Brewing tips for Cold Coffee Whilst Bikepacking

[Deacon Patrick]

It struck me (duh) that though I cold camp, that is highly conducive to cold brew coffee.

Current plan:

Brew in insulated Klean Kanteen 20oz double wall thermos, cold from the stream in the morning, let it travel, cold coffee in the evening. To keep things simple, no strainer or filter, just let the grounds settle, pour and serve, and clean the thermos with a swish and dump into a hole to burry it.

Thoughts on improving this system, with an eye for no significant weight or volume increases?

With abandon,

Patrick

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[sameness]

For the grounds, a cheesecloth and some food-grade twine or a purpose-built sack such as those for folks who make milk from things besides cows.

I don't like grounds in my coffee, so that would be my only addition to or deviation from your plan. Aaaaand now I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee.

Jeff Hagedorn
Los Angeles, CA USA

[Deacon Patrick]

Thanks. I agree, Jeff. The trick is I've never had great luck with ease of cleaning the filter, essential in bear country, and it is multiplied by being in arid country too, so very minimal water use, especially when dry camping.

With abandon,
Patrick

[sameness]

Not sure how long you're out there for, but I was thinking more along the lines of just throwing it in a plastic bag and dealing with it when you get home.

[Deacon Patrick]

Och, aye! Hopefully I'm out long enough, God and brain willing, that the plastic bag method is ill advised. Grin. Of course last year's epoch ended after 4 days, so who's to say! Sardonic grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

[sameness]

Yeah, I can't see the plastic bag working for more than a day or two.

I guess the only thing I'd do is bring along some cheesecloth to strain the coffee into a cup? But your tolerance for grounds might be higher than mine.

Otherwise, I can't think of anything to refine or otherwise embetterify the process you outlined in your first post without more... stuff.

[Carla Waugh]

Not the same but I grind mine the night before then float a cheesecloth bag I found mine at NG’s and leave it in your Kleen Canteen overnight and take it with you on your bike. Take the bag home and dispose of the grounds in your compost.

[Ray Varella]

Cold brew coffee keeps for at least a week.
It can be made very concentrated so a small amount can be used to make a larger amount.

If I were going out for a week or less, I would take my prepare concentrate with me and reconstitute as needed.

Ray

[Deacon Patrick]

Today's cold coffee in the field experiment went well. Pouring, no filter yields minimal grains for the first cup, more than I'd like for the second. Also, tried a thin cotton cloth (think wee bandana) and that may be the way I go. Easy clean and bury, let dry, clean and bury the rest. Thanks for helping me sort that out!

With abandon,
Patrick

[Ian A]

I use one of these type for straining camp tea and coffee. Mine only cost a few cents and has held up for several years. Plastic body with plastic mesh. I cut the handle down a little to fit inside pot when packed.

https://www.amazon.com/YBM-Home-Strainer-Plastic-Fine/dp/B00KKUSJAI

IanA

[phil k]

Thanks for reporting back, I think I may have to try this when I go camping.

[Deacon Patrick]

Today I used a bigger bandanna, lined my mug with it like a cheese cloth, shook the thermos to get the grounds out with it, poured the mug full, twisted it as I lifted it to force filter it and squeeze the grounds and the coffee was great and smooth. Easy clean up to shake out the grounds into a stick dug hole and mix them into the dirt. Even in a spot with clear bear and mountain lion tracks in the last few weeks, no animal dig-up over the last week from the last few experiments. Bandanna dries in 37 seconds in the sun. Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

[Ray Varella]

There is a local woman who makes really nice reusable filters
I have a couple
She can be found at ebbfilter.com

[Deacon Patrick]

Update: Oh! How wonderful it was to have fresh brewed cold coffee while bikepacking this past weekend. The penultimate brew came on the last day, in which I woke enveloped in fog at 10,000 feet and 34˚F. I filled the brewing thermos the rest of the way (I get the grounds wet after drinking the previous round, but the water in the bottles is warm then, so just a bit to get them brewing overnight, then fill with cold water in the morning), wondering all the while how much I'd enjoy cold brew on a day like this. 65 miles later, the sun was a toasty 70˚F in a blue sky over the piñon forests of Salida and my 20oz of cold coffee were just the thing. Here's what I did/learned cold brewing bikepacking:

- Hario grinder gave up the ghost so ground the beans before I left. Worked well, but am in need of a better quality travel grinder.
- 20oz wide-mouth Klean Kanteen thermos. Widemouth is easier to get the grounds in and out, but insulates far less. May look into their new system with budget allows. It would be a bigger thermos too. Grin.
- As described above, I soak the grinds the afternoon before, getting them just wet enough to bloom and let them soak overnight in the too-warm for cold coffee water. First thing in the morning, the now cold water fills the thermos, which keeps it fairly cool throughout the day. The warmer the morning, the warmer the cold brew.
- I line my mug with a bandana, shake the thermos (I gotta get the grinds out anyway, easier mixed with water), pout the mug full, lift the bandana, twist it over the mug, squeezing all the brew out the beans.
- Ahhhh!
- Repeat till thermos is empty.
- Clean-up: Shake the grounds into a wee hole, mix with dirt, cover with dirt. All done.

Yum. Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick