Ultimate Moto Camping Coffee Guide: Brewing in the Woods on Two Wheels

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How do you get your coffee fix when you're in the woods on two wheels?

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Welcome to the Throttle and Roast podcast. I'm your host, Niels Meersschaert. In this episode, we'll be looking at the ways to bring your favorite coffee shop to your campsite when your motor camping.

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So let me start off with defining what is motocamping?

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Well, quite simply, this is when you're camping on your motorcycle. There are some unique characteristics of camping on a motorcycle that I think are actually really wonderful about it. But it does also mean that you have to think about how you pack and what you pack a little differently than if you're doing car camping or even backpack camping. On a motorcycle. We have limited carrying space, so we're not going to have a huge trunk or a huge back part of an SUV where we can carry everything that we might possibly need With the limited pack size we're actually very concerned with the size of the items that we bring. And that makes a big difference for how we go camping. It may mean that we have to give up some of the things we may enjoy for when we're going camping. But to me, the experience of camping when you're on the motorcycle just brings these two worlds together wonderfully. Because in a motorcycle you're exposed to all the elements you're enjoying all of the atmosphere. And it's the same thing when you're camping.

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So I think it just continues that experience in a very positive light.

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I personally have always found that my morning is incomplete without coffee. Now, yes, if you're camping on a motorcycle, you could go to your local coffee shop after you break up camp. But who wants to do that without coffee? Who wants to tear down their entire campsite? Wait all that time until you actually go and have your first cup of coffee? It's actually a really wonderful thing to be sitting at the campsite and sipping a wonderful cup of coffee. So this is why to me, you want to have that. Now, as I mentioned earlier, that space is very limited on a motorcycle. So how we choose the items that we want to bring is going to be limited more by space than by desire. Now, personally, I always prioritize bringing coffee gear with me because it is something that is so important. even if you choose to take stuff with you, there are some variability in the options that you can choose. And I'm going to try to cover those in this episode So what do you need for Moto Camping Coffee? Well, while you could try to bring your home coffee gear with you, I'm going to go through some camping specific options as they're going to be a little bit more compact and take up less space in your bags when you're on the motorcycle.

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So the first thing we're going to talk about is a stove and a kettle. So you really want to decide if you want to have discrete items like a separate stove and kettle or an integrated setup. if you're going to do it in a separate approach, you're going to want to forget about those two burner stoves like those from Eureka or Coleman that might be good for car camping. They're awesome for cooking meals, especially with the whole family. But their size pretty much makes them impractical for Moto camping.

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What you want instead is small stoves that attach directly to a fuel canister.

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These are tiny, and the stove alone usually fits in the palm of your hand. This is a couple that I can talk about here that I've had personal experience with. The first one is from MSR, and this is called the Pocket Rocket. Very small stove, very easy to control. Nice small size, not super expensive. Works really well. Now, the other one that you can use would be from Snow Peak. This is called the Snow Peak Lite Max. Again, nice.

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Small size fits in the palm of your hand and you can mount it directly onto a fuel canister.

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Now, if you want to use a kettle with these and I mean a traditional sort of a kettle like that you would have with a pouring spout. There's a couple that you can do that are really made for camping. And the advantage of these is that they're like the ones you have at home, but they're made out of lightweight materials and they also collapse. So they're not going to take up quite as much pack space as a full kettle, which you could do as well. But I think those are just a little too bulky for when you're moto camping. So the first one I can talk about is the Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight collapsible kettle. This is about 1.1 litres and its focus is really being on as lightweight as possible. So mostly plastic sort of materials into there. It still works very, very well, though. It has a metal base that allows it to be heated directly onto the stove.

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So if you want the ultimate lightweight kettle, this is the one to go for. Now, if you want something that's a little bit more capacity, a little bit more metal construction in there, so it'll retain heat a little bit more effectively. I could suggest the Sea to Summit Detour, stainless steel collapsible kettle. This is, as I said, about 1.6 litres. Also a very good choice for having a kettle.

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So while both of these kettles are really compact and smaller than what you would have in terms of a standard kettle, they do take up some width and they may make them a bit harder to pack.

