All things coffee... What's your solution?

[ACCESSDENIED]

My wife and I are having a van built, and one of the highest priorities on our list is determining how we will make our daily brew...

I went a little overboard on the electrical:
618Ah lithium
3000W inverter
40a DC to DC charger
200w solar (might increase later)
30a shore power

At home, we love our conical ceramic burr grinder, Wilfa precision brewer, locally roasted beans, etc...

I would like something that can crank out 40oz of freshly brewed coffee with minimal effort, minimal clean-up, and good results. Oh and something my wife is willing to make herself.

I have an AeroPress.
I have a JetBoil.
I have a hand grinder...
Yes, these work just fine. I've used them for years while camping. They make a great cup of coffee too!
But, my wife doesn't love using them, and they don't make a lot of coffee. If we're camping with friends, it's honestly a pain to grind up, set up, and brew 6-8 cups of coffee using the AeroPress, Jetboil, and hand crank. I would like to be able to quickly and easily brew up a 40oz+ carafe.

I'd imagine the 3000W inverter and 618Ah of lithium could handle a coffee maker.
I mean, it can handle an induction cooktop, right?

I'd love to put a Moccamaster with a thermal carafe in the van... Sure it would be overkill for most, but the idea of just pressing a button in the morning (two if you include the inverter... three if you include a burr grinder lol)

The grinder is only 100w, so that's not a big deal... Especially since grinding a carafe worth of beans takes about 45 seconds.

For the Moccamaster though, 1475w is a major drawback, but it would only run about 6 minutes max for a single pot... The thermal carafe would keep the coffee hot and I could shut the machine and inverter off right afterward.

When we're on shore power, no issue.
And, if we were in a situation where power consumption was of concern, I would still have the AeroPress, Jetboil, and hand grinder in the galley.

Many people are running dual burner 1800W induction in their vans with all-electric builds...
If you can cook an egg for a few minutes in your van off lithium, how unreasonable are we to want a moccamaster and a burr grinder??


Coffee addicts out there.
What do you think?

 

[C-More]

I've tried many different methods over the years but with now good battery and inverter I just enjoy regular drip coffee when camping because it's so easy. This is a cheap 8 cup drip unit with thermal carafe but works well.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B3S5DXG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Kajtek1]

I have $3000 cappuccino maker at home, but for camping this baby works for me.
It is low-wattage, so you can run coffee maker, or toaster on 800W generator (just not both at the same time) and really space saving.

 

[Mr. Bills]

I also have an Aeropress and hand grinder, but nothing beats the convenience of this compact, no frills, Mainstays single serve "dual brew" - $19.92 at Wally World:



I know coffee gourmets will cringe at the use of coffee pods, but I don't always have the time or inclination to make a production out of coffee in the morning. Sometimes what is needed is a simple jolt of caffeine. Also, if my <$20 coffee maker ever gives up the ghost I won't feel bad about tossing it in the trash and trying something new. [It is still working perfectly 3 years after purchase.]

 

[C-More]

I also have an Aeropress and hand grinder, but nothing beats the convenience of this compact no frills single serve "dual brew," $19.92 at Wally World:

View attachment 223576

I know coffee gourmets will cringe at the use of coffee pods, but I don't always have the time or inclination to make a production out of coffee in the morning. Sometimes what is needed is a simple jolt of caffeine. Also, if my <$20 coffee maker ever gives up the ghost I won't feel bad about tossing it in the trash and trying something new. [It is still working perfectly 3 years later.]

I tried those but just can't get strong enough coffee from a pod. The coffee was tasty, just weak.

 

[ECU]

Starbucks is only $4/day for coffee...
$4000 spent on setup is 1000 days of starbucks.

 

[3Play]

I retired my Saeco Villa to the van and replaced it with a Delonghi, which makes a slightly better cup due to adjustable temp., but is not designed as well. The fully auto espresso machines are great, push one button and you get a double shot that is within 90% of as good as it gets and it does it consistently. I think there are some smaller versions now, most devote too much space to the frothing want which I could care less about, but it is a good source of hot water.
You can adjust the water ratio for that Americano brew.
They are also easy to clean. I can run the machine, 5000btu AC and microwave at the same time with the 3000w inverter charger and a 5100WH rack mount lifepo...
My current build is slightly different than this, but the cabinet and espresso machine are the same...

