Making Coffee

[Pop]

<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Georgia><A href="http://thetuckerbag.blogspot.com" target=_blank target=_blank>I live in my VW Jetta</A> and have SERIOUS coffee addiction. I’d really like to find some way to make coffee in the morning without being too super conspicuous. I’ve had a few great suggestions and I was looking at one of those cool coffee pots that plugs into the cigarette lighter. My biggest problem is that I stealth camp and don’t want to draw too much attention with something like a grill on the trunk. Any thoughts?</FONT></P><P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Georgia>PS: Yes. I recognize that this could be solved by just quitting coffee but, for all our sakes, that isn’t going to happen right now.</FONT></P>

 

[Pop]

<P>Yuban instant coffee is quite good to me.&nbsp; I have made it with hor faucet water.</P>

 

[Butternut]

<p>Yuban instant coffee is quite good to me.&nbsp; I have made it with hor faucet water.</p>

<br><br><font face="Georgia" size="3">Someone else had recommended that too me, but I haven't seen it in the stores around here. It may be something I find on the road</font><br>

 

[Wild_E]

Butternut,<div>why not go to thrift stores, look for an old perk coffee maker, some where less power. You might take a little drive to some of the truck stops and look in the sales areas, there are lots of options. Might even find what you are looking for at a larger Rv or Boat Dealer.</div><div>best of luck</div><div>ps, I mostly drink instant myself</div>

 

[vonu]

One could always just give up the addiction before it becomes the club with which one is bludgeoned foreverafter.

 

[Butternut]

One could always just give up the addiction before it becomes the club with which one is bludgeoned foreverafter.

<br><br><font size="3"><font face="Georgia">It's better for those I work with that I stay addicted for now. I have very few vices, but this one I'm holding onto with both hands (and white knuckles)</font></font>.<br>

 

[vonu]

One could always just give up the addiction before it becomes the club with which one is bludgeoned foreverafter.

<br><br><font size="3"><font face="Georgia">It's better for those I work with that I stay addicted for now. I have very few vices, but this one I'm holding onto with both hands (and white knuckles)</font></font>.<br>

<div><br></div><div>After they get the smokers paying an arm and a leg, the coffee addicts are next.</div>

 

[gipsyweaver]

I'm a fellow coffee adict, and I've thought about this one quite a bit...<br><br>The biggest challenge is getting hot water for the coffee. If you have a means of doing that, a French Press coffee maker is a low tech and cheap way to make coffee. Even though they recommend a particular grind, I have used one with ordinary drip-grind coffee for years. Put coffee in the pot, pour in hot water (preferably close to boiling). Stir, wait about 5 minutes, push down the strainer, and you have a pot of coffee.<br><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_press" target=_blank>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_press</A><br><br>If you can't&nbsp;heat water&nbsp;but&nbsp;like cold coffee and have a way to keep something cold, you can also make cold press coffee. However, this is messy (yes, I've done it) and uses a lot more coffee per cup than ordinary coffee.<br><A href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew_coffee" target=_blank>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew_coffee</A><br><br><br>

 

[Butternut]

<br><br>If you can't&nbsp;heat water&nbsp;but&nbsp;like cold coffee and have a way to keep something cold, you can also make cold press coffee. However, this is messy (yes, I've done it) and uses a lot more coffee per cup than ordinary coffee.<br><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew_coffee" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_brew_coffee</a><br><br>

<br><br><font size="3"><font face="Georgia">I've never heard of cold brew coffee, thanks for the tip! I'll be checking that out. I recently made a <a target="_blank" href="http://thetuckerbag.blogspot.com/2011/07/tin-can-stove.html">tin can stove</a> so I can usually heat water. Rainy days are the hardest.</font></font><br>

 

[gipsyweaver]

<P>I hope it helps! Keep in mind that the syrup is&nbsp;messy to filter, and that it needs to be kept in a fridge or cooler after you make it, but it does make a really good cup of coffee too.</P>

 

[SoulRaven]

I feel I am the fortunate one in that coffee to me is something I dont think about in a sense of sensuality... It is a hot beverage for me in the morning with differing levels of goodness... Being from Seattle area, I have seen many an addicted person to one form or another can not get by without a coffee fix... Guess i am lucky cause I can go instant to ground roast with flavored cream....<br>

 

[Guest]

I wonder why you feel fortunate to not have coffee be a sensual experience, SoulRaven? I feel just the opposite....I think coffee is a wonderful experience to be savored and enjoyed and the better it is the better the experience....<br>I roast my own and have grown to enjoy a truly well made cup of espresso a great deal. <br>That said, I do carry some instant that I have found to be pretty good for the times I can't make my own coffee. I also learned while on a trip to Africa, the wisdom of carrying a few packs of Starbucks Via instant for the times you are served mediocre or poopy coffee. The addition of some Via makes a big improvement.<br>Same trip we visited a coffee growing area in Tanzania on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro and were able to see how they have learned to grow organic, free trade coffee and how many families are part of the cooperative so that they get the best price for a very excellent coffee and can support their very basic lives with extras through growing a few coffee bushes......<br>Anyway...curious as to your choice of words and ideas....<br>bri<br><br>

 

[mobilekev]

