Non-Electric Coffee
It's going to be a bit short this week. I've been busy with job interviews, then job training, then job abandonment so the whole thing started over again. I am happy to report that I now have a great job ( satisfaction wise, not monetary ) at a non-profit food bank. At this point $7 an hour is just fine if the job is worthy and non-stressful. I'll put off the article on Elko and my set up until next time.
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Coffee is a necessity of life, ranking just behind food, oxygen and shelter. And a drip coffee machine is the best way for non-snobs ( those satisfied with caffeinated mud, not those needing taste ) to prepare this elixir. For those off grid this is really not an option. Coffee machines simply take too much power. The standard way to brew your coffee then becomes a peculator, either on a wood stove or with propane. The problem I have with that is the excess of fuel used to prepare your coffee. In the winter it is less of a problem since the heat is needed, but the rest of the year it becomes a waste. I have started using pre-soaked coffee to work around this. Best is grounds in water ( in a glass jar with lid ) sitting out in the sun the day before. If you must, it almost works as good just preparing the water before you go to bed ( this assumes the water will stay relatively warm ). The soaking leaches the oils out of the beans so all that is necessary is that you heat the water to boiling and it is ready to drink. No need to continually boil the water to achieve the same results. I have a re-usable filter I place in an old machine basket that I place on top of my cup and pour the boiling coffee in. I use a travel mug ( insulated plastic ) to enjoy a big mug of coffee for the next twenty minutes or so. If I want a second cup I will add more grounds than usual so that bringing it to a boil ( and then letting stand for a few minutes ) will produce the same results ( substituting extra grounds for a longer boil ). I have yet to try a French Coffee Press which is supposed to be better at extracting the coffee and uses water brought to a boil. This is a lot cheaper and should produce about the same results.
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21 comments:
lexan french press.
I have had one and used it for the past 9 years. boil water and dump it in with the grounds. makes a great cup of coffee with minimal fuel and little cleanup.
they are pretty much unbreakable as well, the only thing you need to be careful with is the filter press part. mine has lasted nearly 10 years now so they are not fragile, but can be torn and ruined. you could always rig up a few pieces of screens in there if you had to.
http://www.peak62.com/search/itemno/73433/
t
ditto the recommendation on the french press. Portable, efficient and they produce a great cup of coffee.
Don't shrug off the automatic drip. Yes it is a big power hog at 450+ watts but you are only using it for a few minutes if you have a insulated pot model. Plus if you use it in the morning the batteries have all day to recharge. If I remember right you have a small solar power system. I have done this with small systems in my camper. Works great assuming that the sun shines through the day.
I have the Aerobie AeroPress which just needs hot water. It makes the perfect cup of coffee. Never bitter and always smooth. Even with the cheapest coffee.
http://www.aerobie.com/Products/aeropress.htm
By chance the URban Survivalist has a post on the same subject today.
Obviously coffee is pretty important to a lot of us :D. As survivaltopics said, I posted a topic on roasting green coffee beans. I could envision a pretty good system even during the hotter months. In the morning you make a fire or turn on the camp stove. Then you can roast your beans for the next day (you want to let them cool...24 hours is plenty of time) while you boil your water for today's cup and cook your breakfast.
You just reminded me of something I need to find.
My Grandmother (one of two at 94 yrs old) has a pretty cool little gadget she uses, It is basically a plastic funnel that a coffee filter fits in at the top and the bottom snaps over a regular sized coffee mug,
Ya put a filter in, add a good tablespoon of coffee, or less, and pour hot water over it.
Presto, instant cup of coffee.
Slicker than snot.
If you decide to get a French Press, you might want to think about a stainless steel or titanium one. The stainless steel types are only a little more than the glass, but you will probably never have to replace them. We had two of the glass type and BOTH broke within a week of each other last month. After looking at what it would cost to replace them, I bit the bullet and got a stainless steel press (Coleman.)
Bustednuckles,
I think what you are looking for is a Mellita.
It costs about three bucks at any supermarket or department store.
Can't be beat for good quick cup of joe.
-Ivan
Thanks Ivan, that will help me to keep from having to wander around trying to eyeball one!
