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goal20hc
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PostFri Dec 30, 2016 9:27 pm 
This is a follow up to the previous discussion about 'micro grind' coffee. I recently made a discovery I'd like to share with those who are unaware, as I was, about a new way to have great coffee while backpacking...single serve coffee in pouches. They are basically the same as tea bags, but contain coffee instead! Just add boiling water, let them set, and you're done. You get the taste of brewed coffee and they are a breeze to carry; when done using them, you can just cut them open, scatter the grounds so you only need to carry out the little pouch. Best of all worlds - tastes great, light, easy and no mess! For years (decades actually) I have been searching for the best way to have a good cup of coffee on the trail, without a bunch of mess... and without carrying any extra weight. These little guys have solved all of my frustrations with trail coffee!!! FYI - it's not instant coffee, it more like having a Keurig.

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goal20hc
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PostFri Dec 30, 2016 9:41 pm 
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Chief Joseph
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PostFri Dec 30, 2016 10:15 pm 
The forest gnome makes what he refers to as "Cowboy Coffee"...he just uses a dark roast course grind, boils it and drinks it unfiltered...it took a bit getting used to spitting out the chunks, but it tastes great and is very strong, much needed after a long hike or prior to another. I offered him a micro filter I saved off of an old coffee maker and he declined...he appears to like chunky coffee, but then I have never refused a cup of it either.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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Dalekz
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PostSat Dec 31, 2016 10:23 am 
Chief Joseph
Quote:
The forest gnome makes what he refers to as "Cowboy Coffee"...he just uses a dark roast course grind, boils it and drinks it unfiltered...it took a bit getting used to spitting out the chunks
The problem is with the grind. I found that finer the grind is (i.e. expresso grind), the better it settles ---larger the grind the more it floats

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mike
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PostSat Dec 31, 2016 12:08 pm 
Chief Joseph wrote:
"Cowboy Coffee"...
Yep, that's what I do. Baggie of pre-ground coffee. Don't see the point of pre-made little sacks. However I don't "cowboy" up and strain through my teeth, I use a handkerchief.

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contour5
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PostSat Dec 31, 2016 3:27 pm 
I like the Trader Joes pre-mixed pouches (with sugar and creamer), but they're pretty weak on the coffee, so I add a pouch of Tasters Choice. I find the Folgers to be a poor substitute for the TC. Minimal trash to pack out, no messy grounds, and good enough coffee for sitting on a rock looking at the mountains. I have a wire mesh "gold" filter for cowboy coffee when I'm car camping. It takes out most of the grounds and produces a decent cup of coffee. I usually don't carry a filter on the trail because I don't like carrying wet coffee grounds out.
Quote:
when done using them, you can just cut them open, scatter the grounds so you only need to carry out the little pouch
Well, I get that it's "only coffee grounds", but still can't quite get with dumping food residue around the campsites...

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whitebark
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PostMon Jan 02, 2017 11:25 am 
Try making coffee with a tea strainer. Mine is a stainless steel model that fits into a standard mug. Add coarse ground coffee into the strainer, shake the contents vigorously (to remove dust), pour boiling water into it, then let steep. Easy!

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AlpineRose
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PostMon Jan 02, 2017 9:27 pm 
That's a really good idea, whiteb. Might have to try it some time. A Tea filter basket or a Mesh tea ball would seem to work great for coarsely ground coffee. I've seen relatively grounds-free cowboy coffee made when the procedure is finished by vigorously swinging the pot in many circles to compact the grounds. Not that that there's anything wrong with using teeth to strain the grounds.

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Chief Joseph
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PostMon Jan 02, 2017 9:43 pm 
I don't think Gnomie strains the chunks through his teeth, I think he's chews them up and swallows them. Great idea, the tea bag strainer thing, I will definitely try that!

Go placidly amid the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
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nickmtn
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PostTue Jan 03, 2017 6:22 pm 
This thing is great. I've used it for probably 5 years now. Weighs next to nothing and makes a delicious cup of real coffee. The only problem is dealing with the wet grounds, but I think that is an issue with most systems.

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mike
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PostTue Jan 03, 2017 6:34 pm 
I carried a coffee sock like these around Latin America for months. About as simple as you can get other than Cowboy coffee.

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captain jack
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PostTue Jan 03, 2017 9:25 pm 
Those little dipper coffee bags are awful, really only suitable for those who really dont appreciate coffee at all. I like strong, dark coffee. I have found that I need at least two of those bags to minimally flavor 12 ounces of water, three is better, but still lacking my desired flavor. I smash them with a spoon to coax out as much coffee as possible, but they still suck. What I crave when camping is dark roast coffee perc'd over a wood fire. This is my reference standard, dark, bitter, and with a slightly smokey taste. I miss it so much I pull out the percolator when I have time at home, on the weekends, instead of making drip. I still miss that wonderful smokey Fir element, but it still works good. The clang of the pot bouncing off the back of my pack on overnighters gives me some sort of strange comfort, plus it scares away the bears. This is one area where weight savings are a non issue, I can choke down a freeze dried breakfast as long as I have good coffee.

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RumiDude
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PostWed Jan 11, 2017 9:55 pm 
contour5 wrote:
Quote:
when done using them, you can just cut them open, scatter the grounds so you only need to carry out the little pouch
Well, I get that it's "only coffee grounds", but still can't quite get with dumping food residue around the campsites...
+1 Pack it in, pack it out. Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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Pyrites
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PostWed Jan 11, 2017 11:28 pm 
I don't know about cowboy coffee. But sheep herder coffee, here it is. Boil water. Three pints? Add one pound Folgers. Take off wood stove as it reheats, but before reboil. Let cool and steep. Once cool remove grounds. There was something about egg shells helping them settle. I don't remember how that worked. Cover, cool. When you want coffee pour some of the syrup in a cup, add water from kettle off stove. I don't know if you can buy a red can of Folgers anymore. But that was how I always heard it spec'ed. And I am only reporting the method, not endorsing the end product.

Keep Calm and Carry On? Heck No. Stay Excited and Get Outside!
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mike
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PostThu Jan 12, 2017 10:28 am 
I don't know what they put in cans but it isn't coffee smile.gif

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