Janaka Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Does anyone have good recommendations for a festival-friendly coffee maker? Sure, instant is ok, and I'm not a massive coffee-aficionado, but I kinda like the idea of a good strong espresso to start the day (though usually that's early afternoon!). I don't have a budget as such - more a case of getting something that does a very good job, will last, and is compact enough to fit in a rucksack. This one has caught my eye http://www.wacaco.com/products/minipresso-gr and can be found for £40 but would be grateful for any 1st-hand recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebus Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 http://www.aeropress.co.uk/ Can't recommend highly enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Lawn Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Seems pointlessly time and money consuming when you can just buy a coffee from a stand. There are lots of decent ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janaka Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 4 minutes ago, GETOFFAMYLAWN said: Seems pointlessly time and money consuming when you can just buy a coffee from a stand. There are lots of decent ones. Yes that's absolutely not in doubt. My point though is about being able to make a half-decent one when back at the campsite. And for use on camping holidays when the nearest barista is a good few miles away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
majormajormajor Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Aeropress all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janaka Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 19 minutes ago, rebus said: http://www.aeropress.co.uk/ Can't recommend highly enough. Thanks looks good. On the shortlist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurdy Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 18 minutes ago, rebus said: http://www.aeropress.co.uk/ Can't recommend highly enough. This. You won't get anything better in terms of price or portability. Dead easy to use and clean. If you want to grind your beans fresh than marry it with a hand ceramic burr grinder. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B001802PIQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1465134277&sr=1-2&pi=SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=415JCWEK1sL&ref=plSrch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluePaul Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I've got an aeropress and it is great, but won't make an espresso if that's what you really want. I am very intrigued by the 'minipresso' you linked to though - might have to invest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaels denim shorts Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 20 minutes ago, GETOFFAMYLAWN said: Seems pointlessly time and money consuming when you can just buy a coffee from a stand. There are lots of decent ones. Very true but it's easy to do a tenner a day on coffee, well for me anyway. There's 6 of us at camp, our coffee bill would be £250+ between us. Just having a kettle can save a small fortune Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watergirl Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 An Italian-style caffetiera works great on camping gas. The real deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smeble Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 As long as you are taking some kind of gas burner then use a stove top coffee maker. seems far to much faff for a festival. Just use instant and if you absolutely can't live without an espresso, buy one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dexydexy Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 We take a camping stove and kettle and a jar of Douwe-egberts instant hazelnut flavoured coffee. It's really good. http://www.douwe-egberts.co.uk/products/instants1/the-flavour-collective/roasted-hazelnut/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charm Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I always take an Italian expresso pot when I go regular camping, works really well on a camping stove, but the only fire making object I trust myself with at the festival is a lighter, much safer for me to get coffee from a stall. Charm x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluePaul Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Just ordered the minipresso - will report back in due course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosj Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 (edited) Either an aero press or a moka machine (stove top metal jug like the pic above). A kettle with an aeropress repeatedly may be quicker, but a tip is to make it upside down and therefore leave it brewing for a bit before tipping it right way up into a mug. Otherwise you've got to buy a large moka machine for all your mates drinks too which you may not use at any other time. The moka makes better coffee but the press is still good. Edited June 5, 2016 by carlosj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzymoo Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Probably heresy, but you could try coffee bags (not the plastic 'disposable' filters). wouldn't make espresso but would save a lot of faff and better than instant. You've got time to get some gourmet ones online, which would still be much cheaper than buying drinks at the festival Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watergirl Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 …. also, everybody who mentions buying drinks at the festival…. think of the queues. Having a coffee at the tent before setting out for the day is the perfect start I reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurdy Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 1 hour ago, BluePaul said: Just ordered the minipresso - will report back in due course! Where did you order it from? Been reading up on it and have to say I'm intrigued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluePaul Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 22 minutes ago, hurdy said: Where did you order it from? Been reading up on it and have to say I'm intrigued. Here: https://www.newmen.co.uk/products/wacaco-minipresso-pocket-sized-coffee-machine?