When I used to make a whole pot at a time I did it with an old fashioned percolator and just left the top off. I set a stainless steel bowl on top of it (had to cut the tube down a little so that it would set level). Then I punched 4 holes in the bottom of the bowl with a nail so that the water would drip down through the basket. Start with small holes and slowly make them larger till it drips at the right rate. Then I'd pour the right amount of hot water in the bowl and voila you've got a low tech Mr. Coffee.<br><br>&nbsp;Now throughout most of the year I prefer cold or ice coffee anyway so I switched over to instant. Most instant coffees are pretty nasty but I found if I used the carnation powdered flavors (like vanilla caramel) it was pretty good. The coffee dissolves in cold water but the flavoring would just clump up on the top, but I found if you premix it in it's own jar it dissolves fairly well in room temp water.<br><br>&nbsp;If I want ice coffee I pour in about an inch of room temp water and stir in my premix, then fill it up the rest of the way with ice water and I'm good to go.<br>&nbsp;I found I like making just one cup at a time a lot better now and it made a little more room by being able to toss my old percolator setup.<br>

 

[McBe]

<P><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Cowboy coffee!&nbsp; Put grounds in wide-mouth thermos + hot water.&nbsp; Wait approximately 5-10 minutes and it's done.&nbsp;</FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">&nbsp;<BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The grounds will settle to the bottom and the coffee sits on top.&nbsp; If some of the grounds are still on top, I usually just tap them with the back of a spoon and they will sink.&nbsp; Then just pour&nbsp;the coffee&nbsp;off.&nbsp;&nbsp;With a wide-mouth thermos the grounds can easily be tossed when finished.&nbsp; It doesn't seem to be as "messy" or water intensive as a french press.&nbsp; I actually use this method quite a bit.&nbsp; &nbsp; </FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">&nbsp;<BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT size=3 face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Another instant option is Starbucks' VIA.&nbsp; It's really good but kind of expensive.&nbsp; I find if I use enough half-n-half, just about any instant will do.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; COLOR: black; FONT-SIZE: 6.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"></SPAN></SPAN></P>

 

[stude53]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Welcome, McBe <img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="/images/boards/smilies/wave.gif"></p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">I suggest you open a topic in the Introduce Yourself thread so others can find you and properly welcome you to the forum.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Bob (akastude53)</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">PS - I'm no good in&nbsp; the morning without my coffee.</p>

 

[gipsyweaver]

McBe, good idea! You could get a tea-sized strainer to remove grounds too. I don't know that I see much difference in the mess between the two methods, my French Press seems less messy to me than my old drip makers were, but using a thermos that could also be used for other things would be more space efficient. <br><br>An energy efficient thought about a thermos is to also use them for cooking. You only have to use enough energy to bring water to a boil. I first came across a description of this in a 1960s era book, and it's very popular in less-energy-rich countries. A hay-box cooker is probably better overall, but not very portable for the Vandweller <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br><br>http://www.ehow.com/how_2275972_cook-thermos-save-energy-money.html<br><br>I need to go look at butane stoves, I think, and see what the cost of operating one is, exactly.

 

[VanFan]

McBe, good idea! You could get a tea-sized strainer to remove grounds too. I don't know that I see much difference in the mess between the two methods, my French Press seems less messy to me than my old drip makers were, but using a thermos that could also be used for other things would be more space efficient. <br><br>An energy efficient thought about a thermos is to also use them for cooking. You only have to use enough energy to bring water to a boil. I first came across a description of this in a 1960s era book, and it's very popular in less-energy-rich countries. A hay-box cooker is probably better overall, but not very portable for the Vandweller <img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"><br><br>http://www.ehow.com/how_2275972_cook-thermos-save-energy-money.html<br><br>I need to go look at butane stoves, I think, and see what the cost of operating one is, exactly.<br><br>

<br>I used to brew coffee in a tea ball on occasion, but I am not too picky.&nbsp; You're right:&nbsp; not much less messy than a one-cup french press, but more portable.<br><br>Thermos cooking has worked out well for me.&nbsp; I have found that rice and beans really need to cook on the stove for a few minutes before going into the thermos.&nbsp; I use the haybox method for making yogurt with a jar of hot water in a small ice chest packed with towels.&nbsp; (That jar of water has several lives:&nbsp; first on the stove to sterilize, then int the jar to incubate yogurt, later for washing up or other.)&nbsp; Both of these methods are easy and fuel efficient.<br><br>Vickie<br><br>

 

[Telcobilly]

I just got out of trucking after 3 years and have heated water a variety of ways. I kept 2 Stanley Thermos' , one for coffee, one for hot water which were filled at fuel stops.
I had two 12v hot water heaters with the jug, which worked well, but didn't last long due to the plastic breaking down.

The best, most cost effective device was the heating coil which is set in a ceramic or metal cup. The newer one from last year has been improved a lot where it doesn't melt or blow fuses. It gets the water smoking hot fairly quickly and costs less than $15. Not sure about the other ones, but the current unit at the Pilot Travel centers works well..

 

[Seraphim]

<p style="margin: 0px;">Some good suggestions here. Thanks.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">How about a thread on thermos cooking from someone experienced?&nbsp; Techniques, recipes, etc? Sounds interesting.</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Telcobilly: will a 12v coil bring water to a boil? If so, how long does it take?</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Welcome to the group, BTW. Don't remember welcoming you...</p>

 

[caseyc]

I too have given much thought on the topic if making coffee. Currently I am using 2 different methods. I have a RoadPro 12volt coffee maker from Camping World store which works pretty well but takes around 20 minutes to make a full pot of coffee. I also have a Jetboil Flash unit from REI Sports that is an amazing device that can boil water in 3 to 4 minutes. Also bought the optional coffee press filter unit for making coffee with the Jetboil Flash. The device uses a small propane cannister.