French Press Coffee Maker?
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Hey Dave,
Have you tried using a Malita filter making coffee directly into a carafe. They make a holder that plugs into thermos's and caraffe's. I've found that approach is cleaner since you simply throw away the filter(no grounds to deal with or in wash water) and stays hot a long time as long as you have a good thermos or carafe.
However, I know that most people have preferred ways, some people even like twice boiled cowboy coffee.
Have you tried using a Malita filter making coffee directly into a carafe. They make a holder that plugs into thermos's and caraffe's. I've found that approach is cleaner since you simply throw away the filter(no grounds to deal with or in wash water) and stays hot a long time as long as you have a good thermos or carafe.
However, I know that most people have preferred ways, some people even like twice boiled cowboy coffee.
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2,692 Posts
There is a recipe for my "opinion" about making river coffee here.
https://rrfw.org/RaftingGrandCanyon/Coffee
https://rrfw.org/RaftingGrandCanyon/Coffee
I found this at Walmart and love it. It's perfect for just the GF and me. I believe it makes 32 oz. All self-contained. Boil the water in it, add the grounds, stir, put in the filter/press and push it down (after steeping, of course 
.
I'm not crazy about the handle, but the all-in-one aspect is awesome.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Adventure-All-In-One-Boil-Brew-French-Press-SS/887740598
. I'm not crazy about the handle, but the all-in-one aspect is awesome.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stanley-Adventure-All-In-One-Boil-Brew-French-Press-SS/887740598
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266 Posts
I have a 2.5 liter stainless steel airpot and a #6 coffee cone. The airpot is a Stanley, but the cone doesn't really sit on it well. The hole is too small. My friend made me a "coffee gasget" out of cedar that sits on the airpot and holds the cone. It really doesn't take that long to make a pot of coffee. It's easy to make a partial pot if you need more but not a whole pot. I have one of those metal mesh coffee filters, but it only really works with a little coarser grind. For paper filters, I often let them dry on a rock briefly before tossing them in the trash - just to save weight and reduce moisture in the garbage. I apply some mineral oil to the gasket from time to time to help prevent splitting since it is cedar. Neither the wood or the oil add any perceptible flavor to the coffee. I drink it black, so I would know.
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Makes mighty fine coffee. If you have coffee left, it will stay warm at least through lunch. It's best if you have a way to keep the airpot upright, because otherwise coffee can leak into the mechanism and start to taste funky. Handy solution.
Another method that someone in our group uses is the coffee socks or pre-sewn bags as described in the link that Ron posted. Their difference is that they put the coffee sock in a kettle of COLD water the night before. In the morning, you just heat it to near boiling, and it's really good. Nice extraction, and really tasty coffee.
I was on a trip last year where we used a percolator. The person who offered to be in charge of coffee thought my airpot method took too damn long. Percolators can make good coffee, but I think it takes MUCH longer, and it takes a bit more fuel as you have to keep it cooking. I asked the guy how long he perks. He said, "Just until it turns brown." It turns out, he is not a coffee drinker. Lucky for me I keep a stash of Starbuck's instant coffee in my kit in case camp coffee needs to be doctored because... that wasn't coffee; it was brown water! I actually keep a stash of grounds, a personal sized #2 cone, some filters, and even a backpack stove in my kit. I made the best cup of coffee I had in a week while sitting on my boat as we motored out to Leslie Gulch. Mmmmmmm.
I've also done the cowboy coffee in a kettle, then strain the coarse grounds out with a metal strainer into a thermal bottle. The coffee is just ok. With cowboy coffee OR with a coffee press, the coffee keeps brewing in the thermos because you can't get all the fine grounds out. Using a paper filter means the coffee stops brewing when it leaves the filter. Paper filters also remove cafestol, and cafestol has been linked to high cholesterol.
How's that for totally NOT answering your question about coffee presses, other than that they let the coffee keep brewing and leave the cafestol in?
Another method that someone in our group uses is the coffee socks or pre-sewn bags as described in the link that Ron posted. Their difference is that they put the coffee sock in a kettle of COLD water the night before. In the morning, you just heat it to near boiling, and it's really good. Nice extraction, and really tasty coffee.
