Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants. On
bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding. The small hand grinders sold by REI and
Campmor are fairly worthless, as they are extremely slow.

I realized that my 12 volt lighting system battery was just looking for
another reason to be taken along on tours (I only use it for lighting on
the commute bike). It doesn't take much power to run a 12 volt grinder,
so being able to recharge the battery isn't a concern unless it's a very
long trip.

I added a photo of my setup to the Bicycle Coffee Systems sub-page on
Brewing and Grinding.

See "http://nordicgroup.us/bikecoff/brewgrind.html" or go straight to
the photo at "http://nordicgroup.us/bikecoff/bcimages/batterygrinder.JPG".

It could be made smaller in bulk by getting rid of the cigarette lighter
plug and jack, and shortening the power cord on the grinder.

Just don't use this set-up on a cattle drive....
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uv4OSJmLqA&feature=related".

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

yeah, muddy waters don't get no grinding... but this fella does:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cjmAt96WEI

Whatcha need to do is to modify his idea such that the kit bolts off &
on... 'cause you wanna grind it and go. Maybe just a big honking
double kick stand to lift the rear tire off the ground (remember the
old ones that attached at the axle - kinda a big square C shaped metal
strap?) and you would want to pedal backwards while grinding so that
the crank and all the drive train bits worked in the same direction
whilst riding and grinding both... then maybe you would want a
friction coupling rather than his chain drive to facilitate the
bolting off & on in order to user the same basic frame for riding and
grinding, maybe a flat belt all the way around the rear tire? Geeze
Lousie, I guess I'd rather just drink muddy water and call it coffee,
BYMMV.

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

On May 23, 12:20 pm, SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants.

While I appreciate ingenuity and over engineering--coffee is best
ground by a commercial burr mill that does not oxidize the flavenoids
by heat the way that a crappy home blade grinder does. Also, the
coffee will be even better a day or so after you grind, as it "gasses
off". Stored tightly sealed in the freezer, commercially ground coffee
stays quite flavorful--much more so than home ground with an inferior
grinder, for a good month or so. I find that the German burr ginders
at Costco are the best in the industry--and their house French roast
from Costa Rican bean at the fair price with a good grind is as great
of a value in a cup of coffee as I've had anywhere in the world.

So for travel--better time is invested in going to your local pan-
Asian cookware shop and finding a good air tight coffee grounds
storage container with a cute Engrish phrase on it, or perhaps even
frogs and ducks!

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

landotter wrote:
On May 23, 12:20 pm, SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants.

While I appreciate ingenuity and over engineering--coffee is best
ground by a commercial burr mill that does not oxidize the flavenoids
by heat the way that a crappy home blade grinder does.

Yeah, I knew someone would bring up blade grinding. You're right of
course, but AFAIK, there are no 12V burr grinders. I burr grind at home
of course.

Also, the
coffee will be even better a day or so after you grind, as it "gasses
off".

I find that it's awful after one day.

S tored tightly sealed in the freezer, commercially ground coffee
stays quite flavorful--much more so than home ground with an inferior
grinder, for a good month or so. I find that the German burr ginders
at Costco are the best in the industry--and their house French roast
from Costa Rican bean at the fair price with a good grind is as great
of a value in a cup of coffee as I've had anywhere in the world.

Yes, that's what I buy. Are you talking about the grinders for customers
to use in the store? They sell the Saeco burr grinder at Costco.com for
$69.99 including S&H which is a pretty good deal.

So for travel--better time is invested in going to your local pan-
Asian cookware shop and finding a good air tight coffee grounds
storage container with a cute Engrish phrase on it, or perhaps even
frogs and ducks!

I have one of those containers where you pump the air out of it. Same as
used on wine bottles. It's a good alternative to grinding on the road. I
guess if you buy beans at a coffee store, and have them grind them and
then store them in the airtight container it'd be fine too.

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants. On
bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding.

Wait, what?

If I don't have coffee, I won't enjoy riding? For whom are you trying
to speak here?
--
Paul M. Hobson
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

Paul M. Hobson wrote:
SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants. On
bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding.

Wait, what?

If I don't have coffee, I won't enjoy riding? For whom are you trying
to speak here?

Everyone. People may legitimately argue about aluminum versus steel
versus titanium versus carbon fiber. Cyclists may differ on the
benefits of compact versus standard geometry. Riders may disagree on the
level of protection a helmet provides in a crash. But everyone agrees
that coffee is good food, and that it enhances performances and is good
for your health.

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

Paul M. Hobson wrote:
SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants. On
bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding.

Wait, what?

If I don't have coffee, I won't enjoy riding? For whom are you trying
to speak here?

Yes, Paul. I think he is suggesting that you might as well stay home. =]

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

"SMS" wrote

On bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding.


You're kidding, right?

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

"SMS" wrote

Paul M. Hobson wrote:
SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants. On
bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding.

Wait, what?

If I don't have coffee, I won't enjoy riding? For whom are you trying to
speak here?

Everyone. People may legitimately argue about aluminum versus steel versus
titanium versus carbon fiber. Cyclists may differ on the benefits of
compact versus standard geometry. Riders may disagree on the level of
protection a helmet provides in a crash. But everyone agrees that coffee
is good food, and that it enhances performances and is good for your
health.

You could at least put a smiley in there....

Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour
 

Roger Zoul wrote:
"SMS" wrote

Paul M. Hobson wrote:
SMS wrote:
As coffee aficionados know, coffee beans need to be ground just before
brewing in order to get the best flavor and the most anti-oxidants. On
bicycle camping tours (and camping in areas with no electricity), it's
difficult to haver freshly ground coffee, and lack of fresh coffee can
seriously affect your riding.
Wait, what?

If I don't have coffee, I won't enjoy riding? For whom are you trying to
speak here?
Everyone. People may legitimately argue about aluminum versus steel versus
titanium versus carbon fiber. Cyclists may differ on the benefits of
compact versus standard geometry. Riders may disagree on the level of
protection a helmet provides in a crash. But everyone agrees that coffee
is good food, and that it enhances performances and is good for your
health.

You could at least put a smiley in there....

If I was kidding, I would have done exactly that.