I don’t know about you, but Glyn and I are coffee geeks and are pretty fussy about the coffee we drink. We were treated to proper morning coffee on-site when we recently stayed at The Tavistock Camping & Caravan Club site – our favourite campsite on Dartmoor in Devon. Kate, from Peace and Coffee, brings her cute coffee wagon on site most mornings and makes a great cup of coffee. But how can you make real coffee in your own campervan at any time of the day? I decided to find out what sort of coffee kit is out there for us campers…
Coffee Pod Machines
Okay, I know that this is a bit extravagant but, hey, you’re on holiday why not give yourself a treat. Glyn and I have had a Nespresso pod machine at home for years and love it but it is a bit bulky to take in the camper. However there are lots of new designs in Nespresso-compatible machines out there now and some are getting smaller. Why not go and check out the coffee department in your local store and see what they have got to offer at the moment. BARGAIN ALERT: Some large stores have a great offer on the Krups Inissia Nespresso Coffee Pod Machine up to 30th September 2017. This machine is now £49.00. There is a separate milk frother (easier to store) but you can get the milk frother free (normally £50) if you buy 150 Nespresso pods which you’ll want to do anyway as they get used up pretty quickly. Apparently a lot of students are buying one to take to Uni in September so get in there quick! Stores that have this offer include: Lakeland, John Lewis, Debenhams & Currys.
Many of the supermarkets now sell Nespresso-compatible pods but, in our opinion, they are nowhere as nice as the actual Nespresso coffee pods and, frankly, I’d rather pay an extra 10p for a really good cup of coffee. However, I have found an online supplier that offers compatible pods that are cheaper than Nespresso but nearly as good. Checkout The Fine Coffee Club I really like their Hazlenut coffee pod as a double-shot mixed with the Columbian.
UPDATE: I’ve been hearing that some of you are concerned about the effect of the used pods on the environment and I totally understand. However, the pods can be recycled now and the spent coffee used for compost. See video on YouTube
Hand-Powered Espresso Machines
These are clever, little machines that will give you a good espresso if you are not on hook-up and they use Nespresso-compatible pods too. The Wacaco Minipresso NS is one of the best, costs £49.95 and only weighs 350 grams and is 17.5cm long. You simply load the coffee pod and pour hot water in to the chamber above it then push a piston a few times which forces the water through the coffee pod and in to the cup. It has a built-in cup so it’s easy to use if you’re hiking, wild camping or just on a long drive. Check it out on YouTube
One-Cup Filters
To keep it really simple why not try one of the individual coffee filters that go on top of your mug. They have their own fine mesh so you don’t need paper filters but just add the ground coffee and pour hot water on it and let it drip through. Check out the Mesh Coffee Dripper on Amazon
You can even get a collapsible silicone filter top for extra space-saving (although this will need filter papers). Check out the Silicone Drippers on Amazon
My favourite ground coffee is anything from Cornish Coffee Check out Cornish Coffee mail order
The Good old Cafetiere
These are funky one-cup cafetieres that have a mesh inner and a plunger just like the normal jug-style ones but also keep the coffee warm as they are insulated and have a lid. Check out the Zyliss Smart Cafe One-cup cafetiere
But if there are 2 or more of you it might be worth getting one of the traditional jug-style cafetieres. I find that these are really useful when I am cooking for mixing up pancake batter, salad dressings and avocado cremas (See my recipe for Spicy Bean Tacos and Avocado Crema) or anything else that needs to be whisked/mashed.
Check out the Levivo Travel cafetiere
Stove Top Percolator (or Moka)
This is the traditional way of making an espresso. You put water in the bottom part and ground coffee in the holder in the middle and then pop it on the stove and let the water bubble-up through the coffee in to the top pot. This particular one can be used on induction hobs too. Check out the Andrew James Espresso Coffee Percolator on Amazon
However you make your coffee I hope that you enjoy it and I encourage you to experiment with different ways to make it, not just to get better coffee – but also to have fun!
UPDATE: A lot of you are raving about the Aeropress coffee maker too. Check out the Aeropress here
The Tavistock Camping & Caravan campsite near Tavistock, Devon Checkout The Tavistock Camping & Caravan Club Campsite
Peace and Coffee Mobile coffee, Devon Check out Peace and Coffee Mobile Coffee
What about the oomph?
Have you had a look at the aeropress? A most fantastic little coffee press which is very portable and light. You only need hot water and ground coffee. Those nespresso machine things are pretty bad for the environment as they produce a lot of litter and pricey to buy the pods of coffee.