( PLEASE NOTE --- the Thermos Nissan French Press is a well insulated coffee pot. It IS NOT a thermos bottle.)
I placed a telephone order on Saturday May 31. June 10 UPS brought my Thermos Nissan French Press to the door.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/cafemaison/nistherfrenp.html
I read the instructions, and made coffee. There were enough grounds in the coffee that it was necessary to pour the coffee through a sieve.
Hmmmm.
This morning I
-preheated the pot
-put coffee grounds into the pot
-poured the pot over half full of boiling hot water
-installed the top/plunger/filter assembly
-and poured hot water into the pot up to the indicated level.
-let it steep for five minutes, then
-slowly pressed the plunger to the bottom.
There are no grounds in the coffee.
We are going to be happy with our TNFP.
BTW a Kelly Kettle is a useful thing in the field.
http://www.oldjimbo.com/survival/kellystove.html
Hey Vlad...
What do you guys use in the soviet Union?????
Do commies drink coffe or tea????
Anony
Congrats on finding employment James!
BIGBill says: Glad you found a job you like (or can, at least tolerate). These days, any job is very hard to get,except for the fast food places, and I would have trouble tolerating that. I can say that I have tried the old let it soak in the sun in a jar overnight and strained and heated it the next day business, but I found a better brand of instant to be superior to that stuff.
I don't drink the nasty stuff myself. But, I was able to get the woman to throw out the electric consuming device in exchange for a nice old fashioned percolator.
Ditto on the Melitta - we have the full sized coffee pot and the Melitta Cup a Joe. Boil water, pour over grounds. If you have a caraf you can put the pot of coffee in it and it stays warm for hours.
Try cold brewed coffee. We have a commercial gizmo, but you can find internet directions for improvising one. Ground coffee is soaked in cold water overnight, then filtered to produce a liquid concentrate. An ounce of the concentrate is then added to a cup of hot water. Cold brewing doesn't require electricity, a batch of the concentrate lasts a long time, and it tastes better than conventionally brewed coffee - the cold water doesn't leach bitterness out of the beans the way hot water does.
A French Press with water heated in a solar oven is a very low energy option. If you don't want to wait for the water to heat in the AM, just heat it the afternoon before and keep it hot in a thermos overnight. (Or go ahead and brew the coffee, too, and keep it hot in the thermos overnight.)
Would love to have the stainless steel French Press but I can pick up glass replacements at the thrift stores for 1/4 the price.
We have the item that BustedKnuckles spoke about. My sister-in-law decided to swear off coffee 14 years ago and gave us hers. It works great for us because the kids prefer hot chocolate, and its rare that we want more than a cup each...we can just heat up the water for both.
I bring greetings of unity and light to all.
As our third-density souls prepare for the great changes, I ask you to greet the earth and your fellow neighbors with the inspired love of the Almighty Creator.
Take what you have and distribute it freely to those that are suffering. Open your heart to their tales of woe. Assure them that their pain is not unending. Let them listen to the enlightened trees of wisdom.
Go to the markets and tell those that butcher how the animals suffer. Tell all who buy, that their plastic will not gain passage to the ascended level.
When the changes come, open the door of your shelter to those cowering in fear. Let them know that this is a glorious time, our spirits will be ascended.
Join me as we bask in the love of the most exalted. A wonderful day on our earth. Let us hope the light shines again tomorrow.
Cowboy coffee is the all-round best way to brew coffee, IMHO. You don't need any fancy equipment (just a pot), fuel usage is minimal (less than what is required to boil the same water) and it makes the absolute best-tasting coffee possible.
I made coffee this way everyday for years, while living offgrid; and have even made cowboy coffee in a stainless steel bowl far underground, while caving.
My primary pot is a late '50s Corningware pot that used to be a percolator, but any pot will work.
Here's how I do it: Bring the water almost but not quite to a boil, shut off the heat, and dump in the grounds. It will probably flash into a boil when you introduce the grounds. Give it a quick stir, then wait 10 minutes for the coffee to steep and the grounds to settle. Enjoy.
The first cup may have some grounds in it. If you're too much of a wuss and can't handle it, give that cup to your wife (Here Honey, first cup's for you!) and take the next one.
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