" invention of mankind yet also simple and very versitile.
I can send a photo and were to buy one if your keen.
My cup is about 3 years old and gets Hammered every day ;-)
Coffee is not an addiction it's a "lifestyle"
Cheers
Sam

My preferred way for making coffee on tour is a Melita coffee cone with a cloth cone filter. The cone can clip to the outside of a bag (using a carabeaner), and when you finish brewing the coffee you can dump the grounds and rinse the filter. The cones are cheap, I think I paid $4 for mine and the filter about the same.

I really like making coffee with a Moka Pot (stovetop espresso maker). I even have the GSI camping version that needs a mug to "catch" the coffee, in lieu of the typical reservoir. It takes up less space in the bag, but even then, I feel like it takes up too much space. So I save it for short out-and-back tours.

My wife is a coffee fiend, so any trip planned with her must involve coffee. Car camping we just bring the percolator I inherited from my parents and that works great. When canoe tripping she went along with Taster's Choice instant.

We are doing the FANY Ride this summer, and we will be on our own for breakfast each morning, so she is insisting that we have a way of making coffee. I don't want to lug a stove capable of simmering and a percolator, so I've been experimenting at home. Cowboy coffee followed by filtering seems to be the best bet.

Haven't tried Via, but will now!

Speedo

I wasn't going to comment, especially when I saw this thread had reached 3 pages, but heck, coffee is one of my biggest pleasures on tour. So I'll wade in.

I use a Melitta single cup funnel and #2 filters. I like being able to buy stuff at grocery stores along the way. Sometimes they don't have # 2 filters, so when I start to get low I start looking. I've had to use #4's before when I was out and couldn't find #2's. They worked, but were a hassle, and as soon as I found some #2's I chucked the #4's. Finding good coffee can also be difficult. Bigger stores usually have a selection of grind-your-own and it's fun to sample them. I've resorted to Folgers at convenience stores in a pinch. I have to have coffee, right? One of the nicest surprises was finding some really good locally-ground coffee at a little ma-and-pa grocery in Clark Fork, Idaho. I thought I was going to have to drink Folgers for sure, when there it was!

I heat water in my regular MSR pots (the old stainless steel standbys.) I spill a little water when I pour, but I don't want the extra weight of a kettle with a pour spout. It would be nice, but I'm doing fine.

I bring a plastic, insulated travel mug with a lid. It keeps the coffee hot longer (I like HOT coffee) and it doesn't weigh as much as my favorite steel Starbuck's insulated travel mug with lid.

I pack the funnel inside my pots, along with a baggie full of filters, a sponge, the pot lifter, and my Campsuds.

I use a stove which burns unleaded gas, and always make sure I have plenty of fuel so I can drink as many cups of coffee as I feel like (and also have enough fuel for food.)

It's my system and it works for me.

good suggestion

I haven't read through the entire thread so please forgive me if it has already been said.

I have this bodum plastic french press. It is supposed to be a travel mug/press..but i find my coffee turns into sludge if I use it this way. It works great as a press. I would imagine the light weight would be nice for camping. No handles/smaller profile.

After reading this whole thread I still say that my little Vietnamese coffee maker is the best, hands down! Allow me to explain:

1) Its all metal: No plastic taste, nothing to break.

2) There is no filter that needs to be changed: The filter is a piece of metal with holes in it so you can even scrub the thing if you want without fear of damage. I used to carry filters but they would sometimes get wet and become useless. Also, who wants to buy filters all the time?

3) It cost $3: Though I only paid $0.25 for mine in Vietnam.

4) It will never break: The French presses that some people like are nice because they make nice, dark, coffee but as some posters have pointed out, they are often made of glass and require a working rubber seal that is prone to leaking. The Vietnamese coffee makers can make light or dark coffee and wont break, ever.

5) It takes up way less space than anything else posted, except possibly the clothes pin/filter combo. However, with that idea you gotta keep a big pack of disposable filters with you.

