Coffee Maker

[HRTKD]

Sorry I'm late chiming in here. Didn't notice the thread.

Our off-grid cabin has been that way for over 40 years, and we've only had solar for the past 4.5 years. We've struggled through using percolators and vacuum pots for years. Both are a mess and very difficult to clean. Meanwhile, an old style Mr. Coffee is really easy to clean: Throw out the filter with the grounds, and you are mostly done.

So what I'm looking for may be different than others here. I'm not trying to find a low-wattage drip machine. We have a coal / wood cook stove, and a propane stove. I just want something that I can use on a heat source (like a propane stove) that works through a coffee filter and so can be cleaned up easily. Surely something like that exists, right?

I did buy a pour-through pot that takes a normal coffee filter and allows us to just pour hot water through ground coffee in a filter. We have only tried it once, but it made the weakest coffee I have ever had. (I like really strong coffee, by the way)

Is there something else out there??

This should work on the propane stove.

Amazon.com

 

[Horsefly]

This should work on the propane stove.

Amazon.com

Jim! Jim! Jim! You once again come to my rescue... I think.

We have a regular propane range: 24", 4 burners and an oven. Will this work? I dunno.

But it is a great start! Thanks!

 

[12VoltInstalls]

should work on the propane stove.

Ahh!
That must be the camping coffeemaker!
(reviews say it takes 20-30 minutes to brew)

I’d proffer that an electric at 600W is a better option- certainly cheaper than 20 minutes of propane.
Or a percolator. Percolated coffee is an art form to be appreciated like cooking eggs, salmon, or excellent spaghetti sauce.

At least with a percolator it might be bulky and weigh a lot for a backpak but it can carry its own supplies plus more inside, and other than the water you can make coffee anywhere over a fire, alcohol stove, propane, electric… I don’t use often but I have two.

The 600W electric is simple, and “4 cup” mark fills my 20oz vacuum mug.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

want something that I can use on a heat source (like a propane stove) that works through a coffee filter and so can be cleaned up easily. Surely something like that exists, right?

Not really.

A drip coffeemaker is a very simple “machine” that makes steam which pushes water up a tube into the filter basket a teaspoon or less at a time.

It sounds like a nice TiG project with some stainless scraps… buy a $15 coffeemaker for the carafe and cut the ‘burner’ plate out. Save the plate and the carafe- throw the rest away. Some engineer-uity and you’ll have it.

 

[grizzzman]

I run a Mr Coffee 12 cup unit. It takes about 12 minutes at 80 amps-900ish watts (A 12 volt system) I have had the Colman stove top coffee maker. It is agonizingly slow.( And over time got worse) After it is brewed I put it in a thermos.

 

[HRTKD]

I think I recall someone on one of our Scout campouts bringing that Coleman coffee maker. We were all a bunch of gadget-heads. Someone was always bringing something new/cool to try out. I don't have a negative memory of it, so it must have worked.

I don't think it was said in this thread, perhaps another thread on the same topic: I have plenty of electric energy, but I have only so much propane. Consequently, I prefer to use my small Mr Coffee to brew up that lifesaving liquid.

 

[Sojourner1]

I run a Mr Coffee 12 cup unit. It takes about 12 minutes at 80 amps-900ish watts (A 12 volt system) I have had the Colman stove top coffee maker. It is agonizingly slow.( And over time got worse) After it is brewed I put it in a thermos.

Mr Coffee 12 cup user here except our coffee habit has us brewing twice in the morning. Nothing like a hot strong black cup coffee.

 

[Rbertalotto]

Here ya go!

RV Coffee! | RVB Precision

There must be a million ways to make coffee in your RV. Lord knows I’ve bought about 500,000 of them! From simple stove top percolators to fancy French presses to portable Keurig machines. You name it, I probably tried it. From “Cowboy” coffee pots… to real nice stainless steel compact pots… to...

rvbprecision.com

 

[iowachap]

Forgive me if you are on all of the different Facebook DIY Solar sites etc and saw my request for this already...

