How do you make coffee in TAB 400?

sabocat · June 2019

Almost ready to take my new TAB 400 out and about. However, need opinions. How do you make coffee? What works best for you? Interested in all thoughts.

b407driver · June 2019

Starbucks VIA for the first month, but it got expensive. Probably will transition to french press, even though I really don't want to mess with the (mess of) grounds...

4ncar · June 2019

Bialetti espresso maker. Tried & true! Sorry 320S owner chiming in!😛

VictoriaP · June 2019

Another 320 owner...but I make coffee the same way I do at home, pour over method with paper filters. At home, I use a knockoff glass Chemex carafe and an electric kettle. In the trailer water gets either boiled on the stove if no hookups, or I use a collapsible electric travel kettle, then pour into one of these + a paper filter over my cup.

Toss the filter and grounds, no fuss and limited mess. Both home and travel units use the same size filters for convenience.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RBTSMM/

TNOutback · June 2019

I’m an early riser, so I usually used a small isobutane backpacking stove outside to heat up water, then used an Aeropress for my morning coffee before anyone else was awake. Love the Aeropress!

_JB_ · June 2019

I'll probably take some heat for this one, but we turn on the inverter and run the single-serving Keurig. It's delightfully simple.

BigShowSkipper · June 2019

Bialetti moka pot be me. We love the Italian style coffee made over a burner.

N7SHG_Ham · June 2019

I guess it depends on shore power or generator availability. If not, then a Moka Pot is probably simplest, pour over, French press AeroPress, etc. Which all only require a way to heat water IE: propane stove. If you have power, I guess any plug in method you use at home works.

Sharon_is_SAM · June 2019

@VictoriaP, I never heard of a collapsible electric kettle and just googled it. That’s brilliant!

ScottG · June 2019

Ahhh, a truly hot topic indeed! ;-)

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/7764/boondocking-coffee-in-the-400/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/6349/kuerig

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3063/coffee-making-for-those-of-us-who-are-hard-core-drinkers/p1

DigitalSorceress · June 2019

I have a standard old whistling tea kettle I boil water in and then use a French Press. Thinking about an AeroPress...

I anticipate not always having hookups for electricity so even though at home I have a proper full espresso maker, I wouldn't want to have a mobile coffee solution that required 110v.. I will use my low-tech coffee solutions which produce acceptable enough results.

DanManz · June 2019

We use a Capresso 5 cup coffee maker. It's perfect because it makes just enough coffee for two big travel mugs. It fits in the cabinets above the sink. It's only 650 watts so I just wake up, poke the inverter and in about 2 mins, it is time to get out of bed.

https://www.amazon.com/Capresso-426-05-5-Cup-Coffeemaker-Silver/dp/B0728C671N/ref=sr_1_3?hvadid=77996675051187&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=capressa+coffee+maker&qid=1561389683&s=gateway&sr=8-3

pthomas745 · June 2019

I'm an Aeropress fan. The ease of cleaning the Aeropress (the coffee grounds just fall out of the bottom) enables multiple cups to be made in sequence. The french press and moka pots are almost impossible to clean out and start over until the whole unit cools down.

If you want a true time-sink today, check over the "Boondocking coffee in the 400" linked in ScottG's post above. Many great ways to make coffee, and some spectacular photos of DougH's Electra lever espresso machines.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/7764/boondocking-coffee-in-the-400/p1

VictoriaP · June 2019

Sharon_is_SAM said:

@VictoriaP, I never heard of a collapsible electric kettle and just googled it. That’s brilliant!

I love mine. Great for any kind of travel, it gets packed into even the smallest carryon for making tea multiple times a day. And because it squishes down, it fits well in the tiny overhead kitchen cabinets in the 320. They make so many great collapsible things nowadays, I really want a couple of collapsible cooking pots next.

Sharon_is_SAM · June 2019

I just got this one for packing in a suitcase.

Ratkity · June 2019

6 cup Bialetti moka pot, small hand grinder for beans from New Mexican Pinon Coffee. BTW, all 6 cups are for moi.

Deb55 · June 2019

I got a stainless Melitta pour over carafe, and a collapsible silicone kettle for heating the water. No electricity or battery power needed, and the carafe keeps the coffee hot for a long time.