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I think the integrated options are actually better for motor camping and especially if you have a few different bikes having one set up that you can bring across all of them probably makes it a little bit easier. The other thing is that when you have your stove and your cook vessel integrated, they're nesting together, so the pack size is further minimized.

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Now, I'm going to start with a couple of of options that I think are really good here. And I actually own both of these.

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The one that I'm going to start with is actually the least compact set up. And this is from a company called BioLite. So they started with stoves that supported villages in Africa, BioLite created these stoves with built in fans to optimize the burn and reduce the smoke.

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The added benefit was that this heat probe could generate electricity to power the fans and also to provide lighting for the home. So they released a camping stove using that same technology in a much smaller setup. And now in its second generation, the Camp Stove 2, is about eight inches by five inches. And unlike most camping stoves, this doesn't use a fuel canister. Instead, you break up small twigs and branches you may find around the campsite and put them into the burner area. The stove uses the wood as its fuel.

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The advantage is you never have to worry about running out of fuel on your trip. And this stove can produce enough power to not only power the fans that optimize the burn, but it has some spare power, allowing you to charge some electronics like your phone. So why is this such a compelling option? Well, as I said, using your wood as the fuel is actually a hugely valuable. If you're going on an extended trip, you might have to carry a few fuel canisters with you to support the entire trip.

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You don't need to do that with the Camp Stove. All of your fuel you're going to discover right at your campground. So it's something where the fuel is effectively infinite for you and you never have to worry about running out of it. The other advantages, like since it can charge your electronics, it's doing double duty. You may not need to bring a big power brick along with you to charge up your phone or any other electronics that you might have and this, I find, is best when paired with the kettle pot, which is their large pot, the cool thing about the kettle pot is that the stove nests inside of it, so you really don't have to have a huge amount of pack size. Your pack is going to be just the kettle pot because everything is going to be inside of that. Now it works with other cookware like pans. They also have their own grill, which I use also. It's really cool if you want to grill a couple of steaks at the campsite. Now, the downside is, as I said, it's bulky. The other thing is when you're trying to get the fire going, it can take a little bit more time because you have to collect the wood.

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Then you have to start the fire.

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You have to get it hot enough where it actually starts burning to the point where you actually can get the fans going and get enough heat going to start to boil water. So it takes a little bit more time. To me, this is the ideal one to use when you're on an extended camping trip. So, for example, I used this on a backcountry discovery route last year. I was camping for about ten days and this is the stove that I used for my entire trip.

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So I cooked my meals on it. I made my coffee water with it.

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Everything was done just with this one stove. And I never had to worry over ten days of camping that I was going to run out of fuel because everything was available right at any campsite. For me to just grab some twigs, throw them in there, heat it up really, really effectively.

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Now, the other option that you can do is actually by a company that's very well known in the industry and that's JetBoil. And they were they actually the originator of this concept of an integrated cook vessel and stove. And the cool thing with them is that the stove, the fuel canister and the stabilizer feet all nest inside the cook vessel to keep it compact and it can boil water very quickly. Thus the named boil. you have to decide with this particular unit what your priority is going to be. So typically what they're going to have is where you can focus on coffee only, and this is where you might need it just to boil water to use for coffee or dehydrated meals. And something like the Flash would be the ideal one there. It's also one of their smallest options. And the stove is basically going to be either off or on full blast.

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So you can't fine tune it to support simmering if you wanted to actually cook some meals, not dehydrated meals, but real meals.

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So if you do want to have a little bit more flexibility with cooking, you'd want to look at some other options in their catalog. one of the ones that I can see just for that, which is what I personally use now, is called one of the Mo stoves. I actually have the Mini Mo And the advantage of this is that it tends to be a little bit of a shorter, wider vessel. So it's a little bit easier if you wanted to stew something and cook it.

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The other advantage is that the stove itself is regulated and this means that you can actually adjust the flame intensity so you can move it all the way down to a simmer or all the way up to a full burn. So for me, what I find with the Jet Boils is because they have the fuel canister, if I'm going for like a weekend or maybe even a long weekend, I'll usually bring the jet boil. It's very fast to set up and get your water boiled.

