Best coffee maker for van life?

Currently have a typical 4/5 cup coffee maker that I was thinking of bringing into my minivan.. however since I kinda want to go from drinking 4 cups of coffee to 2 cups I been thinking about trying out the Mainstays Single Serve Coffee Maker. Granted it only brews 14oz. However right now I use 2 table spoons in my 4 cups brew so I think if I brew 3 table spoons in to make my 14oz of coffee it be stronger coffee but less water while also downsizing as well.. I don't know my coffee stats but I do feel drinking 4 cups is a bit to much.. would love to find a 16oz brew so then when I mix in what 4oz of almond milk I'd have 20oz and be done.

it says it's 800watts which my powerstation has a 800 watt inverter so a bit hesitant given its right at the limit, however should be fine right?

I have a BLUETTI Portable Power Station EB70. I also have to get a new travel mug that is shorter as well. not super happy about that but then I can get rid of the glass 4 cups coffee maker as that gotta be a far bigger waste of watts and not very minivan safe given glass can break so easily.

The coffee maker uses K-cups AND coffee grounds as I would be using the coffee grounds option.

I'm really not even sure I'm making good quality coffee now with only 2 tablespoons.. idk.. maybe some of you know your coffee brew has better advice.

Also I really don't want a home self pour-over device. I have that as a backup option only. I also want to make hot water for tea, and rawmen noodles in my coffee maker as well from time to time too. Looking forward to getting some good feedback and advice.

I've thought a lot about this in the past few years. I've decided to leave my 4 cup automatic drip coffee pot at home and just heat water in a sauce pan on my propane cook top. This way one utensil can accomplish a few jobs in the kitchen.

What I'll do for coffee is to carry a bottle of liquid coffee extract as it takes up less space than a can of ground coffee and taste just fine to me. It will save space too. And I'm no stranger to dry instant coffee. or tea. But to each their own.


This is also marketed as "Auto Cart" coffee extract. But there are also other makers of coffee extract whether it be hot or cold coffee. I ran onto this in my travels thru Rhode Island.

eDJ_ said:

I've thought a lot about this in the past few years. I've decided to leave my 4 cup automatic drip coffee pot at home and just heat water in a sauce pan on my propane cook top. This way one utensil can accomplish a few jobs in the kitchen.

What I'll do for coffee is to carry a bottle of liquid coffee extract as it takes up less space than a can of ground coffee and taste just fine to me. It will save space too. And I'm no stranger to dry instant coffee. or tea. But to each their own.

This is also marketed as "Auto Cart" coffee extract. But there are also other makers of coffee extract whether it be hot or cold coffee. I ran onto this in my travels thru Rhode Island.

Click to expand...

You are living with the assumption that the product you like is widely available in stores where you might wish to travel. That might be true of the East Coast and if that is where you want to be that plan could work for you.

However I have never seen this product on the shelves in the Western part of the USA. There are regional brand favorites when it comes to coffee sales.

There are many coffee syrups available to the American market. Even online sources such as Amazon, Ebay, and Walmart have them. Kroger (and affiliates such as Ralph's) offer these in some areas. A person can even make their own. Keeping it shelf stable can be a bit of a trick so for those who use sugar in their coffee the sugar content can stabilize it or adding a bit of alcohol such as Vodka can keep unsweetened syrup shelf stable. But if you make your own it needs to be strong enough that a teaspoon or two will make an 8 oz cup of hot water a satisfying cup of coffee. Aspartame sweeteners aren't advised due to their limited stability.

Of course instant coffee would work if there is one a person likes. But in making your own syrup, you can use several instant coffees mixed together to cup the blend you like best.

Some other leading brands:

Le Monin Syrups.
1883 Syrup
Torani Syrups
DaVinci Syrups
Amoretti Syrups
Starbucks Syrup

To name just a few

Also, I might suggest brewing your own concentrate. Not difficult and can be done in a spill-proof way while traveling, and storable at ambient temp for a reasonable time.

Hmm, coffee syrup.