I've done a good job at our new cabin of selecting all low wattage LED lights etc...

The 1 guilty pleasure we would really like to pull off is a coffee maker.
We already have a Coleman gas-stove camping style coffee maker, but it takes forever to make a pot of coffee.

Hoping to find a coffee pot that can get it done with under 1000 watts if possible.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Why not use a water kettle or a much more lower wattage use solar water kettle. Boil water then put your coffee into a travel French press pour in boiling / super hot water steep, press and ready and this is probably the best way to make the best tasting coffee as long as water isn’t nasty.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

^^^ because an electric coffeemaker suites most people, is low effort, and uses maybe only 6-12Ah depending on size

 

[A.Justice]

Cowboy coffee! Pot of cold water, add grounds, heat until grounds sink to the bottom of the pot, remove from heat and stir, let sit for 1 minute, pour off top of pot that doesn't have grounds into a cup, enjoy.

When I feel fancy, I use a reusable coffee filter and pour the coffee out of the pot through that to get the last few grounds out, but generally speaking the grounds sit on the bottom of the cup, as long as you don't drink the last sip, it's great coffee.

I've owned high-dollar automatic espresso machines, cheap ones, drip pots, percolators, a cold brew machine, K-cup machine, and a french press. IMHO, the best coffee comes from the french press, cheap stove top espresso machine, and the "cowboy" coffee. Plus, cleaning up a single pot (and possibly rinsing a metal mesh screen), is WAY easier than cleaning out a machine, especially because I drink 3 cups a day.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

The issue for me is I’m addicted to the high-palate floral intensity of drip or slow percolated coffee. It’s just my taste. That taste goes away lEd’s than 5 minutes of perking or running a drip coffeemaker.
Boiled or rapid percolator coffee loses that before it’s even done.

Percolator coffee requires paying attention to even get right. I know people that like thick coffee and the French Press is about the best at that. But I wouldn’t want it everyday.

 

[Wellbuilt]

Who cleans a coffee pot any way?
I tap out the grinds in the trash and rinse under water done ?
If sop hit the pot it kills the coffee for a week .

 

[HRTKD]

In a boondocking situation, water is scarce. I use a paper filter in my drip coffee maker and it comes out with little or no rinsing required. It all depends on how much coffee the stupid operator (me) put in the filter to start with.

We have the same coffee maker, just bigger, at home. It gets cleaned about once a year. We run vinegar through it to clear out any buildup, then a few iterations of fresh water to clear out the vinegar. No problem. My wife is a coffee snob, I am not. She's the one that cleans it. I such a non-snob that day old coffee is OK.

 

[pralinebuckets]

I'm what you might consider a coffee snob. My favourite setup just requires ground coffee and a way to heat water: Hario V60

Other good off grid options are:
* Aeropress https://aeropress.com/

* French Press (more annoying to clean)

I either pre-grind my coffee or use a manual grinder. IMO buying pre-ground coffee gives you significantly less fresh coffee. In the video he has a lot of equipment. I don't bother with all that. I have the Hario V60 itself, paper filters and my coffee. I don't worry about weighing it or doing that stuff he does with the spoon or anything. I pour the water in one go and let it sit while it brews Very similar to how normal old coffee pots work. It very easily beats out about 3/4 of the coffee at shops I go to.

With all of these methods it's fairly easy to get a cup of coffee that is as good or better than what you would get at a snobby coffee shop in the city, and all you need is your beans and hot water!

 

[grizzzman]

I just take a 120 volt grinder with my drip coffee pot. Fresh and fast. I Pac a French press but it to much hassle to clean. ( never hurts to have a back up)

 

[Steve_S]

LMAO The Religion of Coffee ! Well it is a part of my religion anyways.
I love my 12 Cup Oster Perk, takes all of 6 minutes to brew a Full Pot while pulling about 55A from my 24V Bank. It has No Warmer because it has a Thermal (Insulated) Carafe that can keep the coffee hot for hours & it does it very well indeed.

