The 5 Best Ways to Make Coffee While Traveling

Learn how to make good coffee on your next adventure with one of these 5 best travel coffee brew methods.

Guest Post By: Wayne Smith of TopicTea

• You can save a lot of money by making your own coffee. and that includes during travel.
• To make good coffee on the go, you’ll need excellent equipment that is both simple and portable.
• The AeroPress, French Press, and the Moka Pot are all great travel coffee brew options.
• Download the FREE AeroPress Brew Guide PDF by clicking here to make the best coffee on the go.

Most travelers love coffee for various reasons, including chemical dependence and pleasure. Statistics have shown that 80 million Americans pack coffee in their carry-on. Generally, the research confirms that 60% of the US population drinks coffee, and 40% of them travel during the holiday season.

With such a considerable number showing mad love for coffee, it causes no harm to explain the best ways to make coffee while traveling. Here are the 5 best ways to make delicious coffee while traveling.

The Handpresso is small (but mighty), making it highly portable.

The Handpresso is a highly portable and lightweight coffee maker, which suits every traveler. It works similarly to a bicycle pump. With hot water and ground coffee beans, all you have to do is hand press. The intense coffee it makes is perfect, rich, and matches the espresso taste you would love. However, from the design, the Handpresso is for individual usage. Therefore, it can be pretty tiring to produce coffee for a group of travelers.

How to Make Coffee

1. Ensure its portafilter is clean and tidy
2. Measure 2.5 tablespoons of ground coffee and add it to the portafilter.
3. Add hot water, rinse the group head and insert it.
4. Start brewing immediately and be conscious of the time. 
5. Enjoy your coffee and clean the coffee maker.

It is important to note that the Handpresso coffee maker offers small shots at a time. Therefore, you should be conscious of the time and the quantity of coffee and water you add.

The Moka Pot makes highly concentrated coffee, perfect for espresso lovers.

The Moka Pot is a stovetop coffee maker that adventurers use to make espresso-like coffee. However, the Moka Pot’s coffee doesn’t necessarily compare to espresso. The two have very different tastes and richnesses. But, the Moka Pot still makes a perfect choice for adventurers.

When brewing the coffee, the boiling water forces steam through the coffee granules into the pot. Once in the pot, you can serve the coffee. Alfonso Bialetti invented the device in 1933, which explains why some people refer to it as the Bialetti.

How to Make Coffee

1. Add water to the bottom chamber of the coffee maker. Add enough water, but don’t let it touch the valve.
2. Fill the filter basket with the coffee ground. 2.5 tablespoons should be enough.
3. Close it and heat the mixture. Water will heat up, and pressure will force it up through the coffee ground. You might hear some hissing noise.
4. As time elapses, you will hear some bubbling noises. Take it off the heat.
5. Serve your coffee and enjoy.

The hissing noise is vapor rising through the coffee to the upper pot. The bubbling noise means that the upper chamber has coffee up to the top level of the valve. 

Percolators make coffee in just a few minutes.

Unlike the Moka Pot, the percolator has its roots in the US. The two pots have very similar designs, although there is a slight difference. When you heat the water in the lower chamber, it boils and rises through the tube into the top compartment. The top section is perforated, so the water drains back into the lower chamber. The percolator pot is a perfect way of making coffee while traveling. It’s easy to use, makes coffee in minutes, and is easy to clean.

How to Make Coffee

1. Have 2.5 tablespoons of coffee ground ready. You can measure and grind coffee beans yourself.
2. Boil water separately and add it to the percolator’s base.
3. Fill the filter basket with coffee grounds and close it.
4. Heat the percolator
5. Brew the coffee while regulating the temperature.
6. Remove the percolator from the heat.
7. Discard the grounds and serve the coffee.

The AeroPress brews a clean and delicious cup of coffee.

The Aeropress has gained popularity in recent years in the outdoor world. Most adventurers who have used it describe it as the giant syringe. To draw a picture in your mind, it is a plastic cylinder with a plunger and a filter paper blocking the ends. Despite people describing it as a giant, it is no larger than a sandwich box. Its design accommodates traveling and effortless packing. It’s also versatile in that it can make both coffee and tea!

The outer construction features light yet durable plastic that’s easy to carry in your backpack. Despite making it easy for you to make coffee while traveling, the Aeropress is easy to clean.

How to Make Coffee

1. Boil a cup of water and measure about 2.5 tablespoons.
2. Insert a filter paper into a plastic cap. Pour some hot water on the filter paper for adherence.
3. Assemble the Aeropress without compromising the seal. 
4. Put it to your scale and add the 2.5 tablespoons of coffee grounds.
5. Add the cup of water, about 500ml. It should be boiling hot.
6. Give the mixture some minutes while stirring.
7. Flip the whole assembly on top of a brewing vessel and apply downward pressure. You will hear a hissing sound once the coffee is ready. 
8. Once done, unscrew the cap and pluck out the filter paper and the coffee grounds.

You can now enjoy your cup of coffee (or tea!) with family members and friends. The whole process should take less than 5 minutes.

The French Press is excellent for those traveling with a group.

The French press works similarly to an Aeropress. However, it has the volume capacity to make several cups of coffee at a go. What makes the french press perfect for coffee making is that it’s quick and reliable. There are different types of french press depending on the material, but the design is generally the same. The most beautiful of them is the glass carafe, but it’s delicate and therefore more prone to damage. If you prioritize durability over beauty, choose a design that features stainless steel, among other materials. 

How to Make Coffee

1. Hold the handle firmly and pull out the plunger.
2. Add about 2.5 tablespoons of ground coffee to the pot.
3. Add hot water that is about to boil into the pot and gently stir.
4. Insert the plunger back into the pot, but don’t let it touch the mixture. Press down slowly.
5. Decant the coffee, serve and enjoy.

Decant the coffee and keep it if hot coffee isn’t your thing. Otherwise, keeping the mixture in the container will interfere with the overall taste of the coffee.

Grab the FREE AeroPress Brew Guide