ChanW · June 2019

Our 10 cup Bialetti stainless steel moka pot was our go-to 'best coffee ever', until we discovered the AeroPress. Now that's all we ever use (unless there's company... Making multiple cups with the AeroPress takes too much time).

The AeroPress also tends to 'allow' me to use a lot of coffee for each cup... makes for expensive, but dang good coffee!

faith · October 2019

We use this hand-turn coffee grinder at home and for travel. My husband and I both love it--so much simpler and more reliable than the electric ones. And this pour-over dripper. You wouldn't think it would matter, but it actually makes a much better cup of coffee than all the other pour-overs I've tried. Something about the rate that the water seeps through the "auto-drip" water reserve on top, maybe? Conveniently, it takes as long to grind the beans for one cup as it does to heat the water. We use them at home, and also pack them with us when traveling overseas.

Horigan · October 2019

We just use a cone filter that fits into our Nissan Thermos. Place the thermos with filter holder in the sink and pour hot water in.

https://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Manual-Coffee-Carafes-Thermos/dp/B000BUDDTY

N7SHG_Ham · October 2019

Some of how you make coffee is going to depend on availability of 120v power either via shore power or a generator. Too taxing on limited battery storage in a Tab to use an inverter for any heat generating appliance.

I use an aeropress at home and that works good anyplace, but my current grinder is electric so have to use some different way of supplying ground coffee in the Tab.

If you have power, then your options are roughly the same as at home assuming you want to haul all the bits and pieces. Are you camping or glamping?

A moka pot on the Tab cooktop is probably one of the simpler methods or a pour over, both just need the cooktop for heat and you can manually grind beans or use pre ground coffee for an emergency means.

gspdx · October 2019

My wife and I decided we weren't going to take a bunch of stuff in our camper that we don't need. We have a plastic cone that sits on the cup and holds the filter. Heat water on the stove and pour it through. Takes up very little space, makes good coffee, doesn't require any power, and it's cheap.

We don't need anything else.

cmac · October 2019

Used to use a Cabela's stainless steel perk but have converted to a hot pot and Starbucks Via - less mess and faster. Plus the side benefit of the hot pot is hot water for dishes.

grsiepka · October 2019

On our T@B400 with solar, just a regular coffeepot on the inverter. As long as we shut it off as soon as its done it's not too taxing on the battery. Solar will just about recover what it used, and have done a couple weekends boondocking like that. Wife and I like 2 full size cups in the morning so the 12cup coffeemaker was a must. Stores nicely under the sink when not in use.

Homebodyatheart · October 2019

I found the Stanley stainless steel french press and couldn’t be happier! Water heats quickly on my gas stove, much faster than a kettle does at home. It won’t break in transit, and I can use the main pot for cooking other things, like corn on the cob.

Stanley Adventure All-In-One Boil + Brew French Press , Silver , 32oz

Amazon'sChoicefor "camping french press"

Stanley Adventure All-In-One Boil + Brew French Press , Silver , 32oz

Amazon'sChoicefor "camping french press"

Tiwi · September 2020

My husband and I use a Coffee Gator Mug. I bought it as a present for him for one of our anniversaries, but then realized that I need it too. It is really convenient that everything you need to make coffee is already in the mug and you don't need to take extra bags with small details.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/jp/l8zx8ygrfhls.png

Denny16 · September 2020

I have a stainless Italian style espresso maker with an actual steam wand on it.
You can brew the coffee, open the valve to let steam pressure push it out, then heat some more to steam milk. Coffee van be anywhere from espresso rich to am Americano style, which is what I use.

I can get two six once cups on one brew or one 12 oz brew at a time. Works on the stove top, and is small enough to store in the TaB400 overhead locker. Makes great coffee, grounds stay in the top basket, similar to a percolator, but coffee is more of a stem/hot water extraction method rather than a drip brew.

cheers

TNOutback · September 2020

A small teapot for boiling water and an AeroPress. Unless it is raining, we cook outside on a propane camping stove.

JCALD · September 2020

French press with whole beans ground with a camping hand grinder that was recommended by Mandy and available on Amazon. Hot water provided by gas stove or better yet an induction Burner. Great coffee every time.