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And if you're just cooking dehydrated meals, it's ideal as well, especially if you just do the flash. But my typical dividing line and whether I bring the JetBoil or the BioLite is how many meals or coffee boils that I need for the trip.

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So a small fuel canister will easily support a weekend for yourself and maybe one other person. You know, if you're going to be going for a longer, you'll want to carry that spare fuel. And now that savings in terms of size for the BioLite is lost. So I'll just bring the BioLite instead. The other advantage of the BioLite is, of course, the ability to charge my electronics, which means I don't have to bring bring a battery break. So it it's kind of doing two different functions. And therefore you can look at its sizes effectively eliminating a power brick. So really weekend versus long trip, leaving that that battery brick at home, that's the advantage of the BioLite versus the JetBoil. But if you're just going for a quick weekend jaunt, the JetBoil is awesome. It's going to be a little bit smaller pack size. So it's perfect for those type of trips. But I'd love to know what you think you know. Do you bring a separate stove and kettles or do you prefer one of the integrated approach? And if you do prefer the integrated approach, what's your favorite stove combination that you use?

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Text us through the link in the show notes and we'll share your feedback in a future episode.

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Now what you want to use for your coffee will probably influence your next steps.

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Ideally, you know, if you're a huge coffee aficionado, you're going to have a favorite bean that you're used to running. If you're maybe just looking for, Hey, I just need to have something. When I'm going on a motorcycle, I want to have a decent cup of coffee that I can just make it the campsite. This is where you might start to look at a divide between what I'll describe as, like instant coffee versus more of a artisanal or a a typically ground and brewed coffee.

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So if you're going to do the instant coffee, there's a few different options you can explore here. So first off, I break this down to a couple of different options. One would be what I'll call a dissolving brand. And what I mean by this is something like the Starbucks Via. And these are tiny little packs that are single serving packs for each one of them, and they can fit pretty much anywhere in your pack. So it's super, super easy and convenient to bring along. And as each pouch is pretty measured, you simply open it up, pour it into your cup and add the hot water.

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The thing is that the taste is like, it's okay. I mean, it's definitely coffee, but. It's going to have a little bit of a grittier flavor because it's dissolved into there and it's not going to be quite as fresh as if you had something that was more recently ground. So you've got to you've got to sort of think of that dividing line between the quality of the coffee that you're looking for versus the convenience and space savings that you're going to get with something like Starbucks Via. Now,there are other brands that also make instant coffee.

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The challenge, I'd say with many of those, and that's why I, I tend to sort of think of like the Via as being the option for Moto Camping is that most of them are intended for use at home. So the packaging tends to be a little bit physically larger. They assume they're going to have a measuring spoon.

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So when you start to add in all of those, now you're starting to think of like the extra bulk that you need to bring with you.

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It's certainly convenient at home, but maybe not as ideal for on the road. So I tend to think of it like the Starbucks via from the dissolving type of instant coffee as being a good option. Now there's another one that's, that's pretty cool, which is kind of taking the same premise as a teabag where they'll actually distribute the coffee inside of a tea bag so you can just rip it open, take out the tea bag, and now you just infuse it into the water just like you would a regular cup of tea. But these are coffee grinds that are in that bag, so you'll steep it just as you would a tea. And the advantage over those dissolving ones be at the other brands or the the Starbucks Via is that you don't have that grit inside of your coffee and in this I find, makes the flavor a little bit nicer.

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It's a better experience for it.

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It is physically a little bit bulkier, though, than the Via.

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So, you know, you take your take your pick of where your level of.

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It's not like it's massively it's a little bit larger, but it is something that you have to think of. Now, another one that you could think of for using in this sort of an instant coffee vein would be a capsule. So things like, you know, you might want to use a capsule like one of those from Nespresso, and these are actually really good when paired with something like the, Wacaco MiniPresso NS for making espresso and they're available in a wide variety of flavors so you can bring your favorite one with you. So if we think of instant coffee, there's a massive amount of convenience.

