An Apparently Stupid Way to Make Coffee

[soerencarlsen]

That coffee brewer system goes back more than 100 years my parents had this in the late 60th. The only problem was replacing the glas All the time. After All it was/is a bit fragile. But good coffee.

[wing15601]

I have a very old one from 1800’s and I used it once. It makes excellent coffee but needs to be watched and there are too many modern good coffee makers that I don’t have to watch. I see they are sold on Amazon so maybe when I retire I’ll have time to stare at it while it brews.

[gagrant]

I have several at home in various sizes. You are right it is probably too fragile for a boat. You cannot regulate the time water dwells in the grinds. I use a pretty fine grind, so if you are not getting enough strength - go finer. I have a butane refillable buntzen type burner instead of the alcohol one and it works great. Great coffee when perfected.

[soerencarlsen]

As I remember , it was a unit you placed on the table when you needed coffee with guest that way no one needed to leave the room to make the brev.

[bcboomer]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi;3714814

Ashore we use a fancy Breville grinder but aboard the old fashioned Proctor Silex which is sold out most of the time ([url

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SB8M0E[/url])

A blade grinder overheats the coffee and gives an uneven grind.

We use a cast iron Spong burr grinder and Aeropress on our boat.

[GrowleyMonster]

I don't like those vacuum rigs, either.

When I was a kid we always had this type on shrimp boats:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/19529702028...ntid=512563767

On sailboats I have made cowboy coffee, eggshells and all, and if you have a little ice to settle the grounds and you get everything just right, it can make a drinkable cup. I have also used a moka, and pourover, and the Bellman. Meh. Not bad. The Bellman is a bit slow and fiddly and is sort of expensive, but all can make a drinkable product.

What I finally settled on about 10 years ago was the DeLonghi Magnifica superautomatic espresso machine. I only have to run the inverter for just a few minutes and the battery drain is worth it. If I have fresh milk I steam it with the steaming wand for cappuccino. Beans and water in, espresso and pucks of grounds out. Once it is set up the way you like it, it makes a really enjoyable coffee, whether you want a "long", espresso, or cappa/latte. They used to be expensive but prices aren't too bad these days if you catch a sale somewhere. You do need counter space and a way to secure it that will not prevent filling water and beans, removing the puck bin, etc.

I really like that it does a reasonable self-clean automatically. I try to keep distilled water on hand both for the batteries and for the machine, so I don't descale very often, maybe once every two months of once daily use. I just ignore the "descale me!" light. Also I use vinegar, not the special magic solution. The machine in the house has been used daily for about 5 years and still going strong. In fact it was on my boat when I got spliced to my present wife and had to go live on the hard. I took it with me and there it is.

For stovetop machines and water boiling I usually have a primus type stove running on diesel. I keep mounting brackets for the Sea-Swing out in the cockpit and inside, next to the companionway. The CO monitors have never complained, as long as I kept some ventilation or cooked outside when conditions allowed. My current boat has a propane stove but I don't like them and have never used it. Don't try to "reason" with me. I don't like them and the more you tell me I should, the more I won't and I don't care who disapproves. Lalalalala I'm not listening! I don't care for alcohol stoves either. I don't want to starve to death while trying to get something cooked.

[Dooglas]

Doesn't look like that vulnerable glassware belongs on a boat. Every boat I have ever owned has carried a french press for making coffee. They make great coffee and the double-walled stainless ones are very sturdy.

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

My father, until the day he finally sold his boat a few years ago, would not make coffee on board with anything other than a stainless stovetop percolator. Ick! Boiled, burned coffee -- the worst possible way to make it.

Yep! My standard method of making coffee on the boat.
My friends call it “cowboy coffee”.
Yes, now and then I need a good cup of coffee, but most of the time I just need the caffeine.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[Bill_Giles]

That looks as if it will last 5 minutes at sea. A Moka pot (one of those aluminium stove top jobs) does great coffee and is robust. We also keep a pod coffee machine aboard for when we have mains power though.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

A blade grinder overheats the coffee and gives an uneven grind.

We use a cast iron Spong burr grinder and Aeropress on our boat.

Yes, that’s why we have a Breville grinder for use ashore, but you would have trouble tasting the difference… even with a blade grinder the coffee is so much better than pre-ground coffee that we like the simplicity.

I must say I find it peculiar that you have a big cast iron grinder and then a miniature travel coffee maker. The coffee from the machines I listed really is much better (it’s Moka!)

[RaymondR]

The smell whilst you're hand grinding coffee then the second hit whilst perking it is almost worth throwing the perked coffee away and then making an enjoyable cup of tea.
.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

Doesn't look like that vulnerable glassware belongs on a boat. Every boat I have ever owned has carried a french press for making coffee. They make great coffee and the double-walled stainless ones are very sturdy.

Yep. Ours is a Thermos Nissan French Press.

If cleaning up the grounds seems to be too messy or use too much water on the boat, you can use Caffi 8 Cup French Press Paper Filters.

These are fine filter paper bags that you put inside the jug, add the coffee and hot water, then fold over the tabs before you put the filter plunger on top.

Once you've pressed and poured the coffee the grounds and bag come out with a tap on the bottom of the inverted jug.

[edventuredad]

I have one of these at home. You put the ground coffee in the top before the boil, and the time that it takes to get all the water boiled up and then to come back through the filter down is enough time to brew. I usually start with water heated up in the kettle since it takes a long time to bring it to a boil in the device. It does a really good job of bringing out the nuanced flavors of the coffee... better than any other device I've used. And that's one of the biggest problems. Most of the time I taste the filter, burlap, etc. And, I don't know about you, but I find it really difficult to find good coffee while underway and provisioning at whatever the easiest to reach grocery store is. I'm finding it hard to even find halfway decent coffee as beans in most of these stores. So, I'd rather not have the nuance!

Of course, the other issue is its fragility. I feel I have to handle it carefully in the kitchen that is not moving!

I'm sticking with my Aeropress (with a metal filter, so no trash) for single-cup brews and a plastic French press if I'm going to make a few cups.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Or perhaps I just don't understand it yet.


I bought a Chinese vacuum pot from Amazon.


It looks like a piece of lab equipment -- very cool. A bit fragile-looking for the boat, but let's see -- I'm testing it out at home so far.


So this contraption has an upper and lower pot connected by a siphon tube. You boil the water in the lower pot, and it is pushed out by the expanding air and steam into the upper pot. You mix the coffee into the upper pot, and then it's sucked back into the lower pot, through the filter, as this one cools.


That's the principle of it.


In practice, however --


As soon as you take the heat off (an alcohol burner), the water flows right back into the lower pot, giving you scant time to mix the coffee, or for the coffee to brew. You can't leave the heat on, or it will boil the lower pot dry.


The supplied alcohol burner can't be regulated at all, except by adjusting how much wick is out, which can only be done when it's off and cool.


Even with a regulateable burner, I can scarcely see how you can control how long the water stays in the upper pot.


I'm drinking my first cup -- brewed twice since I had to put the heat back on and push the water/coffee back up to brew. Despite the botched procedure, it tastes surprisingly good. So maybe there is something to this.


Anyone have any tips?

KISS, works every time.

[Buzzman]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I would prefer the original Italian version.. same principle but a lot more rugged..

Yeah, but the Bialetti has the water boil *up* through the grounds and bubble over into the top pot, where it stays.
Once the lower pot is dry, it's ready to drink.
Gotta watch it....