ONLY PEEVE, is the opening for the carafe is quite small so you cannot shove hand & cloth in to clean it...

 

[12VoltInstalls]

I just want something that I can use on a heat source (like a propane stove) that works through a coffee filter and so can be cleaned up easily. Surely something like that exists, right?

Way back on page 4 was a link to sailing coffeemakers. Two of the ones discussed in the link seem appropriate.

Here ya go!

RV Coffee! | RVB Precision

There must be a million ways to make coffee in your RV. Lord knows I’ve bought about 500,000 of them! From simple stove top percolators to fancy French presses to portable Keurig machines. You name it, I probably tried it. From “Cowboy” coffee pots… to real nice stainless steel compact pots… to...

rvbprecision.com

In other news I bought this to review based on this thread.

Initially I was impressed unboxing it. However, I didn’t like it when I saw the ‘stainless’ travel mug is actually plastic inside and has a lid and closure design reminiscent of ‘mugs’ popular over 20 years ago. Not easily cleaned.

The coffeemaker itself has a cord inconveniently short. Just six more inches would be ok… I plugged it in and hit the power switch which glowed blue. The switch was clunky-feeling. Since I hadn’t added water yet I hit the switch again attempting to turn it off. It did not respond. After several attempts I unplugged it and the light was out. I tried a few more times; sometimes it turns off. Or maybe it shut down from the temperature sensor? Dunno

I added two measures of coffee to the re-usable filter. I like that feature!
I also liked that they water reservoir has three ‘steps’ with 10, 12, and 14 oz. denotations. Nice.
I filled to just over the 14 and pushed the switch. Twice and it glowed blue and began audibly heating. Funky switch.
A stopwatch recorded a quick 3:27 to complete the cycle to no more drips for one hot 14oz cup, and the meter revealed 780W while running. About the second it stopped dripping the blue button light turned off.

All in all it made coffee fine, I don’t like the plastic “mug,” and that funky switch makes me uncomfortable. It’s not a good feel.
I didn’t AvE it apart but it acts like a trigger for a solid state relay that merely switches trigger power for the relay but my head says that nobody would do that on this price point. Dunno. It does auto shutoff when the water is depleted so likely there is something in it with ‘release’ logic.

I will probably send it back due to the switch. My misgivings about the plastic mug (that I’d only use to brew anyway) and it not being tall enough for my contigo to fit are negatives. Yet the switch is why I’d return it.

I’m still preferring my old Hamilton Beach 5-cup auto. It’s not that it’s 580-600W (the 3 minutes of 780W isn’t a big deal) but the switch bothers me. Maybe defective, maybe all are funky.
Regardless, when I turn off the Hamilton Beach it’s a real mechanical disconnect switch and I have no qualms leaving it plugged in.

Just some fun info!

 

[ncowan]

Hey Guys!

What is the best available coffee maker with a thermal carafe nowadays?

I'm using a Canadian brand Oster Coffee maker which is exactly the same product as the Mr. Coffee brand which I believe is sold in the US. I have been using it now foe several years, and I have had a replacement one since last Winter. I recently noticed a strong plastic smell from the water container and I strongly suspect that it contains BPA. I want to discard the product for my health sake and I'm looking for a dependable replacement that makes good tasting coffee. I like dark roasted coffee as is, black without any sweetener.

I have been looking on the web through Google and I got several different recommendations as we usually find when we do such research. Two brands that frequently best coffee maker under 100 dollars come out in the several lists of recommendations are ZOJIRUSHI and NINJA. I know that Zojirushi mentions that their water container is free of BPA, but I'm not so sure about the Ninja product. Of course, reliability is also important.

So, would any of you, coffee lovers, have a recommendation for a reliable product that makes good tasting coffee? Your comments would be appreciated.

 

[camelCase]

I'm as big a coffee snob as you find, roasting my own beans and a have a commercial espresso machine on the kitchen counter, but when I'm off grid it usually means there's fish that need catching. No time for all that messing around. Boil the water on the stove and dump it in the thermos with some instant Maxwell House and I'm out the door.