Portable mini coffee maker
 

I was looking online, and they make some coffeemakers that just brew one cup with regular coffee rather than k-cups or whatever. I thought this might make a good gift for my wife, who spends a lot of time on the road.

A lot of rooms have mini-coffeemakers. I never use them but my wife does. But I think it would be easier to have one of your own; and the one I'm looking at will brew a big cup of coffee, up to 14 oz.

Do any of you travel with a mini coffee maker? Hamilton Beach makes one, for example. Just love to have any thoughts.

I keep looking at travel kettles and portable coffee makers but they are all just too big. The Via instant coffee twists by Starbucks are expensive but so much better it makes instant coffee doable. I'm going to pack the Via and an immersion heater inside a stainless steel travel mug, the tall kind meant to take in a car.

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Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Take a look at the Aeropress. I purchased one years ago as my travel coffee maker and loved it so much it has become my primary method for brewing my daily cup.

+1

In an environment where I'm paying hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to fly somewhere, and between $75 and $300 a night just to get a good nights sleep, I'll happily shell out $10 or so for a dozen Via packages. They pack ridiculously easily, and no matter where you are on earth, you can always get hot water. Add Via. Good coffee, done.

My wife and I travel on business and visiting friends and relatives.

Over the decades we have tried instant coffee packages, instant coffee in a jar, and buying a cup along the way. The latter is an expensive and frequently disappointing experience, while the former can be best described at times as swill.

Today we normally take a Nespresso Pixie with us, packing it in a soft case inside our carry-on. The soft case can hold a small voltage converter (we are 220-240v), and 55 coffee capsules, including some packed in the water reservoir. Consistent good coffee anywhere, and the small Pixie is easy to pack and carry.

It is safe to carry the machine in carry-on. When we arrive in North America we have found that the TSA agents are familiar and know what a Nespresso machine is without any problems.

We are now in Brasil for the holidays (and the warm weather) sans Pixie this trip, as the really good café nacional is available everywhere here.

I use several methods depending on whether I'm traveling alone, if I only want coffee and the type of coffee I want for the trip.

A long long time ago ;) , I was introduced to the Zelco BriskBrew by another girl in my boarding school. It's a dual voltage mini drip coffee maker. It makes a scant 7oz cup at 80 Celsius. Instead of using the brewing basket, we used reusable gold mesh filters that we put directly in the cup for brewing to mimic french press coffee. We bought freshly ground, vacuum-packed coffee via mail order.

Building on that, I now either bring the BriskBrew for a single serving of hot water for either tea or coffee, or a mini dual voltage kettle. For convenience, I use disposable paper filters now that can hold either tea, coffee or some other tisane. The paper filters do absorb a bit of the natural oils in coffee if you are looking for French Press style.

The Zelco BriskBrew's patent ran out and so the unit is discontinued. However, this is practically the same machine but by another brand. I've seen the price fall to the high $20 to low $30 range. This type of dual voltage single serve machine has a safety thermostat and takes quite a bit of time to reset itself for a second cup. I've had success heating more water by adding a second cup of water to the unit gradually during the heating process as the water level in the reservoir decreases.

I have not had the best of luck with immersion heaters. Murphy's Law dictates that when I most desperately need hot water having caught a nasty flu on the road, it will die on me, at 3am, in a snow storm.... :eek: :( So for reliability, I bring the BriskBrew and some tea bags and Via at the very least.

Where does the hot water come from?

Good coffee is almost everywhere now, but I can see if you're out in the boonies or on a budget, that bringing your own would be useful.

it may be everywhere but when you're traveling and want to get a good cup, first thing as you're getting ready in the AM, being your own is the only reliable way. even great hotels can (and often do) have lousy room service coffee.

Unfortunately, though good coffee (or, at least, acceptable coffee) may be everywhere in the US, it's not everywhere in the world. This is particularly true in Asia.

I use either an immersion heater, the coffee pot or kettle in the hotel room, a fire if I'm camping, a microwave, etc. Whatever method you would use to heat your water for instant coffee can be used to brew a fresh cup with the Aeropress.

I have one of these and highly recommend it. An excellent small hand grinder (similar to a Hario) and a small drip cone with paper filters. This is smaller than it looks in the pictures. If you're a fan of good coffee, you also know how important the grinder is and how important it is to grind fresh roasted beans right before brewing. The only problem you're left with is finding some 200f water.

I roast my own beans and this has been a handy way to have great coffee when camping or backpacking. Looks like OE is closing these out as the current price is only $16.

http://www.orphanespresso.com/GRINDR...bo_p_3333.html

Best solution. Even if the property has great room service coffee, it still takes time to get it. I really want coffee when I wake up and I don't want to have to commit to a time the night before.

That's why the Via packets, an immersion heater and a steel mug are the easiest solution.

Nice find! I'm also a coffee aficionado. The issue (for me) really is finding the 200F water though. I'm yet to find an easily portable solution.

I run the water through the hotel maker twice to get water up to 200F. Most small in room maker will not be able to get the water hot enough on one pass.

After the first pass for heating without any filter or coffee then it is put through the machine a second time to brew.