A Traveller’s Guide to Brewing Good Coffee on the Move
Two of the average American’s favourite things are coffee and travelling – in fact in 2016, a record breaking number of Americans jetted off overseas.
Travelling is a great way to broaden your horizons and see and experience some amazing things, but there’s one thing that just isn’t always amazing; the coffee.
But not to worry – read on for seven ways to brew good coffee yourself on your travels so you’re never left drinking horrible instant coffee!
1. Take Your Coffee Machine with You
At first glance, you might look at this and think what? But if you’re going somewhere where you don’t need a whole lot of luggage and your coffee maker will fit in, then why not? You’ll be guaranteed great coffee.
2. Run a Water Only Cycle First
If you’re staying in a nice hotel, you’ll probably find there is a coffee maker for your use rather than just a kettle and instant coffee. But unless your hotel is super nice, chances are, the machine will be old and not brilliant.
By running a cycle of water only first, you prime the machine for use and get the water heated up in advance, which leads us nicely into our next point.
3. Use Pre-Heated Water
Often, the problem with older machines is that it just doesn’t get the water hot enough. This is easily solved by filling the machine up with hot water rather than cold water. And if you’ve followed the tip above, you already have a full pot of hot water, which you can now use to fill the coffee machine back up with.
4. Carry Your Own Coffee Beans
No matter how good a coffee machine is, if the quality if the beans used is questionable, your coffee isn’t going to taste good. Carry your own beans to ensure you always have a flavourful cup of coffee, just the way you like it.
5. Use a French Press
One of the easiest ways to have a great cup of coffee without having to bring your own machine, is to bring a lightweight machine instead. A French Press is a great idea. It’s lightweight and it makes good tasting coffee, so it’s a win win situation.
6. Use a Single Cup Dripper
Even smaller and more lightweight than the French Press is the single cup dripper. This tiny little plastic dripper will even slip in your handbag if your suitcase is too full. They’re so cheap, you can just leave it behind when you’re finished with it. The only downside to this is how long it takes – it’s not great if there are two or more of you travelling together.
7. Use an Aero Press
Another lightweight option, the AeroPress fits over a single cup and then you simply press down and fill your cup. The aero press is a great option if you are travelling alone.
Whichever of these tips you use, you are guaranteed to get a decent cup of coffee wherever your travels take you. And the amazing things you’ll see and do will more than make up for the odd bad cup of airport coffee!