6) Use any mug you want. Nothing special

With these things in mind I think you owe it to yourself to spend the $3 and try it out. There are only a few negatives to the coffee maker but its worth pointing out.

1) You have to pour water into it as needed: I usually fill the little cup up three times for a cull cup of coffee. Its not a big deal, especially when camping. The whole process from start to finish takes about 4 minutes. I like to carry a .6 liter Trangia kettle to keep the water hot in while I make the coffee.

2) There are four metal pieces to the maker that, while indestructible, are potentially losable.

3) Since it uses your mug to make the coffee only one cup at a time is possible. However, they are cheap so just buy a few of them so that everyone you camp with has one. Not a big deal.


Here is the link to the coffee maker on Amazon again: http://www.amazon.com/Newstar-Intern...f=pd_sim_gro_5

I haven't read all the comments so far but thought I'd weigh in. I've used Folger's individual bags. Bike camping, canoe camping, backpacking and car camping. They are tea bag like, filled with actual ground coffee. Brew in your cup. I like my coffee and the caffeine hit in the AM. Instant doesn't satisfy me. I've had good luck with the Folger's bags. One caveat - use two bags if you're brewing in a travel mug sized cup; the bag are adequate for 5 or 6 oz standard cups of coffee. I have tried store brand coffee bags - didn't measure up. They actually appeared to be filled with instant coffee and had that "off" flavor characteristic of run-of-the-mill instants.

In response to the Vietnamese coffee maker press pot thing, how do you find it makes a normal cup of coffee. I have a few that I use in the traditional way (with condensed milk, over ice) and I found the coffee to be pretty harsh when taken straight. Is there a secret to getting a slightly less intense brew?

Okay. You've convinced me to try it. It's way cheaper than Via.

Speedo

...plus $5.25 shipping.:p

Not if you order it with the Band of Brothers Blueray disc set that you've been waiting to buy. ;)

Speedo

In Vietnam they almost fill the brewing cup with coffee grounds to make it as thick as sludge. If you want to make an americano or drip style coffee, which is what I do every morning with it, even at home, just use about a table spoon of coffee. Enough to cover the bottom of the cup plus a bit more. You can regulate how dark the coffee will be by how much you use. If you add a lot of coffee then the hot water will take longer to drain through it and effectively brew for longer. Play with it till you find your preference. I generally brew pretty dark.

As for the shipping. Order some coffee grounds with it, or order more than one and give them as gifts to save on shipping. I promise that it works as advertised. Its actually not a Vietnamese coffee maker is some ways since it is actually a French style device that was adopted by the Vietnamese during their occupation of the country. Point being is that it works.

Here is how to use the Vietnamese coffee maker. Pardon my messy kitchen, I am getting ready to go on a 6 month tour of Asia so everything is destroyed right now...

Here are the four pieces included. To the left is the base that sits on the rim of the mug. To the right is the cup that sits on top of the base. On the bottom is the plunger that sits on top of the coffee once you have loaded it in the cup. On top is the lid that helps keep the coffee hot while brewing.
Attachment 191015


Step one is to put the base and the cup on top of your mug.
Attachment 191009

Step two is to put about a table spoon of coffee in the cup. You can see its just enough to cover the bottom plus a bit more.
Attachment 191010

Now put the plunger on top of the coffee and spin it a little to even out the coffee underneath it.
Attachment 191013


Fill the cup with hot water and put the lid on top of the whole thing. You will need to fill the cup with water 2-4 times. I usually just need 3 for a normal size mug. If your coffee looks like its too dark, add some hot water to the mug instead of the cup.
Attachment 191011

The whole process takes about 4 minutes. To the right of my coffee mug is my 0.6L Trangia kettle which is good for 2 mugs of coffee if all the way full.
Attachment 191008

When the mug is full of coffee add sugar to taste, or hot water if the coffee is too dark, and enjoy. Dump the coffee grounds out and rinse the pieces. No scrubbing required and no filters to throw out.
Attachment 191012

The lid of the coffee maker can be turned upside down so that you can place the base of the coffee maker on top of it and coffee will not leak out on your table. A nice feature and useful when you dont want to clean up right away.
Attachment 191014

I got this from REI for use when I travel: http://www.rei.com/product/794391 It is an insulated much with a screen at the top. They call it an infuser. You simply put the coffee grounds in the bottom, add the hot water, put the top on and drink. It is also completely leak proof and stays hot for many hours.