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It doesn't require a lot of extra gear. And if you're really limited on space, it might be your only option to be able to have some coffee with you on the go. You just basically need a stove that you can heat water from and then you're whether it's the tea bags or the Starbucks, Via or the capsules, you've got something that can actually bring some bit of coffee.

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But if you love artisanal coffee and you want to try to bring that coffee shop experience with you, they might leave you wanting that a little bit more. And this is where you can start to look at a couple of other options that you can do.

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So if you have your own favorite beans that you have at home, well, you could pre grind them at home, stick them into a little bag, you know, like a Ziploc bag or something and bring them with you. The advantage, of course, is that you don't have to bring a grinder with you. You've already pre ground your your grinds. But I really like to have freshly ground coffee. So I think that's a good option if you're really, really tight on space and you can't afford to bring a hand grinder with you. But I always buy all of my coffee in a whole bean and I grind it just before I brew it. And this is where the whole beans are that I actually prefer myself. So this is where I'm mostly brewing it. I bring the beans, I bring a grinder, and now I have that wonderful experience of sitting around the campsite in the morning. You know, the sun has just risen and I'm sitting there grinding the beans for a wonderful, wonderful cup of coffee. So that's my personal preference. But I'd love to know what you think. Do you prefer whole beans? Do you prefer pre ground or do you prefer instant coffee when you're moto camping takes the show through the link in the shownotes and we'll share your feedback in a future episode.

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Now if you're not going to use instant coffee, but you're going to use one of the pre ground or the beans, you're going to have to start to think about how you're going to brew that coffee. And there's a few different options that I'll go through here and they're going to be in different levels of complexity, different levels of sizing, and you'll have to figure out what maybe particular brewing approach you prefer will make sense for you. You know, the simplest one that you can do is actually most similar to that sort of Starbucks Via in. It's typically referred to as cowboy coffee. And essentially you just throw the grinds into your cup and add hot water. Now, you don't want to drink your coffee all the way to the bottom because the grinds will be in there. There's a chance that it can over extract because the grinds are sitting there in your coffee. So you'd oftentimes put in fewer grinds or maybe a different grind size than you normally would. But the advantage is you don't need any additional brewers. Personally, this isn't something that I would ever intentionally do. I have had some moto camping trips where I forgot to pack some stuff. And from that point on I always made sure I had a list, but it was the only way that I could have coffee in the morning.

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So learn from my mistakes. And let's talk about maybe some of the more practical brewing options that are out there.

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I'm going to start with a drip or a pour over style. Now, this is one of my favorite brewing styles at home. And what you can do here is you can actually get a collapsible cone that you put over your cup and you add a paper cone filter into it for making your coffee. And while the brewer is very compact, you still need to have a cup and you need to carry some paper filters with you. You'll also want to have a garbage bag to take them with you to follow the Leave No Trace outdoor philosophy. So a couple options that you can use in here. One of them would be the UST flexware coffee drip. You can get this pretty much anywhere for less than $10. It does need a cup, though, but it's very, very simple. It's just a rubberized collapsible cone. Very simple to use. The second one that I can suggest was actually from Wacaco.

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And they make what's called the Cuppamoka. Now, this includes the mug into which the rest of the brewer nests and it's available for a little bit less than $40. But this gives you a single unit where you've got your mug and your brewer all in one.

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Now, if you want to have a little bit of a different choice of how you brew your coffee when you're camping, the other one you can do is a French press. Now, this can also be a very compact option. For example, if you're using a JetBoil like the flash, they actually sell French press plungers that are sized to fit that water vessel.

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So you can brew your coffee right in the JetBoil. Now you still need a mug to pour the coffee into. But this is a very simple approach that won't break the bank and the JetBoil presses are available for less than $20.

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And in fact, BioLite also has a similar option into there. So you can you can get those that go directly into integrated stove. If you not, then there's another couple of options that you can use. And these will depend upon whether you want to use something that pours into it or that you're actually using it to cook itself. So one of them is the Stanley Pot & French press. And this is a good option if you're using that standalone stove as opposed to the integrated ones. So you can pack the stove in this cup while you're traveling and you just need space for the fuel canister.

