Boondocking Coffee in the 400

pthomas745

+1 on the inverted Aeropress method.  I use about 4 tablespoons of fine ground coffee, and steep and stir for about three minutes, then press.  I dip the end of the Press in a shallow bowl of water to cool it off,  dump the puck, and immediately start the next shot.    I add a little water to the 2 "shots" to make about a 15 oz cup. 

I've had a couple of "spillout" accidents in the trailer, so look for a nice stable place to press. 

I replaced the paper filters with aluminum fine mesh filters. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SAEX73U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This site has a rundown on all sorts of different Aeropress "recipes", which helped me when I bought the 'Press".

I've practiced at home while my Rancilio Silvia was being rebuilt (yes, America, some appliances are not disposable) and I got pretty good at eyeballing the  water temperature I want.

If you don't want all the barista talk ( I understand) there is a description and very short video describing the "inverted method".  About 1/3rd the way down the page.

https://handground.com/grind/66-recipes-for-amazing-aeropress-coffee

DougH

@pthomas745 ; Thoughts and prayers for Miss Silvia.  I had no idea there was an illness in the family, or I wouldn't have mentioned her accompanying you on trips earlier in this thread.

I share your grief.  My PL62T fell sick and sits forlornly in a corner.  I retired two years ago, so I have to save up many many months for the operation, unless I do a GoFundMe for her. Once restored she'll also have a new pressure profiling paddle, so that should be interesting.

pthomas745

@DougH thanks for thinking of Miss Silvia.   I'm lucky to live in Socal and be reasonably close to Hitechespresso, a small garage shop that rebuilds machines.  I had a leak in the steam valve, some bubbling from another leak, and after 13 years I realized I should replace the pump, too.  The bubbling was caused by a seal or a washer that had corroded under a pressure regulator, the pump was an original from 2005.  After a couple of weeks of waiting for a part, she is back and as good as new.  You don't realize the pump is fading slowly, and your shots are becoming a bit inconsistent. It is quite nice to have all new parts, like driving a car with new brakes and tires! 

DougH

And an Italian sport car no less!

Ratkity

@DougH ugh! foaming green frothy drink?!??! *faint, thump* ew ew ew ... Um, oops. I should be more accommodating to the folks who appreciate such a brew.

jgram2

@DougH Honestly, there’s gotta be a limit. This looks like the avocado martini I tried once and decided I had crossed my own line. Coffee, black, no sugar and martinis, very dry, gin, olives. I’m a tradionalist in more ways than I care to count. But as @Ratkity says and the admins insist, we must be respectful, so happy matchaing.

Emma62

Made my first cup of Aeropress coffee this morning.  Inverted method using two slightly rounded scoops of beans ground fine.  Stirred gently just enough to work the water through the coffee then steeped for 1 minute before pressing.  Smoothest cup I've had for quite awhile.  Maybe I can press it in the sink in the T@B for extra protection from spills.  

I enjoy a nice cup of tea occasionally as well, especially the Scottish and Highland blends.  No green frothy goop for me though. (smile)

DougH

EWWWW, avocado martini?!?!  I cannot even imagine! Oops, I mean I fully I respect that bar owner's life choices.  That said, espresso martinis can be tasty, if not traditional.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/how-to-make-espresso-martini/

Ratkity

Has anyone tried the nanopresso? It's amazing! Talk about real espresso. The barista kit makes a double espresso. Better cup than Aeropress.

ChanW

@Ratkity, I've been intrigued by the Nanopresso.

How is it for cleanability?

That's one of the reasons I like the Aeropress so much - simplicity in use and cleaning.

Ratkity

ChanW said:

@Ratkity, I've been intrigued by the Nanopresso.

How is it for cleanability?

That's one of the reasons I like the Aeropress so much - simplicity in use and cleaning.

The Aeropress wins over the nanopresso for ability to be cleaned. The Aeropress makes a good bold tasting coffee, but it's technically not espresso.

The trade-off between the two is clean-ability (is that a word?), and it takes a  longer to make espresso with the nano (using the Barista attachment, you can make a double espresso). You have to use a side pump to build up the pressure to make your coffee and hold it over the mug. Pros is that the nano is absolutely tiny, is all self contained (no filters and has "mug"), the side pump stores nicely in the side when you are done, and makes amazing espresso.

tl;dr

Aeropress

Pros: great coffee, easy to clean, can make a double without extra accessory

Cons: Pretty big (although tinier one is being developed), needs filters, not truly espresso, but comes close in taste. Con or Pro: you have to use a mug on a flat surface to press down the Aeropress plunger.

Nanopresso

Pros: tiny and self contained with mug included, amazing espresso that will knock you over it's so good, no filters, has case, even with Barista kit a case can be bought. Con or Pro: You can use the built in cup or anything you wish on any surface to make it. The cup that comes with it doesn't get hot to touch on outside.

Cons: needs to be cleaned like a regular espresso machine (knock the grounds out of a tiny cup, wipe, rinse, etc).