I was on a trip last year where we used a percolator. The person who offered to be in charge of coffee thought my airpot method took too damn long. Percolators can make good coffee, but I think it takes MUCH longer, and it takes a bit more fuel as you have to keep it cooking. I asked the guy how long he perks. He said, "Just until it turns brown." It turns out, he is not a coffee drinker. Lucky for me I keep a stash of Starbuck's instant coffee in my kit in case camp coffee needs to be doctored because... that wasn't coffee; it was brown water! I actually keep a stash of grounds, a personal sized #2 cone, some filters, and even a backpack stove in my kit. I made the best cup of coffee I had in a week while sitting on my boat as we motored out to Leslie Gulch. Mmmmmmm.
I've also done the cowboy coffee in a kettle, then strain the coarse grounds out with a metal strainer into a thermal bottle. The coffee is just ok. With cowboy coffee OR with a coffee press, the coffee keeps brewing in the thermos because you can't get all the fine grounds out. Using a paper filter means the coffee stops brewing when it leaves the filter. Paper filters also remove cafestol, and cafestol has been linked to high cholesterol.
How's that for totally NOT answering your question about coffee presses, other than that they let the coffee keep brewing and leave the cafestol in?
when I am making for a large (more than 10) group, I will boil water in my giant coffee pot (1.5 gal) on the blaster, remove from a boil, and place the equivalent amount of coarse ground coffee into a paint strainer sock (https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-1-gal-Elastic-Top-Strainers-2-Pack-11572-36WF/202061359) and in 5 minutes you have well steeped easy coffee without any grounds in the pot.
dump the grounds in the trash and rinse inside out in the dishwash...
dump the grounds in the trash and rinse inside out in the dishwash...
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266 Posts
I was on a trip where someone used a five-gallon paint strainer bag as the dishwater strainer. He'd put it in a bucket and pour the dirty dishwater in it. Pull it out, and turn it inside out in the trash.
It worked well enough, but left that one bucket really greasy so that it couldn't be used to fetch water for other purposes. Kind of gross.
We also had "garbage bag salad" on that trip. Also a neat idea, but I'd do it in a food-grade bag if I ever did it again. Cut up all the vegetables, and throw 'em in the bag. Add dressing and shake. Serve. The leftovers, if any, are already packed. But garbage bag? Yuck. Definitely not food grade, and maybe even treated with anti-odor and pesticides.
![garbsal.jpg]()
It worked well enough, but left that one bucket really greasy so that it couldn't be used to fetch water for other purposes. Kind of gross.
We also had "garbage bag salad" on that trip. Also a neat idea, but I'd do it in a food-grade bag if I ever did it again. Cut up all the vegetables, and throw 'em in the bag. Add dressing and shake. Serve. The leftovers, if any, are already packed. But garbage bag? Yuck. Definitely not food grade, and maybe even treated with anti-odor and pesticides.
If my LAST post didn't address the original question, this one SURE didn't.
Pour over is my new go-to coffee on the run. We had a trip on the Smith (Mt) and the kitchen master had 3 hydro flasks and a gallon coffee pot. He'd boil water, put filter in pour-over cone and make 2 liters of coffee at a time. Hydro flasks kept it hot until gone. Easily scaled to group size. Love French press coffee, but they are a pain to clean.
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I don't drink coffee and always pawn it off on those who do... but seem to get stuck cleaning up often enough where I really hate cleaning coffee grounds up.
Someone turned me on to making cloth packets and it seems like an ideal way to do it. Fine cheese cloth or similar, pre-filled with your favorite ground coffee, sewn shut and put in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Steep till its right and then squeeze out all the liquid and toss the bag in the trash. No coffee grounds and a happy dish crew.
Someone turned me on to making cloth packets and it seems like an ideal way to do it. Fine cheese cloth or similar, pre-filled with your favorite ground coffee, sewn shut and put in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Steep till its right and then squeeze out all the liquid and toss the bag in the trash. No coffee grounds and a happy dish crew.
I have this and love it, is insulated as well and on amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JE36GLQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JE36GLQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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4,197 Posts
This is a great solution. Tripmate brought that last Main trip. I have a garage sale airpot and need to add a cone.
I've also been wanting to try this. The cold steep sounds awesome. Like you, I like my coffee black, and this sounds super tasty.