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And what you do with this is that the pot actually goes directly onto your stove and you heat your water into there. And then it has a French press built into it, which you can then just plunge down to create your coffee and then pour it into your cup. So very convenient.

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Good option if you really prefer the French press as your style of brewing. Another one that you could try is from a company camping company called GSI, and this is their insulated brewer with a French press. Especially if you're camping in cooler weather. This is a good option because the brewer itself is insulated and the press is part of that. So you'd still pour it into collapsible cup. There's actually a good one from Sea to Summit that I'll show in the in the in the show notes and it can make coffee for up to about 30 ounces. So this is a good option if you want to brew a few cups of coffee in the morning or if you're traveling with others. So good. Brewer You still need to cook it in an independent pot.

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So you'd want to use something integrated like the JetBoil or the the BioLite. But good option if you want it to a French press.

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that I , Now another one that I can talk actually about the is Aeropress actually the Go Aeropress now Go Aeropress . now has Aeropress . always has been a very always been popular a very option popular for camping, option for camping, and the reason for that is and its the reason for plastic that is its construction plastic helps construction to keep it helps light. to keep it light. And there's a And variety there's of a recipes variety that of you recipes can find that that you can work find best for that you.

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work best for you. But the particular But unit the that particular I like for unit that camping I is like actually for called camping the is Aeropress actually called Go the It's Aeropress a little . Go bit It's a smaller little . than bit a smaller standard than a Aeropress , standard Aeropress , but includes the but mug includes the and mug the brewer and the nests brewer inside nests of inside the mug of keeping the the , mug pack size keeping the , very pack very size small, . very very small, .

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So all you do is you So just all add you your do is you grinds just into add the your grinds aeropress into the aeropress you let it seep you for let a it few seep minutes for a and few you plunge minutes it and you down plunge it down to put it into the to cup. put it into the cup.

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Now the filter Now the paper is filter just paper a flat is just a circle flat the diameter , circle of the the brewer diameter , of the So . brewer even So even with leave no even trace with your leave no garbage trace bag is your going to garbage be really bag is tiny going to be So really it's very.

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tiny very So it's convenient, .

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very. very convenient, . Now when you them is , Now the when you them is , goes the in MiniPresso and a few GR pumps and you're and starting this to is make about your $60 espresso so very very and this is a convenient good , entry point into portable It is espresso an all using plastic ground construction. coffee so It includes it's a going . cup to be a So little bit you're physically all set . for larger espresso on the put in quite your as grinds. long because you're trying to pressurize the all hot of that water goes material in into there and So a just few be pumps aware that and that's you're sort starting of the to trade make your off espresso onto it, . so very very convenient Now if you take that same It unit is in an the all plastic MiniPresso, construction.

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so but now make it it's going .

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designed to to be a support little the bit Nespresso physically capsules larger that and . we mentioned in may the coffee not section last quite as long you because can you're get trying the to pressurize all of that MiniPresso material NS2 into This . there is their newer So just version be of aware the that that's sort Nespresso of the trade capsule off onto version. it, . It's also , Now if you around take that $60 same And unit this can be a in the good , MiniPresso, compromise because you don't have but to bring now a make it grinder designed to or support the scale Nespresso or capsules anything that we else mentioned and you in the still coffee can have , section espresso with you you can get the MiniPresso Now if you . NS2 really This . want is to their up newer your version of game the Nespresso the capsule Picopresso. version. has It's more also , metal around in it and . $60 even And this includes can a be a metal good , tamper compromise for you to because make you sure don't that have your to bring a pack grinder is proper or scale It's a bit more or compact anything than else the and you MiniPresso still so if you're can pressed have , for space espresso but you with you still want to have Now You will need if a you . cup really though want to and up your this , game is what I personally the use Picopresso.

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for espresso on the go has We more actually have metal a full in it review and . of even the brewer includes on the a Tank metal of tamper Coffee for you website to and make I'll sure that your share pack is all the links . proper of of that It's a bit on more the compact show notes , than the MiniPresso But we break down so into if all you're the pressed ins for and , space outs of but you still want to Picopressos have usually, So You it is will more need a cup pricey , though than both and of the MiniPresso this , is what I options personally But use for espresso on the something . go if you really We want actually to have a have full the absolute review best of the options brewer for on the you Tank of Coffee when you're website doing camping and I'll share I really like all the the links .

