Outdoor Adventure USA

When ever I stop at a donut shop in the morning, I walk over and say hi to the old guys, enjoying their morning coffee with old friends. I am doing research to determine what group I am going to join. I am sure they have heard each other’s good stories many times. But that doesn’t stop them from gathering each morning. There is a feeling of humor, stability, and good times emanating from those regulars. Seems like a nice way to start your morning – when I retire that is.
Trouble is if I join a group, there will have to be rules. For instant, no discussion of your latest medical procedures!

The real reason the old guys gather and linger is because Coffee is a good social drink. You have to take time to sit and enjoy the cup of coffee because you can’t work and drink coffee. And it cuts through the sweet donuts. Besides coffee is additive it stimulates the brain and you feel alive. You get a nice release of dopamine and its warms you up.

Tonight’s net is all about camp coffee. So tonight, we want to discuss what to bring and how to brew it. And having a back story about our coffee, the harvesting, cleaning, roasting, and grinding just makes it better.

We have to assume while camping we might have no electricity, limited space for gear, and limited trash & water.

Coffee is now in the realm of wine with coffee regions, single sourcing, varieties, boutique roasting and grinding complete with a rating system (1-100) on the final cup.

Any of these topics are fair game. I for one look forward to learning more about coffee from you.

• Benefits of coffee
• History
• Types of Coffee Bean & sources
• Types of roast
• Types of Grind
• Methods and equipment
• Perhaps water
• Additives (sugar, cream, alcohol, umbrellas …)

What is the best coffee cup?

What is the best cup of coffee? By that I mean the cup you drink your coffee from.
The best coffee is hot coffee. By the time the coffee becomes cold, it goes down the drain. So, a cup that keeps it hot for as long as possible is ideal. Here are my criteria.

• A normal sized mug or cup in the 6-8 oz range. I avoid the oversized ones. By the time I can finish 12 to 16 oz the last bit is cold or cool. There is no reason I can’t refill my cup over and over again and enjoy hot coffee.

• I have measured the diameter of the top of countless coffee cups. The best cups are 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter. Two and a half inches is better than three inches! The reason for a smaller opening is that the small surface area loses less heat yet is sufficient to allow the aroma to enhance the taste.
• Ceramic cups are the best. They retain heat and are neutral in not imparting any additional flavor.
Glass is neutral but does not retain heat.
Paper is just pain nasty, loses heat and your lips stick to the rim. Plastic is not much better than paper.
Double wall stainless is IMHO is second best and great for camping. It retains heat, will not break, but can impart additives as the coating degrades.

• A commuter cup, build like a thermos in stainless, will keep the coffee hot for hours but I find it too hot to drink straight up. I need to pour it into a regular cup.


If you want proof, just look at a Denny’s coffee cup. They have to serve a good hot cup of coffee each and every time.
It is ceramic, the sides are ¼ inch thick, the top is 2.5 inches in diameter and hold 8 oz when filled to the rim. Perfect. And they keep filling it up.

American Press

As discussed in this net there are many perfectly good ways to brew coffee. In my opinion one of the best for remote travel is the American Press. Not that it necessarily makes better coffee than many of the other methods but because it is quick and easy to use and is very easy to clean-up requiring very little water. The American Press is also perfect if you prefer lose leaf tea.

Unlike most other methods the American Press stores the coffee grounds (or tea leaves) in a closed basket, called a “pod” that is slowly pushed through the hot water. Unlike a French Press where the coffee grounds steep in the hot water and are then pushed down by a plunger the American Press pushes the pod, with the coffee or tea in it, through the water. Since the coffee grounds are contained in the pod to dispose of the wet coffee grounds or tea leaves all you need to do is remove the pod and dump the grounds in a trash container using very little water to rinse the pod.
A typical American Press will make about 12-14 fluid oz. of coffee or tea at one time, takes 3-4 minutes and as many of the canisters are plastic and insulated they are rugged and the coffee or tea stays hot for some time.

Easily available on-line from Amazon for about $80 (https://www.amazon.com/Its-American-Pre ... B01M4QG7AL) as well as at home shops and many other sources.

KK6CTT for the on-line check-in and product review for 11 FEB 21. Thank you.

Bore Snakes and their usefulness; NOT a substitute for the traditional cleaning rod, brush, jag/eyelet, bore cleaner, oil and patches (and more) full service cleaning kit. However, with the coverage of the CCW nets, bore snakes are a handy item to have.

o Hoppes Bore Snake site: https://www.hoppes.com/boresnakes/
o Hoppes Bore Snake cleaning video: https://www.hoppes.com/hoppes-support/h ... tions.html

Historically, I was introduced to this concept by a fellow Army Buddy in about 1986 that we picked up as a fellow BN Scout who came in from Germany. In a pinch he would put one or more knots in a length of 550 parachute cord and make a quick run through his M16 barrel to keep it clean when it was difficult to go through a deliberate bore cleaning. This is commonly referred to as a field-strip cleaning where the minimal amount of parts are removed to maintain the firearm so that no small parts are dropped or springs sprung in the field environment rendering your battle rifle (specifically) unserviceable. For another field expedient "tool," also from my fellow Scout, we commonly took cut pieces of coat hanger, smashed the ends down and shaped them for homemade dental tools that were part of our USGI cleaning kits.


