Coffee makers + coffee grounds

[tacoma4cyl]

Two parts to my question.

First, do any of you coffee drinkers use a pour over style of coffee maker like the Melitta? https://shoponline.melitta.com/produ...COFFMKRSPROVER
Does it make coffee which tastes as good as an electric drip coffee maker? We used a coffee press on our maiden trip in our 19 foot Escape, the coffee was fine but dealing with the loose grounds on cleanup was a pain. With the pour over style there’s a filter which acts as a disposal envelope.

This brings me to the second part of my question, coffee grounds in the grey tank? We didn’t want to add any solids to the tank if we could possibly help it and ended up straining the cleanings from the coffee press through a piece of paper towel for disposal with the garbage. Are we worrying needlessly about the presence of coffee grounds in the grey tank and do they flush out when it’s emptied? I know from experience that grounds seem to develop an affinity for plastic surfaces and are difficult to rinse out of a plastic basin for instance. I can just imagine them trapped in the wrinkles of the sewer hose and falling out as powder when it dries out.

Regards,
Alan S

[dave macrae]

Alan, I would have to say good coffee is a priority in life. We have two options for coffee making, first off we have a colemandrip style maker that looks like a regular drip maker but you put it over the stove to heat the water, second of all we have a small little cuisinart 4 cup electric drip maker. I am installing a inverter to run the electric maker when I want a quick cup. this will moslty for when on the road. Both are very simple with next to no mess. we keep a large thermos to keep the coffee hot when we use the coleman one. I would say the most important step and aften over looked is the water. We have a few refillable 4 L water jugs that we refill at safeyway and with all this i can make starbucks quality coffee anywhere !! All this from someone who has acepted that they have a coffee problem, well at least its better than drugs and booze.

[gbaglo]

We use a Melita thermal carafe / filter set that unfortunately has been discontinued by Melita. However, there are others you can find on the web. This one is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Manual-Co.../dp/B000BUDDTY

Search "manual drip filter thermal carafe" and you will turn up several. You just need to ensure that the filter holder sits comfortably on the carafe.

We have used ours for years and years.

The Melita version you found doesn't come with a thermal carafe. I don't know what they were thinking when they stopped production.

baglo

[gbaglo]

Quote:

I am installing a inverter to run the electric maker when I want a quick cup.

Unquote.

Careful. I bought a one-cup electric drip coffee maker from Starbuck's on sale. It used very little power for a coffee maker.
Plugged it into my inverter and the inverter into the lighter socket and melted the plug on the inverter.

So, you might get around this by hard-wiring the inverter, but it's going to suck power.

baglo

[JeffZ]

We use the an inverter, but it's around 2000watts and it's directly hardwired to the batteries. Of course it works great, more than enough for coffee maker or toaster..

[onetim]

I strongly recommend the "Clever Coffee Maker" available from www.sweetmarias.com and probably Amazon. It uses Melita pour over filters. It is the simplest way to make great coffee. You can scatter the grounds outside or dispose of in the trash. Do not put them down the drain.

There are other Melita filter holders, but most of them allow the water to pass through the grounds too quickly. Forget electric coffee makers, they do not get the water hot enough for proper extraction. French presses make excellent coffee but cleanup is a hassle in a trailer.

The SweetMarias web site also sells manual coffee grinders for the real enthusiasts. Nothing like fresh ground beans...

Tim

[cheryls]

I don't like to deal with coffee grounds while camping and so we use Maxwell House filter packs. Two in the electric drip coffee maker when we have hookups or two in the Coleman drip on the stove when we don't.

I love great coffee and normally use freshly ground French roast to make coffee at home. But the Maxwell House isn't half bad and I don't have to worry about grounds in the gray tank.

[cpaharley2008]

yes there are filters for electric percolators and for stovetop percolators, then throw grounds in trash. But I see nothing wrong with them in your gray tanks, they certainly are better than greasy water from washing dishes. This is what will mess up your sensors, not coffee grounds. May even help.....

[Jim Bennett]

There was a previous thread about brewing coffee with lots of info. CLCK As mentioned there I am a bit of a coffee snob. I roast and grind my own beans. Though I have a few favourites, I love trying out beans from different regions, roasted to different levels. Only for espresso or an Americano do I ever go as high as a French roast, and never to Vienna. The more you roast, the less the caffeine left in the bean. Plus, you get lots of interesting flavours at lower roast levels, more notes of fruit and flowers, whereas the darker roasts tend to bring out the chocolate and nutty flavours.

Melitta drip works just as good as most electric drips. There are a bunch of one cup pour through cones like Tim does.

There are a couple of electric coffee makers that work not to bad at all, as they both heat the water to a high enough temp.
The Bonivata is one I have had for a few months that does work pretty good, though I mostly use a moka pot or Aeropress. LINK
The Technivorm is another good one, but fairly pricey. LINK

As far as dealing with the spent grounds, I either send them in the bushes when boondocking, or put them in the garbage if at a campground.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by cheryls

.... we use Maxwell House filter packs.

