Do you love to travel? Or do you only travel occasionally? No matter which of these you are, traveling does refresh the mind and re-energize the body. But what will you do if you find yourself miles away from the nearest town, and you have a strong urge to drink a cup of joe?
Before starting let me set the record straight. While traveling, you should not expect to carry 1 liter of coffee in a thermos that you brewed at home before embarking on your trip and expect it to stay fresh the whole time you are gone. Also, you cannot expect to find a coffee shop near where you decide to set up camp.
So what should you do? Simple, you carry compact coffee brewing tools with you. This way, you will be able to brew fresh cups of joe whenever you need it.
Best Ways to Make Great Coffee While Traveling
Now let’s dive right into how you can brew a fresh cup of coffee while traveling.
Boil Your Water
The first thing you need is to boil the water, and to do that; you need a heat source. If you carry a Moka Pot with you, you don’t have to worry much about how you will heat the water.
If you stay at a hotel during your trip, you will surely have an electric kettle. But if you are camping in the open air, you can carry a compact gas stove with you. You do not need to carry a separate gas stove just for brewing coffee, though; you can use the one you bring to cook food.
AeroPress
Aeropress is a popular coffee brewing tool. It has a cylindrical body, and a paper filter at one end, and a plunger on the other. The size of an AeroPress is also tiny so it will fit right into your backpack.
The AeroPress is a mixture of French Press and Pour Over. It follows full immersion brewing like the French Press. On the other hand, it also uses a paper filter like the pour-over method.
If you are new to AeroPress, here is how it works. First, pull the plunger out, and unscrew the filter end. Take your ground coffee and pour it inside. Then go ahead and add hot water. Let the coffee ground bloom for 4-5 minutes. When it’s done, it is ready to be served. As simple as that! If you carry an AeroPress, you can brew coffee while traveling with the least amount of effort.
Moka Pot or Percolator Pot
There is one thing common between the Moka Pot and the Percolator Pot, both of them are stovetop coffee makers. Do not worry about their size; they are compact and will fit right inside your bag pack.
When carrying a Moka Pot, or a Percolator Pot, all you need to worry about is a heat source. It can be an open fire. You can also use the campfire. Or if you or any of your tripmates are carrying a gas stove, you can use that as well.
The Moka Pot and the Percolator work in a similar fashion too. You take it and fill it up with water. Then, you take your preferred ground coffee and pour it into the tiny cone-shaped metal basket. As the water starts to boil, the pressure builds up inside the pot, and water is pushed up through the coffee grounds.
Travel French Press
We all know what a French Press is, but what is a Travel French Press? Well, it is a variation of French Press that comes with a built-in mug. You take it and brew coffee like you would with an ordinary French Press.
When the brew is complete, you press the plunger downwards, and the brew will drop right inside a travel mug.
The advantage of using a Travel French Press is, you do not need to carry a separate coffee mug with you.
Turkish Pot
The Turkish Pot might be the oldest coffee brewing tool out there. With Turkish Pot, you need finely ground coffee. However, if you buy pre-ground coffee from the supermarket or do not carry a grinder with you, do not worry. Go ahead and brew your coffee; the taste will not differ that much.
While brewing with a Turkish Pot, you must experiment with your brew recipe. Take some cinnamon with you, and put them in your coffee brew. If you haven’t tried cinnamon with coffee, the taste will blow your mind; that is a guarantee.
V60 or Filter Cone
There is a common misconception about V60 brewers and a Filter Cone. V60 is a special kind of filter cone. However, no matter if you are using a V60, or a Filter Cone, they both are used for pour-over coffee brewing.
Both the V60 and the Filter Cone are compact. Furthermore, you will find certain models that are foldable. Yes, that is right!
Just like foldable cups, you will find cones that are foldable and can be used multiple times. This way, you do not need to fill up your bag with a full box of such cones for your trip. Taking one or two for a week-long trip will suffice.
The Verdict
We hope you learned about how you can brew fresh coffee while traveling. We listed down five effective and easy ways of brewing coffee while traveling. Do let us know if you have a way of brewing coffee while traveling.