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Picopresso of of in that on summary the if show we think .

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notes , about some of the But we Brewers break the ones down that into all the I ins and , outs usually of to be Picopressos my Aeropress usually, Go available for and around my Picopresso about . and. $130 I I oftentimes So actually it bring is more both pricey , So I actually have a than couple both of the options MiniPresso Maybe I feel .

00:24:29.488 --> 00:24:44.934
options more like an espresso But at one point something . if you really a want to have the regular absolute aeropress best and options another for you and I when can you're switch doing it up . camping even in the morning I or really even like if the I . Picopresso want to have some in I , summary really if we think . enjoy about a some late of the night , Brewers coffee the ones that I usually but to coffee be my Aeropress Go and my The Picopresso advantage , and.

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of , I the Aeropress I Go oftentimes and actually even bring using . both with So the I actually have a Picopresso.

00:24:46.285 --> 00:24:55.704
couple options is that I already Maybe have I a feel . cup more like an espresso so I can at use one that one , point cup both for Aeropress a regular coffee as aeropress well as and for another the Picopresso and I So can it switch just it up . even in makes the it morning super or convenient even for me if to I .

00:24:54.535 --> 00:25:06.667
want bring to have both some of those think I , What's really your enjoy favorite a way late to night , prepare , coffee coffee at home but And do you that's have that just part of same being a favorite bit when of your a moto coffee brewer than what I The discussed advantage , that of , the you Aeropress like to use Go when your and moto even camping using .

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with the Text Picopresso. the show through the is that link I in already the have show a notes cup and we'll share your so I can use feedback that in one , a future cup both episode for Aeropress Now there's coffee also as well as for the accessories . Picopresso that you're going to So need it for just all of these makes it super brewers convenient and for me to bring coffee both of that those I mentioned . along. , earlier in the episode But I'd love to .

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know and what you and . think the first What's one of those your is favorite if you're way not to prepare , using coffee an at aeropress ? home go or And that do Wacaco you have that same Cuppamoka favorite when your is moto you going to ? is brewer the most than what I critical discussed so I that like you the like to use collapsible when your moto options camping Now Sea Text to the Summit show through makes the one link in the that show is notes and stainless we'll share your steel feedback in a in a future shallow . episode cone Now there's cone also filter accessories . that you can use that you're for going for to a need brewer for all and it of has these ribbed brewers rubber and on coffee the outside that I mentioned . A earlier to make in the sure episode that you can grip the cup , and really and .

00:25:39.941 --> 00:26:28.476
the effectively, first one of but those it is also if you're helps not to keep using the an heat aeropress ? in check go So you're not going to or burn that your hand Wacaco holding Cuppamoka on to this because many is you going to ? times want when to we're bring a out cup camping, we don't really and have a as I convenient said on a surface motorcycle to pack put the size cup is on the top most of. So critical so I like the having collapsible that rubberized . options and Now Sea ribbed to Summit grip makes one really that makes is it convenient. stainless steel in a And shallow . even if you're traveling cone with someone , want to you to make cone a couple of filter cups of that you can coffee use for for a and brewer be able to and it serve has ribbed whoever rubber you're riding on with. the outside A to make sure that you can grip the cup , really effectively, but it also helps to keep the heat in check So you're not going to burn your hand holding on to this because many times when we're out camping, we don't really have a convenient surface to put the cup on top of. So having that rubberized . and ribbed grip really makes it convenient. And even if you're traveling with someone , else, this is a great option to use .

00:26:25.445 --> 00:27:10.425
as a second cup for them. So even if you had, let's say like , an aeropress go getting a second one of these allows you to make a couple of cups of coffee and be able to serve whoever you're riding with. the outside A to make sure that you can grip the cup really effectively, but it also helps to keep the heat in check So you're not going to burn your hand holding on to this because many times when we're out camping, we don't really have a convenient surface to put the cup on top of. So having that rubberized and ribbed grip really makes it convenient. And even if you're traveling with someone else, this is a great option to use as a second cup for them. So even if you had, let's say like an aeropress go getting a second one of these allows you to make a couple of cups of coffee and be able to serve whoever you're riding with.

