Manual Coffee Grinders - Suggestions?

[Radio]

We're looking to boondock, or come very close to it. My stainless steel stovetop perculator arrived this week, which means our coffee making now requires no electricity, or even a stove if one is industrious enough to build a morning fire (not me)

Sweet Wife however, has taken a fancy to grinding her own beans. Now I need a manual coffee grinder. I had no idea such a simple thing could be so expensive! I did find these:

http://www.jlhufford.com/ProductDeta...uctCode=hd1004

It's a Manual Coffee Grinder that sits on a jar that is small enough to be portable and cheap enough at $50 I might get one.

Any experience grinding coffee in the backwoods?
Anybody have a grinder like this one?



Radio

[NDJollyMon]

Radio...I'm your 'go-to' guy for all things coffee!
You can join me over at http://www.singleservecoffee.com where I also Moderate.

Anyway, I use a hand crank grinder at home. I go for the original, Zassenhaus grinder. (German) It puts out a pretty consistant grind...and it's variable to your liking.



Sometimes, these are hard to obtain...simply because collectors are snapping them up. I paid around $100 on eBay, but I bought when stockpiles were low.
They seem to have them in stock at http://www.sweetmarias.com again. (where I got the below said supplies)

It's "Old School", and grinds very nicely. I haven't seen the ones like you have in your photo, but they look interesting.

Personally, I'd talk you out of that percolator. Boiling coffee over-extracts it and it becomes bitter. Percolators are pretty famous for that. For really good camping coffee, I'd simply use that perc to boil up some water, and get a nice Bodum French Press for about $20. Put the fresh ground coffee into the press, add hot water, steep a couple minutes and plunge. Don't get much better than that!

http://www.sweetmarias.com/brewinstr.frenchpress.html
PS...I just got a new Home Roasting machine...and am roasting my own coffee. YOWWWWWWWWZAH!

[Radio]

Originally Posted by NDJollyMon

Personally, I'd talk you out of that percolator.

Thanks, that was the singularly most helpful response to all my inquiries on several forums. I guess that's what I get for posting "on the dark side"

Ditch the perk? Oh, no...

1. There's no denying the ability of the sound and aroma of a percolator chugging away to wake up reluctant spouses in the morning...which ever one of us that might be.

2. I have a fear of getting too comfortable "out there"...and then never coming back. Some people do that, you know. So I gotta be "roughing it" just a little bit.

[NDJollyMon]

I always loved my perc...until I started drinking really good coffee. Now I've ruined the whole 'perc' experience completely. I even tried using good coffee in the perc...but it's still over-extracted and bitter. I suppose a person adding milk, cream, or sweetner wouldn't notice quite so much.

The perc still has a place in our RV. I look at it as a challenge to make a better pot of coffee in it. Most times, I just drop a K-cup in my single serve Keurig machine or use a fresh grind.

Then again, I spent a couple hours today roasting some Panama Boquete Organic Los Lajones, and Ethiopian Organic Limu (Indonesian Process) to a Full City Roast.

[Ductape]

We did the french press thing for a while.

But honestly, it's too much bother to clean, and I do prefer percolator coffee in the woods. Nostalgia, maybe.

[OldCamper]

Love to use the percolator when camping. One tip, use a paper filter in the bin for the grounds. I find this makes for a crisper, cleaner cup of coffee. The discs that just sit in the bottom of the bin just don't cut it.

Why is everything better when you're camping??

[steveqvs]

i vote for the french press. always great tasting coffee. i look forward going to the woods for a great cup o coffee! Target has several models and they are inexpensive.

[Radio]

Originally Posted by OldCamper

Love to use the percolator when camping. One tip, use a paper filter in the bin for the grounds. I find this makes for a crisper, cleaner cup of coffee. The discs that just sit in the bottom of the bin just don't cut it.

Why is everything better when you're camping??

A spammer came along and dug up this old thread! Great!

I did find some paper filters at one of those mega-super-markets and they do make a better cup of coffee in the percolator. Yeah, percolator is the way to go when out in the woods. Ever see a cowboy movie with a french press sitting by the fire?

Not.

I make "Spam and eggs" when out in the trailer, but not at home. Must be that tastes better outdoors thing.

In a "Stir fry" skillet, place a large pat of real butter, small chunks of Spam, chopped onions and mushrooms. Stir around in there until onions are cooked. Add eggs and scramble until done.

[FreedomTracker]

I agree, the French Press makes some of the the best coffee (used to work for a large company that manufactures coffee). I just don't think it's quite as practical since it's made of glass that can break easily in a camper. Only makes 4 cups and you have to drink it right away since it won't keep it hot. Great for special occasions at home...

For the camper, we use a Rival 12-cup coffeemaker that costs only $8.97 at Walmart. The entire unit costs less than replacing just the glass pot!

[dunnnc]

When camping, you are supposed to make 'Old Joe', fill up a pot with water, when it boils, throw in the coffee and when the grounds fall to the bottom, pour and have a cup. That's how the cowboys did it.