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=16307082243&gclid=CMK-pZOckc0CFUKZGwodQd0GWA Lowest price I could find - Amazon and others seemed to be about eight quid more expensive. Order went through ok with delivery in 2-3 working days. Yes, I'm intrigued too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark E. Spliff Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I'm also intrigued by what I've read about this thing. However, it just looks like too much faff to get one small espresso shot. If you use the thing, you're probably going to have similarly-intrigued new-found friends coming in to see what you're up to, and I'd feel duty-bound to make them all one. 3 hours later, I'd be sick of the bloody thing. If you haven't tried a 'mocha pot' then do so. Apparently, the Italians, who are famously fussy about their coffee, use these as standard. There are a few knacks to getting them to work properly (correctly filling/tamping the coffee, filling it with already-boiling water and taking it off the heat when it's only half-finished 'espressing.') However, I've been using an Aeropress for a few years, and I'm convinced it's the perfect festival coffee-maker for three reasons: firstly, you can make 4 cups at once - you actually put 4 loads of coffee in, to make a thick concentrate, then split that up between 4 cups and top them up with hot water. Secondly, to clean it, you just pop out the little round puck of coffee grinds, rinse the paper filter and the end of the rubber bung with a small amount of water, and that's it - clean. Finally, the coffee quality is absolutely excellent, but it's just coffee, not espresso. If you're a coffee connoisseur, you'll know that freshly ground, freshly roasted beans are the key, so make sure you bring a decent hand-powered burr-grinder. (I use the Hario Mini.) For the Aeropress, you need to set the grind almost as fine as for an espresso machine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluePaul Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 1 hour ago, Mark E. Spliff said: I'm also intrigued by what I've read about this thing. However, it just looks like too much faff to get one small espresso shot. If you use the thing, you're probably going to have similarly-intrigued new-found friends coming in to see what you're up to, and I'd feel duty-bound to make them all one. 3 hours later, I'd be sick of the bloody thing. If you haven't tried a 'mocha pot' then do so. Apparently, the Italians, who are famously fussy about their coffee, use these as standard. There are a few knacks to getting them to work properly (correctly filling/tamping the coffee, filling it with already-boiling water and taking it off the heat when it's only half-finished 'espressing.') However, I've been using an Aeropress for a few years, and I'm convinced it's the perfect festival coffee-maker for three reasons: firstly, you can make 4 cups at once - you actually put 4 loads of coffee in, to make a thick concentrate, then split that up between 4 cups and top them up with hot water. Secondly, to clean it, you just pop out the little round puck of coffee grinds, rinse the paper filter and the end of the rubber bung with a small amount of water, and that's it - clean. Finally, the coffee quality is absolutely excellent, but it's just coffee, not espresso. If you're a coffee connoisseur, you'll know that freshly ground, freshly roasted beans are the key, so make sure you bring a decent hand-powered burr-grinder. (I use the Hario Mini.) For the Aeropress, you need to set the grind almost as fine as for an espresso machine. Yeah, my aeropress is currently my festival coffee maker of choice, but as you say, great as it is, it don't do espresso. I've had a mocha pot for years, but never really got it to make coffee I enjoy. I'm sure it's me, not the pot, but still. So I'm happy to give the minipresso a go. But that's me - always in search of the ultimate-whatever-it-is. If it's not coffee makers, it's cameras. Or hats. Or bags. At least I found the ultimate festival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scaryclaireyfairy Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 It's not perfect (coffee out of a plastic cup can't be) but this is my cheap and cheerful fix: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zyliss-Cafetiere-Hot-Mug-Red/dp/B00DB4JY72 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morph100 Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 4 hours ago, Mark E. Spliff said: If you're a coffee connoisseur, you'll know that freshly ground, freshly roasted beans are the key So which stalls on site will be selling coffee of this caliber? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil the shrew Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 (edited) 45 minutes ago, morph100 said: So which stalls on site will be selling coffee of this caliber? In terms of filter coffee the Green Brownie Company in Williams Green sell the Tim Peaks coffee freshly ground and filtered, which is jolly nice For the espresso and combinations of espresso coffees the coffee stall to the right of West Holts is good too and does decaf (can't quite see why you would want that though) Can't remember the name but in the South East corner there was a large American style bus with a coffee bar in that did cracking coffee too, plus quite a few of the food stalls now have proper coffee machines so it's easy to get a good cup on site. Is a cost but often cheaper and better coffee than high street stores sell. Nothing better than an early morning coffee watching the site come to life For camping I tend to just take a cafetière and some ground coffee and just brew that up, easy to carry brews a good cup to kick the day off Edited June 5, 2016 by phil the shrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janaka Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Thank you everyone for all the useful advice. Based on the guidance above, I think the Aeropress is the boy for me because: A bunch of helpful people have rated it Thinking about it, a longer coffee is fine if it'll be good quality, for me there's need to insist on espresso - would rather have something to savour. Not a bad price Making 4 coffee's in one go sounds good, to keep all the troops happy I know Moka's are great and would be an even cheaper option, but I'm not quite ready for that level of tinkering the morning/afternoon after the night before. And all of this over a near-naked flame. (May get one for home though to go alongside our all-singing, alll-dancing and all-leaking DeLonghi machine) Will probably invest in one of these metal filters too https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purposefull-Filter-Aeropress-Stainless-Natural/dp/B00UAJT5EI/ref=pd_sim_201_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=31VfUgxqQgL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR153%2C160_&refRID=8JEQ27SE6S0MCKBJZ0GF Re comments about superiority of freshly-ground coffee, that's a step I haven't taken yet. Is it really a night and day difference from the ready-ground stuff? (typically we buy Illy/Lavazza at home, so decent stuff I guess). Thanks again to everyone who has contributed their thoughts. If you find yourself in Dairy, under a Nemo clown fish flag, watching some guy who has lost all motor skills trying to work out an Aeropress, spilling coffee and hot water everywhere, please say hi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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