Coffee

[maryambaker]

Originally Posted by nobouffa

Total Newbie to the forum, and to sailing. But I figured this is a subject I can chime in on.

I've been a coffee roaster for over 20 years now, and talking about coffee is like talking about wine, or at least it can be, and all comes down to personal preference.

But here are my tips for getting the most out of your coffee while sailing.

1. COFFEE - Buy whole beans. Grind them when you are going to use them and the flavor will be the same for months if kept in a cool dark place. If you have to grind ahead, just grind up enough for 1 week and keep in a sealed container in cool spot.

2. GRINDING - Get yourself a hand grinder. I swear by the MSI Outdoor hand grinder. I've been using it for years. Fits on top of wide mouth bottle and smaller containers. As far as how much to grind your coffee, experiment. Find out what works for you, one man's french press grind is another mans espresso grind.

3. BREWING - I favor the lexan French Press. But I also have a back up Pour Over for one cup (it's basically a funnel with screen). But whatever you do, please for your own sake, DO NOT use a Percolater. I know here the states that's the way most of us grew up. And yes it does make the place smell nice. But it's the worst thing you can do to coffee. You are are boiling it over and over and over again.

Well, that's what I have to say about coffee, for now.

Time for me to get back reading up on sailing and introduce myself.

Agree. I have a Starbucks insulated stainless French Press and I love it. I use a Zassenhaus hand grinder (from Germany) that I got on eBay. You can set the grind to medium-coarse which is a good grind for the French Press. I prefer to use filtered water because the tap water here doesn't taste all that good. I boil the water in a teapot and pour it in the French Press and stir the coffee around for about half a minute; I don't know why I stir it around; it just seems to make the coffee stronger. The total brewing (or steeping) time is four minutes. I like really fresh beans so I grind the beans one day at a time and roll the rest of the beans up tight in the bag so no air can get in. I guess you could say making coffee is a big event in my day; it's very satisfying.

[SeanRW]

Best way to get a great cuppa ? drive to your local Tim Horton's and get a double double. But that only works if you're a Canadian (or live in NYC).

At home/boat/camping I use the french press. Buy the beans (sadly) pre-ground at a local market here in Toronto so I can sample different kinds.
The french press I use is an el-cheapo lexan one for several cups or a stainless insulated press/mug thing I bought at Starbucks for about $20. Both are great with the latter being really handy as I'm the only regular coffee drinker around.

For those Canadians out there looking to replicate the Tim's DD coffee, closest I've come is to use carnation canned milk & lots of sugar. Passable but the best is still the original Tim's.

SRW

[Keldee]

Agree whole heartedly with french press but you do have to make an effort to find a hand grinder,it is the only way for a good fresh taste. If you are handy with wood you can buy the grinding part from Lee Valley and make the casing with the little drawer yourself.Nice little project for the winter!

[hellosailor]

"closest I've come is to use carnation canned milk & lots of sugar. "
Candy bars. UGH!

[rikhall]

Originally Posted by mazzy

Anyone have an opinion on the portable espresso makers such as the Handpresso Wild or the Preva? Thinking of adding one to the galley.

Mike

Mike

Here is what we often use to make a cappuccino in the morning:

Here are the fixings (the $10 battery operated frother Battery Operated Hand Held Milk Frother is not on the table - sorry)



And here are the results (neither the fruit nor the OJ came from the espresso machine - sorry)



Rik

[mazzy]

Pretty good kit, Rik!

[casioqv]

A quick easy way to make "ok" coffee on a boat:

-Well insulated thermos full of boiling water
-Folgers Coffee Singles (real coffee grounds in tea bags)
-Individual cream packets that don't need refrigeration

This works great for day trips! The coffee isn't as good as a coffee press (what I use at home), but it's a lot easier, takes less time/space, and everything tastes good when you're sailing!

If you buy empty tea bags, you can grind your own beans at home and fill the tea bags, just before you leave with good quality coffee- it will be better and cheaper than the Folgers.

This works for multiple day trips also, if you can boil water onboard.