It is not the very lightest method, but I strongly recommend the Aerobie Aeropress as a very portable way to make excellent coffee. It can easily be customised to hold ground coffee in the plunger.
http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm

Nice, fun article, Mike!

If anyone is sensitive to caffeine, or likes a hot drink before bedtime without the buzz keeping them awake, I just discovered a coffee substitute: Oskri's Barley Coffee. Its an instant drink that, although does not taste exactly like real brewed coffee, can help those who need to do without caffeine.



Considering that it's not even coffee, Oskri does a really good job with the flavor!

Edited by T.L. on 09/09/2010 19:51:53 MDT.

I 3rd Joe's comments. Coffee is like sex. We all have different tastes and techniques but it can really perk up ones day (no decaf allowed) .

Mike, if there were a tip jar I'd stuff it with bills.

The Jetboil French Press also works with the new GSI Minimalist :)

Dang - I could barely read this without getting all excited.

and this is no exception.

After reading this, I went to our grocer to find the Republic of Tea strainer...instead, I found one from ForLife. Sort of in between the MSR and the RofT...cost $9, and weighs 3oz., and has a lid like the MSR

http://www.forlifedesign.com/infusers-strainers/433.html

Seriously, I never knew there were so many ways to make coffee. I honestly give it up on the trail, only because I usually keep myself so busy I forget. But, these ideas might get me to change my mind. Excellent read and drawings.

Try this on for size ."Combat espresso, on the other hand, is brutal. The creamer, instant coffee and sugar are poured directly into one’s mouth and then washed down with water. In 2004, I survived on those things for two weeks with a Marine company during the battle for Falluja." From the NYT today .
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/weekinreview/05gilbertson.html?hpw

Heh, hilariously hard-core, John. :-) (Understandable, given the circumstances.)

My standard "ultimate dirtbag hiker breakfast" challenge is a ground-up NoDoz tablet sprinkled on a PopTart. Nobody's taken me up on it...yet.

Cheers,

Rick

Thanks for all the kind words about the article. This thing was written a while back, and my system now includes STARBUCKS VIA packets. Yes, these are instant, but they are actually quite good.

Expensive, but VERY light and simple. These are also good cold.

Presently - I use these solo camping. Two packets per cup. But - If I am with a pal, I would do COWBOY coffee in the titanium pot.

cheers,
Mike C!

There goes my sub-10lb base weight.

...my comment about the abundance of UL down jacket reviews that seemed to become a weekly feature was in no way a sleight on the quality of reviews here on BPL (because on the whole they are very, very good). I just felt that they could have been tested and reviewed side-by-side in one article, freeing up editorial for more articles like this one by Mike (and his Groovybiotic article) and other highly informative, some may say legendary, technique articles such as the winter footwear trilogy, the one about winter soft-shell systems and the one about surviving persistent cold rain. These are the kinds of specific 'UL' articles you just can't find anywhere else. Just my 2 kroner.

Oh, and as for coffee, I like Ethiopian through a filter at home and use Via on the trail. I may put a sachet of sugar in the first one of the day. Forgive me Mike for I have sinned... ;-)

Mike,

What about coffee bean storage? How do you keep the ground beans as fresh as possible in the backcountry?

You are cracking me up!!! I just wish everyone was a coffee drinker so we can all share the deliciousness of it all!!

Not ultralight, but one luxury I afford myself are the single serving creamers (real stuff with no flavors added)that you can now purchase at the grocery store...real cream with my coffee outdoors and it could rain for days, I wouldnt care :)

Not sure if it was mentioned, but sugar cubes are available in most grocery stores. These are great for just plopping a couple in a cup of java or tea. No need to measure out before your trip...just multiply cubes per cup by meals. I always throw a few extra in the ziplock for a late night brew or a particularly rainy day.

x2 packs of VIA bold + Hershey's Cocoa + 1 powdered creamer single = Backcountry satisfaction of the highest degree.

Excellent article Mike, I definitely needed this one and enjoyed it fully.

We've taken Via on our last couple of trips. Easy and fast, tastes pretty good.

For extra coffee goodness during the day, I like to eat chocolate covered espresso beans. A very small handful of those puppies gets me climbing hills like nobody's business. Love 'em.

For the purists -
Kyocera ceramic hand grinder at 8.4 ounces : http://www.orphanespresso.com/Kyocera-Ceramic-Coffee-Grinder-CM-45-CF_p_1993.html

In use:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e0ABtsARso