[pct-l] Coffee

[Wayne Kraft]

If you are serious about your coffee and willing to spend $30 and add 8 oz.
to your pack, there is nothing better than the Aerobie Aeropress:

http://www.rei.com/search?vcat=REI_SEARCH&query=aeropress&x=17&y=7

It produces coffee far superior to a drip coffee maker and better even than
a French press.  It produces a small quantity of highly concentrated coffee
to which you may add hot water for a perfect Americano.  The maker of this
device unfortunately insists that it makes espresso.  It really doesn't
quite do that and I think some have been disappointed in the Aeropress
because they purchased it expecting some sort of crema-topped perfect
espresso. Not really.  Just great coffee. I use mine every morning at home.
It cleans up quickly and easily.  A single filter can be rinsed off and
re-used for at least a week. This is a rugged piece of equipment and should
last years.

For a few ounces and another twenty bucks more you can add a small hand
crank burr grinder to your kit and have freshly ground coffee, packing fresh
roasted beans instead of pre-ground coffee:

http://www.amazon.com/Travel-Coffee-Burr-Grinder-Small/dp/B000SZPK2U

I have one of these, too, and it does a great job providing a quite
consistent grind.  Unfortunately, it takes a long time to grind a batch and
I just don't have time to deal with it every morning, resorting instead to a
quicker but less acceptable electric blade grinder. On the positive side,
the Aeropress doesn't seem to clog even if the grinder produces some fine
dust along with the rest of the grind.  The handle fits in the body of the
grinder.  Irresistible.

Now, if someone can show me how to roast green coffee with my esbit stove,
we could turn backpacking into a totally coffee oriented experience, hiking
perhaps 2 miles per day and spending the remainder of the day perfecting
tomorrow morning's cup.  In fact, I'm wondering if there are backpacking
destinations in the coffee country of Costa Rica, Guatemala or Ethiopia
where one might dispense with carrying beans and just pick them along the
way.