I have bought the cold brew concentrate a few times, also made my own tho it was a messy process.

I have liked the OXO pour over single serve coffee maker, which makes a good cup and cleans up nicely.

https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Single-C...12&mcid=9bb05fd54c7337a1931a075e622c21f8&th=1

I mix regular coffee equally with decaf, which helps keep my caffeine intake down.

I use an Aero Press. But if I did not have one of those then a pour-over cone shaped drip filter would be what I owned. I do not want to drink a big pot full of coffee, it would be very harmful to my health in a number of ways. So one or two mugs is just right in a day. I want some small amount of inconvenience to control how much coffee I consume.

If you want to use electric to heat the water get something like this. 600w and takes 5 minutes to boil water.
WTJMOV Small Electric Kettle Stainless Steel, 0.8L Portable Tea Kettle Auto Shut-off, Low Power Hot Water Kettle for Camping, Travel, Office and More https://a.co/d/ixTGLWP

You mentioned not wanting to do a pour over coffee filter. There is an entire thread about coffee bags you should check out.
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/camping-coffee-bags.50003/

You also mentioned water for ramen and other uses. I wouldn't want to use water from a coffee maker no matter how well I cleaned the filter area. Coffee flavored ramen just doesn't sound great to me lol.

It is quick and easy to make cold brew coffee with an aero press and ground coffee, no hot water required. There is a how-to video for cold brew coffee made in just a couple of minutes time posted on YouTube by the designer of the aero press. I have tried that method and it works great!

Another option is to get a 1 liter french press + an electric kettle (or a stove top kettle if electric power is limited). The beauty of this method is that you can make as much or as little as you want with any ground coffee that you choose--and the coffee is REALLY good...much better than drip IMHO. Here's what I use:

*Mueller French Press Coffee Maker 34oz, Stainless Steel French Press Coffee​

*Hamilton Beach Glass Electric Tea Kettle, Water Boiler & Heater, 1 Liter, 1500 Watts​

PS I sometimes plug it in (HB kettle) elsewhere (rest stop), boil the water (3-4 minutes) and pour it into a thermos
PS#2 No paper coffee filters are needed

Lance22 said:

Currently have a typical 4/5 cup coffee maker that I was thinking of bringing into my minivan.. however since I kinda want to go from drinking 4 cups of coffee to 2 cups

Click to expand...

I have a normal sized Aeropress that was gifted to me at xmas. On another forum all the campers raved about how awesome they are. Never used... it's too small for me.

I use a Bunn industrial basket, with the appropriate filters which are quite cheap in bulk. Heat water on a little propane stove, pour it in on top of my big cup, and 24oz of coffee is the result.

Think about it this way. All coffee makers are actually a filter process unless you are boiling the grounds in a pot of water and drinking the water out of the cup without removing the grounds. It does not mater if it is a pour over or if a pump system pours the hot water into the filter for you. Of if a percolator pushes heated water up a stem to have it drip over the ground coffee several times. Espresso machines force the water through the grounds using pressure. Aero press forces water through the grounds using hand pressure. It is all the same principle water goes through ground coffee and the grounds stay inside a filter. Choose your method of making your ️

Happy Camper said:

If you want to use electric to heat the water get something like this. 600w and takes 5 minutes to boil water.
WTJMOV Small Electric Kettle Stainless Steel, 0.8L Portable Tea Kettle Auto Shut-off, Low Power Hot Water Kettle for Camping, Travel, Office and More https://a.co/d/ixTGLWP

You mentioned not wanting to do a pour over coffee filter. There is an entire thread about coffee bags you should check out.
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/camping-coffee-bags.50003/

You also mentioned water for ramen and other uses. I wouldn't want to use water from a coffee maker no matter how well I cleaned the filter area. Coffee flavored ramen just doesn't sound great to me lol.