Zeppinger: Thanks for the recommendation! I got mine last week and finally tried it out. Definitely easy! I will have to play around with the correct amount of grounds to get the perfect cup, but so far so good. I also found the only down sides where that it only makes one cup at a time, and you have to fill it every couple minutes to make a full cup. No big deal... its camping, after all.

I really like how light and simple it is; and of course, the price. Got mine for like $7 shipped. I would also highly recommend one of these to anyone else.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_L...0/IMG_2321.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_L...0/IMG_2317.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_L...0/IMG_2338.JPG

Related: I recently found that you can add a pinch of salt to a cup of coffee, and it helps reduce the bitterness and harshness. Don't add enough that the coffee tastes salty, but you will find that you need less sugar. (If you take very little sugar in coffee, you may find that you can eliminate sugar altogether with this method.)

We used to crack a raw egg into the cowboy coffee while it boiled. It calmed down the grains and made it really smooth and not bitter at all.

I've had people call my coffee "Liquid Crack" - not to say that I like it strong or anything.......

I got one of http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___60050 for my upcoming tour and I've been using it at home to get used to it. Works very well - actually easier than making a whole pot.

In the past I have used an Italian stove-top espresso pot (I lived in Italy for 2 years). The only problem with that was that it was very easy to burn the coffee.

I can't stand Starbucks coffee so Via is out. :)

Here's my recipe for a decent 16 oz cup of instant coffee:
1 Tablespoon of Medaglia D'Oro instant espresso
1 Tablespoon of Nescafe Classico instant coffee
1 Tablespoon of Nido powdered whole milk
7 sugar cubes (cubes pack smaller than loose sugar) - I like lots of sugar ;)
Combined into small zip-lock baggies (3"x4", from the jewelry/craft aisle at Wal-Mart) at home.

I use a leak-proof travel mug, so it gets a pretty good shaking to mix it. I've had spotty results when trying to stir it with a spoon.

Have you actually tried Via? I ask because I wondered if it was like the coffee they serve. I know that when I buy their beans and make my own it tastes much better than the coffee served there. To me what they serve tastes burned and the coffee made at home from their beans doesn't even if made strong. I kind of wondered if the Via has the burned taste that I don't especially like.

Yes, I wondered the same thing, so I gave it a try and it had that same, chemical-wash flavor as their in-store coffee.

To come up with the mix, I bought six different instant coffees and espressos, including Via. I tried each one, by itself. This ruled some of them out, right off the bat. Then I began combining them with each other until I found a mix that I liked.

I drink this in camp. When I'm riding, the first time I pass a 7-11 or Denny's, I stop for a cup of brewed coffee.

Anyone tried this?

www.naturescoffeekettle.com

"I went cold turkey on my big tour and didn't have any problems. Less gear to pack, too. I think my body was taken so far out of its routine that the lack of coffee couldn't rise above the din of other unaccustomed inputs."

+1

And given that no suffering is required to quit, I had to ask myself whether a body running with or without coffee was better set up to deal with the cycling to come. I can't say I know the answer, but it seemed most likely that no coffee would be better. And then no stove, pots, not water for the water lost to the coffee, etc...

No suffering means you haven't been drinking enough. I get nagging headaches for a couple days if I stop drinking coffee. Or at least I used to when I was in University. I drink between 5 and 10 cups per day now, because I'm no quitter!

I too have one of those poly-carb french press mugs which I always take to make a good cup or two of bold morning java from premium grounds. It makes touring sweet for sure!