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Coffee on the hills and trails

Coffee on the hills and trails


Postby cruachan06 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:18 pm

I've been picking up sachets of instant coffee and creamer from ration packs, either for keeping in my daypack when I'm out walking or for when I eventually come to do the WHW. However whilst some of them (Rombouts, Poldermill) are decent, others (Nescafe, Barista Selection and the newwer brown packets that are unbranded) as pretty awful. I have a bean to cup machine at home so am used to decent coffee.

I see lots of coffee gadgets available from the usual suspects avalable for hiking, was wondering what other people use. The options that I can see are
1. Keep slumming it with instant
2. Coffee bags (never tried these so no idea how they taste
3. Some sort of cafetiere/french press/aeropress/moka pot. I have a Zyliss cafetiere mug that I use at work, it's light and plastic so no hassle to carry but cleaning and disposal of the used grounds are obvious issues.

Interested to hear what other people do, I'm very much not a morning person and can't do without my morning pick-me-up!
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby Veryhappybunny » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:23 pm

We take a small flask of real coffee from ground coffee for elevenses. For day hikes anyhow. Highly recommended!
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby Mal Grey » Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:12 pm

For day hikes, I mostly just make a flask of good strong coffee before I go.

However if I'm taking a stove, or doing an overnight, I use a GSI Java Drip filter, which clips to the top of a cup and weighs next to nothing. I always take this when wild camping. https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/cairngorm-treks-review-gsi-outdoors-ultralight-javadrip-i1481 I agree with the article that I need to carry a bit more ground coffee than I'd normally use to get the strength right.

If I'm car camping, I sometimes take my Aeropress, which is excellent and is now what I use at home.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby steveo73 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:57 pm

Another vote for the GSI java drip . Don't use it all the time use sachets a lot just for convince. But used it today forgot how good it is. 👍
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby Scottk » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:08 pm

I use coffee bags. Less faff and I squeeze the bag, tear it and dispose of the grounds so I only have to pack out the bag.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby TheFox » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:36 pm

I've never made coffee in the hills, but if you are not going ultra-light a 2-cup moka pot and a small bag of coffee powder (maybe pre-ground at home the evening before) shouldn't be too heavy/spatious, and will probably fit on most stoves?
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby cruachan06 » Sat Jan 29, 2022 1:15 am

If I'm going to be taking ground coffee I'd probably use this

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zyliss-Hot-Mug-Cafetiere-Red/dp/B00DB4JY72/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3UOPJ7LJLUG9Z&keywords=zyliss%2Bcafetiere%2Bmug&qid=1643415161&sprefix=zyliss%2Bcaf%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-3&th=1

as I already have one, it's lightweight and robust enough. It's more cleaning it and disposing of the grounds, I assume from the replies above that people are burying them? I know it's technically bio-degradable but that doesn't mean it belongs in the ground necessarily.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby Booga » Sat Jan 29, 2022 5:50 pm

I tend to take "decent" (in my opinion) instant coffee, a few spoons worth in a small ziplock bag. I can't stand the cheap instant coffee but there are a few "better quality" brands that I will happily drink at work so I'm even happier to drink them out in the hills when I'm even more in need of something hot and caffeinated.

I'd rather leave "proper" coffee for when I'm at home or in a cafe, out on a walk or an overnighter I prefer to keep things simple and lightweight.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby AyrshireAlps » Sat Jan 29, 2022 6:51 pm

Agreed, most sachet stuff is rank.

Camping - GSI here too, super light and packable, and very little faff.

Day walks I'll just take chilli bottle with fresh made coffee.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby Jumpercal1664 » Sun Jan 30, 2022 12:21 pm

Have a look at an aero press. Makes very nice coffee and relatively small.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby WalkWithWallace » Mon Jan 31, 2022 8:10 am

These are worth a shot before you invest in anything else. Kenco Duo pots.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/302280568
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby Phil the Hill » Mon Jan 31, 2022 2:17 pm

Nescafe Alta Rica (now rebranded as a variant of Gold Blend) is decent instant coffee as an alternative to freshly brewed. I decant it into a neoprene jar for use when wild camping.

For day trips getting a coffee shop to fill up your vacuum flask works well. You can't beat a triple shot Gingerbread Latte whilst sheltering from a summit hailstorm in June in the Cairngorms!
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby weaselmaster » Wed Feb 02, 2022 3:32 pm

I have an Aeropress that I use when car-camping. Makes good coffee but I wouldn't bother with it when backpacking.
I normally take Lidl decaf instant which is alright.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby cruachan06 » Tue Feb 08, 2022 2:13 am

Currently contemplating either an aeropress or aeropress go, there are some really good deals on the Go with a bag of Black Bag coffee included on eBay at the moment. Seems a very neat package with the whole thing fitting in to the travel mug, and although it's small the consenus seems to be that it makes nice strong coffee so adding some more hot water to fill the mug is an option.
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Re: Coffee on the hills and trails

Postby AyrshireAlps » Wed Feb 09, 2022 8:24 am

No experience of the go, but the standard aeropress is far too big to go with me, and tbh doesn't make any better coffee than my wee GSI filter set up.
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