I love great coffee...

Kinda contradictory statements, Cheryl

I tried those filter packs, and it tasted like old stale grounds filtered through dirty socks to me. LOL

[gbaglo]

But Jim, the advantage to the Maxwell House filter packs is that you can use them over and over, with no loss of flavour

Sorry Cheryl.

baglo

[ddevin]

Years ago I had the chance to go sailing with an old guy that had built his own boat. He swore that putting the grounds down the sink did no harm, and actually helped to keep the lines clean. He had sailed this boat across the Pacific with no problems, so it worked for him. I'm not sure about the comparison between a boat and a trailer, but they must be similar.

Last summer I picked up an old style stainless steel percolator in a second hand shop while passing through Bow, Washington. It makes decent coffee, and the sound reminds me of my childhood! When desperate we use Starbucks instant, not bad, but I know, living on the dark side for coffee purists!

[Glennrose]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

There was a previous thread about brewing coffee with lots of info. CLCK As mentioned there I am a bit of a coffee snob. I roast and grind my own beans. Though I have a few favourites, I love trying out beans from different regions, roasted to different levels. Only for espresso or an Americano do I ever go as high as a French roast, and never to Vienna. The more you roast, the less the caffeine left in the bean. Plus, you get lots of interesting flavours at lower roast levels, more notes of fruit and flowers, whereas the darker roasts tend to bring out the chocolate and nutty flavours.

Melitta drip works just as good as most electric drips. There are a bunch of one cup pour through cones like Tim does.

There are a couple of electric coffee makers that work not to bad at all, as they both heat the water to a high enough temp.
The Bonivata is one I have had for a few months that does work pretty good, though I mostly use a moka pot or Aeropress. LINK
The Technivorm is another good one, but fairly pricey. LINK

As far as dealing with the spent grounds, I either send them in the bushes when boondocking, or put them in the garbage if at a campground.

Wow Jim! You really do take your coffee seriously! Have you tried the Kopi Luwak coffee from Indonesia yet? Here is how it is, um, er... 'made':

"The secret of this delicious blend," enthuses the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board, "lies in the bean selection, which is performed by a luwak, a species of civet cat endemic to Java. The luwak will eat only the choicest, most perfectly matured beans which it then excretes, partially digested, a few hours later. Plantation workers then retrieve the beans from the ground, ready for immediate roasting."

Ha ha ha! I wonder if this is the blend that Tim Hortons uses, it has always tasted like it came from a cat's butt to me!!!

I guess those grounds would have to go to the black tank!

Cheers,
Glenn

[Jim Bennett]

No, I haven't tried civet poop coffee yet. I would be glad to, but not at the prices they charge for it. Just like I really like Kona and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffees, but they are not worth the premium you pay. They are plenty of other good coffees out there to be had.

[Vermilye]

While the Melita systems work just as well as a drip coffee maker, I found them to be a pain for making one cup of coffee. My solution, since I have to have a cup of good coffee each morning, was like Jeff, to add an inverter. In my case it was a 1000W Xantrex ProWatt SW wired with 1/0 cable directly to the batteries. I use a 4 cup electric drip coffee maker that draws 65 amps from the batteries for about 6 minutes. Even with some overnight use of LED lighting, the furnace & some time on my laptop, the solar panel usually brings my batteries back to full in a couple of hours.

As to disposal of he grounds, I just fold up the filter & put it in the garbage.

[GaryH]

We use a Mellita cone dripped into a thermal pump pot. Works great! Heat water on the coleman, outside (keeps all that moisture out, where it belongs). Glenn, i know what you mean re the cones. This last spring we were looking for a new cone, ended up finding one at the local thrift store. Wonder why Mellita would stop selling them individually (they still sell them c/w a carafe).

[dave macrae]

As jim mentioned water temp when brewing coffee is important, and as jon mentioned just making a single cup of coffee can be handy too. I checked the wattage on our 4 cup machine and although I don't remeber the number I do remember it being very low. It is also very quick and makes good coffee, and can just throw out the filter and coffee when done. I will mostly be using the inverter for this when on the road and travelling so typicaly the solar will have a good chance to replenish the batteries while driving.

[jeffkoncz]

We go "old school" with this percolator:
http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-S...dp/B001LF3I2K/

It's great for dry camping. Just put it on the stove top, wait until it starts "percing", wait 4 more minutes = perfect wake-up juice

Yes, we get some grounds down the sink and into the gray tank when washing the basket, but no problems to report.

[peter]

Thanks to all for the coffee info. My attempts are usually considered cruel and unusual punishment and "grounds" for divorce !!!. Cheers. Peter

[Hokie Escape]

Jim put me on the AeroPress on the previous thread....Just heat your water to 180 degrees, and pour it in. Can't be simpler, or taste better, even if you heat the water over a campfire, or on the stove top, or in a hot pot...electricity or not, you are in business. It's the best, and CHEAP!
Don't put the grounds in your gray tank. The AeroPress is SOOOOOOOO easy to clean!