Who doesn’t need it ?! Coffee and vacation
Then for me it is always time to discover new coffee cultures and enjoy coffee like the locals. If possible, this means trying locally grown coffee, which is prepared with local coffee equipment and traditional recipe and maybe drunk according to a special ritual.
But what you get is usually a little surprise and does not always meet your own taste. In general every coffee drinker has his or her own morning ritual to start the day. And if possible, you don’t want to give that up on vacation. But there is a little problem with some preparations. Because you don’t want to travel with an extra luggage just for your Espresso machine and grinder. That’s why I have researched alternatives for traveling for filter coffee, espresso and other typical preparations.
Here are my top 8 coffee preparations for traveling
If you don’t want to take ground coffee with you, you need a hand mill as a basis. The price-performance ratio is right with the Porlex Mini*. If you are OK to invest more money the Commandante*is the right gadget.
Turkish
Probably the simplest way, since no accessories are necessary. Not everyone likes it, however, because the coffee grounds remain in the cup.
Preparation: Add the coffee powder into the cup, add hot water at 96 °C, wait shortly, then stir and wait a short time for the coffee grounds to settle on the bottom of the cup.
Turkish Coffee
All you have to do is take an Ibrik / Cezve and very finely ground coffee powder with you or buy it on site.
Preparation: Mix the coffee powder and water (sugar to taste) in the Ibrik, boil 3 times on the stove and pour into cups. The coffee grounds also remain in the cup here.
Hand Filter
Filter coffee is still the most popular way to drink coffee in Germany. Again, you don’t need a lot of equipment. Hand filters made of robust and light materials that can be placed directly on a cup are ideal, so they cannot break in the suitcase. Since I’m not a fan of plastic, I would use filters such as the Kalita Waver Dripper made of stainless steel and suitable paper filters. As an alternative for a longer holiday, there are also reusable cotton filters or metal filters. If you prefer Vietnamese or Indian filter coffee, you only need the appropriate metal filter without additional filter.
Preparation: Simply add the coffee powder in the filter and pour over with 96 °C hot water.
Drip Bag Coffee
If this is too many equipment for you, there is now a simple solution to prepare fresh filter coffee – with coffee drip bags such as from the Hannoversche Kaffeemanufaktur*. The Drip Bags are small folded paper filters, with exactly the right amount of ground roasted coffee for one cup of coffee, which are individually packed aroma-tight.
Preparation: Unpack the coffee filter, hang it in the cup and pour over hot water at 96 °C.
Moka Pot
For everyone who has it at home, you can of course simply take the Bialetti with you. The small versions for 2-3 cups do not take up too much space. I personally prefer a stainless steel version*. In this article I summarize reasons why to switch from aluminum moka pot to stainless steel.
Preparation: Handling is easy: pour hot water into the lower part of the pot, add coffee powder into the filter, screw the pot together and place onto the stove until the finished coffee has reached the top.
Espresso
If you cannot start any day without your beloved espresso including crema, you can use portable espresso machines. There are different providers like Nanopresso* or Staresso*. They are easy to use and clean and achieve a really good espresso result.
Preparation: Add the coffee into the filter, the hot water into the water tank, then assembled the machine and pump manually directly into the cup or glass.
Speciality Instant Coffee
In addition to the typical Nestlé instant coffee, specialty instant coffee is now also available, which promises better quality and better taste. Specialty instant coffee is available e. g. at The Barn and Voilà . It actually tastes very good, but it is quite expensive compared to coffee beans.
Preparation: Simple – just add the instant coffee powder into the cup and pour over with hot water at approx. 80 °C.
Milk Frother
Not everyone likes black coffee. If you want have your perfect milk foam also on vacation, the smallest equipment is probably a battery-operated milk frother*. If you have more space in your luggage, you can also take a manual milk frother* with you. Just keep in mind you have to warm up the milk beforehand if you do not want to drink iced coffee.
Conclusion
As already said, everyone has their favorite way of enjoying the coffee. So I hope you could find the perfect coffee travel companion for yourself above. My two favorites are clearly Drip Bag coffees and the Staresso.
Why Drip Bags?
For all minimalists, this is probably the lightest and most space-saving way to enjoy freshly brewed filter coffee. You don’t even need a mill or scales here, just a cup and hot water. You can also take different types of coffee with you for more variety, whether blends, single origins or just your favorite. Perfect for shorter trips with minimalist luggage.
Why Staresso?
I have had the small, handy espresso machine for some time and am thrilled to be able to press a decent espresso with crema so easily and quickly without a huge espresso machine and electricity. Together with a small milk frother and a hand mill, you need a little more space in your luggage for the coffee equipment. But you can prepare and enjoy everything from espresso to cappuccino and latte macchiato on vacation, depending on your mood.
Please write me your experiences with coffee on vacation via the comments.
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