00:27:12.002 --> 00:31:05.173
Beyond the cup, one of the things you're going to want to have is if you're bringing beans, You're going to want to bring a grinder, and there's a couple of options that I can share here. Now, one of these is from a camping company specifically, and that's the GSI Java Grind it's about $40. And this is a good entry point into a camping grinder. I actually used this one for many, many years. The construction of it is mostly plastic. There is, of course, metal for the for the grinder into there. But I found that it can be a little slow to grind and actually would end up taking several minutes to grind the beans, even at a fairly, you know, rough grind size, which tends to be a little bit longer, shorter to grind. So that's the sort of the tradeoff. The other one that I can suggest is the Wacaco Exagrind. Now, this is a premium grinder and the weight reflects that. It's 464 grams with a conical burr grinder and a steel container. So it's it's it's a hefty piece of kit to bring with you. Now, if I was backpacking, I would probably use the GSI. But if you're on a motorcycle, the weight isn't so much the problem. It's the pack now the Java grind and the ExaGrind are actually about the same physical size when you're packing them up. So it's not a pack size problem for this. It's really about weight. And so as I say, I wouldn't use the ExaGrind for backpacking if I'm really counting grams. But the beauty of it is you can adjust the grain size to one of sixty different settings. So dialing in your brew is really, really easy and it's such a solid construction, it will probably outlive you and you know, you could be grinding on this thing, you're not going to worry about breaking anything. You know, th GSI, the the Grinder handle is obviously a lot thinner. It's easier to bend the plastic construction of the rest of it could get damaged maybe it drops in a fall or whatnot. So that's going to you may wear them out after a little bit of time, but the ExaGrind is going to last you for a long time. But to be fair, it is priced to reflect that it's about $120. So versus the $40 for a Java grind from GSI, it is significantly more expensive, but it will last forever. The thing is beautifully made, super, super solid. So when one thinks of this, you know, quality doesn't come cheap. So if you want to and also I'd say I forgot to mention this, but the ExaGrind I found was actually a faster grinder as well than the Java grind. So I found that typically, even if I'm doing like an espresso grind, it's less than a minute for grinding, whereas for even something like, you know, normal drip coffee on the Java Grind it several minutes so it can take a long time in terms of the difference between them. So for me, the precision, the wide grind size adjustment of the ExaGrind and actually the speed of grinding, it's worth it. And if you're only doing drip, drip coffee, maybe a cheaper grinder might be enough because you don't need that really fine tuned control that the ExaGrind will go with. So that's why I want to have both of these options. I think they're both solid options, but if you're wanted the flexibility of doing both espresso and drip coffee, I would probably lean more towards ExaGrind. And if you want to kind of buy once and just use it forever, I think the extra fine is probably the better option between those two. As I said, I've personally owned both and the earlier GSI version that I had, you know, I've used for many years. But once I got the Picopresso I actually upgraded to the ExaGrind so that I'd have the faster grind and even more control. So it's definitely a luxury, but I also love having great coffee with me. So to me it was worth it.

00:31:05.326 --> 00:31:39.875
one other accessory that I'll I'll suggest that is a good option for you is a scale. Now, this is for the ultimate in precision coffee making. So the scale is going to make sure that you have the best results. And while most scales aren't exactly pricey nor huge, I do consider them a little bit more of a luxury item because you're going to want to have a steady enough table to get a good reading with the scale. So if you don't want to pack a table, skip the scale and just use a scoop to approximate the grains needed.

00:31:36.215 --> 00:31:58.086
And then most brewers will have a reference that you can use for approximating the amount of water. So you may not get the the brew ratio exactly right without using a scale, but you've got to pick where you want to go. Now,if you want to use a scale, there's a couple options that I can I can suggest.