Click to expand...

haha, I've done it all the time. although I make sure I clean out the basked and wash out the pitcher some before. There usually is a tint to the water so I just make sure not to have rawmen right before bed! Thanks for the suggestion. I ended up finding a 600w electric kettle on Amazon as well. I never really liked the idea of pouring it myself however I guess if that is what can allow me to control how much coffee I want be it 16oz or 32oz of coffee then I guess I'd be far better off than trying to brew two batches of 14oz with more beans and trying to make that work instead of just simply pouring it..

maki2 said:

Think about it this way. All coffee makers are actually a filter process unless you are boiling the grounds in a pot of water and drinking the water out of the cup without removing the grounds. It does not mater if it is a pour over or if a pump system pours the hot water into the filter for you. Of if a percolator pushes heated water up a stem to have it drip over the ground coffee several times. Espresso machines force the water through the grounds using pressure. Aero press forces water through the grounds using hand pressure. It is all the same principle water goes through ground coffee and the grounds stay inside a filter. Choose your method of making your ️

Click to expand...

Kinda realized I was bias, I remember going on vacation in the early 2000's and there would ALWAYS be that cute little 4 cup coffee maker on the nightstand. I think I subconsciously identified that as luxury and resort life. I actually have a 5 cup now since my last 4 cup one broke. It's not nearly as cute haha. so I should be able to part ways with it well.

I ordered a silicon pour over cup thing that collapses. I have used my loose leaf tea metal cup filter thing in the past, does not always collect the smaller grounds but it gets 99% of them. Might keep using that as a backup with the silicon cup.




As for everyone else talking about coffee syrup or instant... I ask... who hurt you?


I tried premade cold brew concentrate in the same flavor and brand of what I was making myself and following the directions it tasted horrendous! I just don't understand who hurt your taste buds over the years.. I'm sorry for your loss. I couldn't imagine my delicious coffee being turned into a chore like downing two glasses of cough syrup each day. I know I would be a very bitter person if I had to endure that.. if you derive pleasure from that experience you truly are tougher than I could ever dream to aspire towards..


Also I think this means I can keep my tall coffee cup which wouldn't have fit under the Walmart coffee maker I just bought. so there is that as well. I will update next week when I get it and have a chance to try brewing it up myself.

Here is a review I wrote on my coffee maker in 2018....still using it every day.

https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/black-decker-cm618-coffee-maker.32075/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...lpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=forumyield-20

I’m about to go to whole beans and grind my own, as the pre-ground has way too many fine particles in it to suit me.

Even with a paper filter there is a lot of sediment.

I "made" coffee today...

For the last year when on the road, I have been using the MyMini Noodle Cooker & Skillet to make coffee ($9.00 at Walmart)

I found a stainless steel mug that fits it perfectly.

I use instant coffee with this one. I prefer the Dollar General Clover Valley brand (when at the home S&B I have a drip type coffee maker and Cameron Highlander Grog ground coffee from Walmart)

It uses about 260 watts on 120v ac - Takes about 3 minutes to boil a cup of water

Plus it is a great way to cook eggs, ramen noodles or any food for one.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mymini-5...t-Pot-Blackberry-3-7-x-5-25-1-25-Lb/731846909

Without making coffee flavored ramen!

All you need to make coffee is a pot and medium grind coffee grounds. Heat the water to boiling. Pour hoiling water onto coffee grounds and stir with a spoon. Give the pot a sharp bang on the benchtop. Cover and wait. A few minutes later the the grounds will have mostly settled. If you are a stickler you can sieve when you pour into your cup. Done.

I personally like 'cowboy coffee'....and for some reason it seems to be easier on the stomach. However I respectively disagree with 'maki2' on all methods being the same.

I once had coffee's with a friend/super taster ('coffee snob') that made coffee for us 5 different ways--all using the same ground coffee. Methods: 1) Bialetti-New brikka pot, 2) french press, 3) cowboy/boil method, 4) drip coffee maker and 5) percolator. Of these the Bialetti definitely tasted the best...followed by french press and the others. The Bialetti brikka is expensive and a bit more work to make your coffee (you add the product to hot water for an Americano). I wouldn't buy one...but he gave me his older model.
YMMV