I am beyond picky about coffee. There are just so many ways to ruin it: the temperature, the roast, the brew strength, the freshness, the body, adding flavors, adding foams, reheating it—oh, the humanity. I cannot stress enough that almost all coffee you buy prepared is trash.
Maybe you think you are picky about coffee, too. But I have to be honest: most people who seem at first like promising candidates for my cohort of coffee grinches turn out to be disappointingly agreeable. They'll even go to Starbucks at the airport.
You may also think that sometimes, in some places—like, say, on a moving bus or at an airport gate—the choice falls to either mediocre coffee and no coffee. False, my friend, false.
What you need are the right tools. In this case, you need an outlet, a collapsible travel kettle, water, an Aeropress, and the ground coffee of your choice (but choose freshly roasted and ground beans, please). See? All of these are definitely accessible in most vehicles, hotels, and transit hubs. Your ignorance is no longer invincible.
With these tools, even on a moving charter bus, I have successfully brewed the coffee we not only need, but the coffee we deserve.
P.S. Full disclosure: take care packing these elements into a carry-on. Sometimes my bag has been flagged because I guess the security recognition technology thinks it's "usual" and "routine" for travelers to pack hair dryers and curling wands, but not their own kettles.
Collapsible travel kettle - just add water and plug in to boil (yes, I have done this on a charter bus, at airport gates, and in hotel rooms)
Aeropress- I wish this press was more attractive, but nonetheless I do not travel without it because it brews excellent coffee and all the components can be consolidated into one lidded container, which also doubles as a mug
Cylinder travel kettle - another size/shape option for different packing situations
Two sources of good beans where your purchase will apply beyond profit: Mystic Monk, which supports a Carmelite monastery, and Seven Weeks, which supports services for pregnant women
Comments