00:31:54.286 --> 00:32:57.281
One is the time more coffee scale and this is actually what I use at home. It allows you to do a tare weight. It also has a timer on to it and it has a built in rechargeable battery that can be charged via usb-c and it costs around $60. It's a bit larger at about six inches by five inches by one inch. But that's due to the convenience of the built in battery. But I found with this particular scale, even if I'm using it every day, I only need to recharge it every few months. So the battery will last you for a very, very long time. I wouldn't even sweat it bringing it camping. You're not going to have to recharge it on the whole trip. It's going to just continue to work for you very effectively. But it is a bit larger. The other option that I can throw out there would be also from Wacaco is the ExaGram. Now, this is actually going to be cheaper than the TimeMore and a bit smaller. So it's three inches by five inches by one inch. And this is available for about $35. So versus the $60 of the TimeMore.

00:32:57.701 --> 00:34:47.902
It does rely on two AAA batteries. So you need to carry them and probably some spares when you're going camping. It's noticeably smaller than the TimeMore at about three inches less wide. So it is a little bit easier to pack. So I think this becomes just sort of a judgement call of what you prefer to do if you want to bring some batteries along with you or if you want to bring the rechargeable. If you already are using the TimeMore at home and you just want to use the same scale when you're going camping, convenient. But if you're leaving a family at home who might still want to be able to make their own coffee, you may not have that option. So as I said, I think a scale is sort of a little bit of a luxury. I don't always bring a scale with me when I'm camping. If you're using an aeropress, for example, you do have markers on the side that you can use to estimate the amount of water and won't be as precise as a scale, but can often be close enough. I mean, for camping, let's be a little pragmatic with it. We're not going to have the absolute most perfectly brewed coffee when we're camping, but we want to get pretty close. Now, if you're doing an espresso machine like the Picopresso you can also estimate the amount of your extraction by the number of pumps. Again, it's not going to be as precise as if you had a scale to look at what you've actually extracted. But if you're really pressed for space, it might be the best compromise to avoid taking a scale. Now, with a pour over, I think bringing the scale becomes a little bit more important as estimating the water is much harder. The ExaGram in this case isn't huge and can even fit in a jacket pocket if your saddlebags are full, so it might be if you prefer a pour over style coffee, it might be worth bringing that scale along with you. But what do you think? Do you leave your grinder and your scale at home?

00:34:44.132 --> 00:34:58.402
Or are they must haves for you when your moto camping? And is there a grinder or a scale that you use while moto camping that I didn't discuss? Text the show through the link in the show notes and I'll share your feedback in a future episode.

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So we talked about some stove options. We talked about the idea of that you can have stand alone parts, individual stove and a kettle versus an integrated one. We even talked about a wood burning versus a fuel canister stove. We talked about brewers where you could range from having a pour over brewer to French press to an aeropress to even espresso. Lots of different options there. And for accessories, we talked about some ones that I think are really critical to consider, such as a mug, a grinder and a scale. Now, you may have noticed that several of the options that I mentioned are actually from Wacaco. Now, I'm a big fan of the brand because they come from a coffee first perspective, and some of the other brands that I discussed today are coming at it from a camping first perspective.

00:35:50.400 --> 00:37:13.173
So you'll see that philosophy end up into how the pieces are made and the precision and the quality that you have of that experience. So Wacaco is really a brand focused on portable coffee making. And they make very high quality gear. And it does show in terms of what that experience is. So I think if you want as close to a coffee shop experience while camping, I've had amazing success with the Wacaco products. It by no means means other brands like GSI are bad at all, but I think they're just coming from different philosophy points. And so you have to see what's more important to you. If you just want something that is like lighter, cheaper and really focused on camping. The GSI type options are phenomenal, phenom choices. And so if you're willing to have maybe a little bit more weight, a little bit more expense, but you want the highest quality, I think that the Wacaco gives you that extra edge there. So thank you so much for listening. I hope this is a helpful episode for you and if you do love listening to the throttle and Roast podcast, please be sure to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. And be sure to share it with someone who you think might actually enjoy this episode if they're trying to figure out how to make the best coffee while their motocamping will hope that the tips in this episode will be helpful to them. Thanks again and we'll see you next time. Bye bye.

Ultimate Moto Camping Coffee Guide: Brewing in the Woods on Two Wheels

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