ChanW

Great info @Ratkity, thanks!

I may just have to try it anyway. I do have a thing for trying "every kind of weird coffee gadget"... (Though I couldn't justify the cost of the fancy espresso machines...)

Tampakayaker

We have a Keurig type French Press.  You insert the Keurig into a holder at the bottom of the press which connect to a small basin with a spout.  Pour hot water into the press tube, then push down on the press.  Coffee goes into the basin.  It comes in handy at home, because some of the K-Cups we have won't work in our Keurig machine because they don't have the hidden spot the machine detects.

DougH

If only I wasn't retired, and on a budget:

Just got an email of a Black Friday special.  $50 off on a nice manual coffee grinder. 

https://craiglyn.com/products/hg-1

HikinMike

I've been really pleased with this manual grinder

https://www.amazon.com/Grinder-Mechanism-Flafster-Kitchen-Stainless/dp/B07D9D4P5B/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=flafster+kitchen+manual+coffee&qid=1574263433&sr=8-1

Ratkity

When I bought this, everyone was giving rave reviews and it was affordable. Now the quality has dropped and I can't believe the price!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GQVHPLI/ref=twister_B01MYOE8QD?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

HikinMike

Wow, that's a lot. The one I use does'nt grind as many beans as the one you have. But I'm the only one drinking coffee so it does fine. 

Ratkity

I certainly wouldn't pay that price for that, especially since they became popular. I like your little hand grinder @HikinMike!

DougH

Ratkity

DougH said:

I hope nobody thought I was endorsing that black friday deal posted above.  Took a screen shot of the price you discover when you click BUY NOW



And that's for a manual hand grinder! 

Omgosh @DougH !!Gotta watch them scammers. Geesh.

Ratkity

Wow @DougH *faint* That's money that could go into a teardrop!

pthomas745

We're not worthy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXN1yxax448

pthomas745

Yes, the Sylvia is nice.  But you are doing it while camping, which is a whole different planet!

Bclarke

So many great ideas!   But the question I have is.. can I use a small Keurig while I Boondock?  

jimcenname

The Aeropress uses a very short brew time (10 seconds) and a lower water temperature (175F) to reduce bitterness. I think a result is that it requires more coffee grounds than a pour over or a drip machine. Judging by responses here, as well as my opinion, it makes a great cup of coffee. Also, at a T@B 400 full-timer I don't want to mess with wet grounds and the aeropress handles that very well. You end up with a puck of grounds that pops out of the press and into the trash pretty cleanly. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@Bclarke - the Keurig  requires 120v power.  You would need a generator to provide power or an inverter that converts your battery 12v power to 120v.  Any heat producing appliance uses a lot of battery power, so you then need to recharge your battery.  Not sure how many watts is required for your Keurig.  We use a small pour over with a filter for coffee.  Light weight, heat water on the stove, easy.  

pthomas745

@Bclarke the smallest Keurig I just looked at says it uses 1470 watts to "preheat" the water.  Other sites tell me it takes only three minutes to heat up...and then goes down to 10-15 watts.   I have no idea if it would have to "preheat" again after making a cup.

So....on battery power:  you would need a large inverter, at least 1500 watts, but better would be 2000 watts, to handle the load of the Keurig.

That inverter must be connected directly to the battery, either hard wired or with battery clamps directly to the battery...not through the low power 12v plugs inside the camper.

At 1470 watts, the Keurig will pull 122 amp (hours) from your battery in an hour. (1470 watts divided by 12 volts) So.....that would be about 3 amp hours per minute to heat up the Keurig.  If this only takes three minutes, you will be using about 9 amp hours from your battery.  (These numbers are rounded up, and are probably a bit low.) 

So, if you have a decent size battery bank, and some way to replace those amp hours during the day, it can be done, if you want to go through all the attaching inverter to the battery, etc.  Should it be done?  That is between you and  your coffee!

kmulh

We use a stainless steel percolator that fits on the gas stove. If I'm solo I usually go for the aeropress.

Michigan_Mike

Bclarke said:

So many great ideas!   But the question I have is.. can I use a small Keurig while I Boondock?  

As noted above, depending on the size of your inverter and battery power it can be done.  But it does come with a price as it will deplete your battery power quickly and over time if your voltage drops below 50% it will damage your battery setup.  I was using 4- 6V batteries in a bank and had 470 watts of power out in the Arizona desert and perking coffee every morning.  Over time I did notice that the system was less efficient and would set off the alarm on the 3000 inverter.  But I was also running a furnace blower fan, LED lights, etc.  So the short answer is probably yes, it can be done but IMHO you would be better served using it on shore power or boiling water on your propane stove and either using a French press, pouring water down through coffee in a filter, using the instant coffee packets, utilizing a generator to power the trailer or any similar means.  

Bclarke

@pthomas745 @Michigan_Mike  I really appreciate the insights.  I have to admit the math scrambles my brain but I understand the bottom line .... keurig stays home.    Thank you!