Somebody must have listened or spun up this technique to the now common "bore snake" tool you can find for just about any caliber or gauge of firearm available. It is a quick field use method for getting a bore back in service quickly. Although many manufactures suggest "spraying" the bore snake with cleaning solvent/oil; I find a normal tug through in the woods is all that is needed to keep the bore clear and ready for use. If serious cleaning is necessary step up your game to the normal cleaning kit that is usually found back at camp/home. If you do use solvents on your bore snake or you find it is time to clean your bore snake you can simply hand wash your bore snake or machine wash the snake with other shop towels but make sure you avoid cleaning with clothing or items that will come into contact with your body due to the chemicals in the solvent and the potential for lead contamination. Another visited cleaning technique is to use "warm" water to hand wash your bore snake. Avoid warm water unprotected hand-washing of your bore snake; warm water will open skin pores and the absorption of unwanted chemicals through your skin has a higher probability. Dawn dish soap, a pre-soak/rinse and gloves should be worn to protect from contaminates.

If you prefer espresso based coffee drinks in the morning like those served your ubiquitous coffee joints found on almost every street corner but better, here is a suggestion -
This is the ROK Espresso maker. It makes genuine hand pulled espresso shot just like the classic machines but in a smaller more transportable form factor. It's not cheap at around $200 but I think you can make a better espresso shot than the more expensive counter top machine I use at home. Its British and made from very high quality cast aluminum. Another factor that I like is that spare parts are readily available should something break unlike less expensive plastic throw-away espresso makers -

https://www.espressounplugged.com

Here is a video on how to use the ROK espresso maker -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A5ufj_ykUc

The unit shown in the video has the updated glass composite cylinder and plunger. This is available separately as an upgrade to the older units. I have ordered one and am anxious to try it out.

To heat water to the proper brewing temperature a kettle with a thermometer built into the lid is very useful -

If you are making a cappuccino or latte a milk steamer is another useful device -
Along with that a thermometer to make sure the milk is heated to between 140 and 160 degrees is useful to avoid overheating the milk and breaking the natural sweetness from the lactose.

I'm kind of a minimalist and usually have one or two cups of coffee in the morning.

Here are a couple of different products I've used for making coffee.

Presto 02835 MyJo Single Cup Coffee Maker, Black

$18.17 on Amazon


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HI ... UTF8&psc=1

GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip for Drip Coffee While Camping and Backpacking

$10.95 on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Outdoors-Ult ... 197&sr=8-5

Made in USA Coffee

Part of OAUSA is of course "USA" so "Made in USA" is something we like to see in products. Coffee trees actually bear a tropical fruit which grows best within the "Bean Belt" comprising the area around the Equator from 25° North to 30° South. While the territory of Puerto Rico is known for its coffee, the only one of the 50 states within the Bean Belt is Hawaii.


Hawaii

Hawaii is best known for its Kona coffee, which is a milder, less acidic coffee variety. This is grown exclusively on the slopes of the Mauna Loa and Hualalai volcanos on the Big Island, and makes up 95% of Hawaii's coffee production. The cost of Hawaiian coffee is due to the expense of labor-intensive bean picking. Hawaii produces 25 to 30 million pounds of coffee each year from its approximately 900 coffee farms.

The Kona Coffee Guide (also Ka’u, Puna, and Hamakua)
The 5 Best Kona Coffee Brands From Hawaii In 2021


California

Though the southernmost point of California is around 32.5° North, coffee has been growing here since the early 2000s. As of now, there are probably upwards of 50,000 coffee plants growing in California, especially along Route 76 in San Diego County (42 farms in Bonsall, Oceanside, Fallbrook, Escondido, and Temecula) but also Santa Barbara County and in others to a lesser extent. Not clear how much is produced but maybe in the thousands of pounds per year.

Typically, coffee plants are grown among the avocado trees. An avocado grove can yield $3,000 to $5,000 per acre. With the addition of coffee plants, this can reach $15,000 to $20,000 per acre.

The company most associated with California coffee is Frinj Coffee. (Somehow the name sounds appropriate for a California company.) Their focus is on "premium" coffee.

Here are a number of California coffee products: California coffees for sale (Frinj), around $75 per 5 ounces


An interesting link: 10 Steps from Seed to Cup


Oh, and "climate change" might be a good thing for California coffee as more northerly areas are better able to support good coffee growth.

Climate Change is Coming for Your Coffee

Excellent travel mug! With a name like Thermos, you can expect quality.
First let me say that I don’t like extremely hot liquids. The challenge is making a cup of coffee that is a likable temperature and having the ability to maintain it there. This container solves the problem.

Attributes:
1. This is an actual Vacuum Bottle, not simply an insulated travel mug.
2. It will keep 16 oz. of coffee at a precise temperature for many hours
3. The drinking port can be closed for no leaks or spills even if tipped upside down
4. The lid can be disassembled for easy cleaning when used with creamer or other things that can spoil.
5. Nothing better for rugged off road use.

Roasting your own coffee.

I am a big proponent of using the freshest whole bean coffee and grinding it in small batches. So it made sense that I should also try roasting the beans myself. I like to inhabit small local coffee houses that roast their own beans and I was able to purchase some raw beans from one of them.

Here is a link to one of a variety of ways you can roast your own.

http://lostdutchmancoffee.com/Newsletters/index.html

The basic steps are as follows:
1. Rinse the beans. To clean them and to also provide some initial moisture.
2. Preheat a heavy bottom pan or skillet to medium high. I used cast iron.
3. Pour beans in single even layer in hot pan and continue to stir or agitate until the desired color( I would go darker than you think is necessary).
4. Take the pan off the burner and flick a teaspoon of cold water in the pan. The steam will help stop the cooking.
5. Pour beans in single layer on plate to fully cool.
6. Seal in mason jar or grind and brew.

The process produces a lot of smoke and I recommend this process be done outdoors or under an exhaust fan.