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2,017 Posts
I have been using 2 of the larger stainless steel Bodum press units from Amazon for many years. Do a search on amazon. The reason for two is the first person up will start a big pot of water heating. Make that first press pot and as more folks wake up we get both units working. I do have a stainless steel carafe, but rarely use it as the Bodum units are insulated pretty good and a press pot usually goes empty fast. I tell every one how many measures of coffee to use and how long to wait before pressing and every one becomes a barista. However usually one or two people are the first to get moving and they become the experts at making coffee.
Bodum is bullet proof expensive but the most durable, simple to use non cowboy coffee makers I have found. I use coarse ground coffee beans.
Bodum is bullet proof expensive but the most durable, simple to use non cowboy coffee makers I have found. I use coarse ground coffee beans.
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350 Posts
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014U0ZNG6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1.75 liter and is really well made. I had someone wake up early and actually boil water in it like a percolator and it held up fine but it did discolor a bit.
1.75 liter and is really well made. I had someone wake up early and actually boil water in it like a percolator and it held up fine but it did discolor a bit.
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2,010 Posts
I've always enjoyed coffee from either a paper cone or a french press. French press is the way to go with a large group of 4 or more. Two paper cones work great for the misses and I. I have a two glass presses and now a large stainless press (thanks to this thread) for large group trips. I still plan to bring a glass one for the first round of early morning risers wanting that first cup.
We take an action packer that contains everything to make the morning coffee with. On days we are moving it's usually the last box packed and the first one to make it up to the kitchen as it's always contained glass french presses. It rides on the top of my load for obvious reasons. It makes it nice in the morning to find everything ready to go in one box for the first to rise. I bring a couple of large group coffee pots along with a small one that heats just enough water to fill one of the glass french presses.
We don't take a blaster as I find it really annoying to wake up to the sound of a jet engine in somewhere beautiful like Deso or Gates of Ladore. Thus the need for a small coffee pot to heat water fast while the big one is slowly coming to a boil.
A little hint on heating water. Use coffee pots and leave the innards in them so you can see when the water is ready. If you take the basket out you can't see when it is boiling. Kind of like the whistle in a tea pot the perking sound lets you know it's done. It seems like every time a newbie comes on a trip, they want to leave the guts out of my coffee pots to heat water. Much easier to keep from loosing pieces if you always keep them assembled and together.
We take an action packer that contains everything to make the morning coffee with. On days we are moving it's usually the last box packed and the first one to make it up to the kitchen as it's always contained glass french presses. It rides on the top of my load for obvious reasons. It makes it nice in the morning to find everything ready to go in one box for the first to rise. I bring a couple of large group coffee pots along with a small one that heats just enough water to fill one of the glass french presses.
We don't take a blaster as I find it really annoying to wake up to the sound of a jet engine in somewhere beautiful like Deso or Gates of Ladore. Thus the need for a small coffee pot to heat water fast while the big one is slowly coming to a boil.
A little hint on heating water. Use coffee pots and leave the innards in them so you can see when the water is ready. If you take the basket out you can't see when it is boiling. Kind of like the whistle in a tea pot the perking sound lets you know it's done. It seems like every time a newbie comes on a trip, they want to leave the guts out of my coffee pots to heat water. Much easier to keep from loosing pieces if you always keep them assembled and together.
So I've always been a "no boil cowboy coffee" guy for large groups. Add coffee to non-boiling heated water, cover and let seep for 5 minutes and pour into an Igloo thermos, go cook breakfast. Not a bad system but you end up with a thick mess of grounds and a tough clean up.
Trying out a new system this year. Bought a 74 micron stainless steel cold brew filter with a cap. https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/coffeefilters.php#coffeecorny Pour in a cup and a half of coffee place filter in thermos, add a gallon of hot water water let sit for ten minutes and your done. Might help to dip the filter a few times in the middle. End of the shift, pull the filter, throw away the grounds. Test batches have turned out great. Cant get any easier.
Trying out a new system this year. Bought a 74 micron stainless steel cold brew filter with a cap. https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/coffeefilters.php#coffeecorny Pour in a cup and a half of coffee place filter in thermos, add a gallon of hot water water let sit for ten minutes and your done. Might help to dip the filter a few times in the middle. End of the shift, pull the filter, throw away the grounds. Test batches have turned out great. Cant get any easier.
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