 

[Onefin]

Kuerig mini……I don’t really care much about the actual coffee….it is easy to store, easy to clean and nobody asks me to make them coffee in group settings

 

[Mr. Bills]

I looked at the Keurig Mini and Mini Plus. In fact, I was standing at the display at Wally World deciding which to put in my cart when a college student who happened by suggested that I try the inexpensive Walmart version instead. She told me that her friend spent over $100 for the Keurig version but that the coffee from her $20 Mainstays coffeemaker tasted exactly the same. That sold me.

 

[Happy29]

Hand grinder and Aeropress and good water only for me. (Better hand grinder and pour over at home). The grind and water makes more difference to me than the coffee 'quality'. 1000w tea kettle on 2kw inverter, no sweat.

 

[ACCESSDENIED]

Starbucks is only $4/day for coffee...
$4000 spent on setup is 1000 days of starbucks.

You're assuming there will be a Starbucks where we are camping...

 

[blutow]

I know nothing of coffee, but running a 1500 watt coffee thingy for 6 minutes is a walk in the park if you have a decent 3000w inverter. That's assuming your batteries are rated to supply what your inverter requires (600ah is capacity, not the output rating, but you are probably fine if you have at least 3 batteries). If you are trying to run a 1000w microwave or other big load at the same time, you might start to push things, but even then you should be fine for 6 minutes at a time.

 

[cc_windsurfer]

We use a hand grinder and a stainless steel french press which with good beans gives a nice cup without too much effort.

The hand grinder is much faster with the course grind needed for the press than it was grinding fine when we used the minipresso.

 

[ACCESSDENIED]

Hand grinder and Aeropress and good water only for me. (Better hand grinder and pour over at home). The grind and water makes more difference to me than the coffee 'quality'.

For sure, I love the AeroPress and hand grinder... It's just impractical when it's more than just me looking for a single cup.
Many mornings camping we'll have 4+ people at the site. I will usually have two cups, my wife one or two, and the others one or two... So making 40-64oz of coffee from a hand grinder and AeroPress would be quite annoying after a few days

 

[Kajtek1]

I know nothing of coffee, but running a 1500 watt coffee thingy for 6 minutes is a walk in the park if you have a decent 3000w inverter. ...

I run 1500W toaster with 1200W inverter, with single battery and 40amp alternator on my boat.
After 7 minutes it would overheat and shut down for few minutes before I could repeat.
But depends how you have 3000W inverter mounted in your Sprinter, overheating can happen just in seconds.

 

[Happy29]

It's just impractical when it's more than just me looking for a single cup.

For sure, my mate doesn't drink coffee so it's only me and one cup at that. A fun quest for sure though. Enjoy the process.

 

[TrackSprinter]

I went with the Keurig Mini Plus awhile ago as it was on sale at Target (and well heck because I didnt do any research).

Not sure how I got onto it (wasnt looking for a replacement) but I found the Chulux.
I am still considering it because it is a much smaller form factor, and now on sale.

 

[Kajtek1]

"one cup" is very loose description

 

[ACCESSDENIED]

I run 1500W toaster with 1200W inverter, with single battery and 40amp alternator on my boat.
After 7 minutes it would overheat and shut down for few minutes before I could repeat.
But depends how you have 3000W inverter mounted in your Sprinter, overheating can happen just in seconds.

Our builder will mount the inverter in an electrical compartment under our bed, in the rear of the van.
They are the pros, so I have confidence in their installation compared to anything I could do myself... I'm hoping the inverter doesn't overheat, but will cross that bridge if and when we get to it I suppose

 

[4wheeldog]

I use a $12 plug in kettle from Amazon, and a French press. (At home, I use a $40 kettle from Costco and also a French press). Sometimes we carry an electric grinder, shorter trips we just grind enough ahead for the trip.
We only actually make coffee when we are staying out of reach of civilization. When we are traveling, we seek out local coffee shops for local flavor.