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. 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".

Kudos for solving a problem that few even knew existed but until or
unless you design a practical on-the-bike espresso maker I guess I'll
have to avoid bike camping tours.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

On May 23, 3:18 pm, SMS wrote:
.. 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.

I buy beans and grind with the marvelous German grinders at Costco and
store the grounds in my freezer. As long as the grounds are sealed
tight, the flavor depends more on preparation. I usually grind between
melitta and drip so I can use the grounds for my mocha machines,
Vietnamese maker, ceramic Melitta, and even flat filter machine.

I'd put your 12v energies to something more useful to society like
powering a Hitachi magic wand!.Bzzzzz wooo wooo!

In article ,
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. 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".

Check out asian grocery/kitchen stuff stores, you might be able to find
a small lightweight mortar and pestle. Or a mexican grocery maybe.

--
This signature can be appended to your outgoing mesages. Many people include in
their signatures contact information, and perhaps a joke or quotation.

On Fri, 23 May 2008 10:20:20 -0700, SMS
wrote:

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.

Get a Turkish coffee mill that's tried and tested by nomadic drinkers
of fine coffees.

http://www.espressozone.com/z-175m.html

Leave the batteries at home.
--
zk

Bob wrote:

Kudos for solving a problem that few even knew existed but until or
unless you design a practical on-the-bike espresso maker I guess I'll
have to avoid bike camping tours.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Considering what some people pay for their bikes, they could arrange to
camp near a $tarbuck$. Personally, I love coffee, but don't drink it on
rides. Living in the southwest US, I am usually needing to drink more
water and prefer it to be cool.

SMS wrote:
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.

I think you guys need to move this to alt.yuppie

In article , Zoot Katz
wrote:

On Fri, 23 May 2008 10:20:20 -0700, SMS
wrote:

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.

Get a Turkish coffee mill that's tried and tested by nomadic drinkers
of fine coffees.

http://www.espressozone.com/z-175m.html

You have to love the global economy: "Made in Germany."

With "traditional decorative scroll designs."

Dan

On May 24, 11:01 am, Peter Cole wrote:
SMS wrote:
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.

I think you guys need to moveSha this to alt.yuppie

shaddup, youse--did you know that if you use one of those 80s lycra
wheel covers, you can spin dry your arugula in back while staying aero?

On May 24, 12:44*pm, Dan Becker wrote:
In article , Zoot Katz

wrote:
On Fri, 23 May 2008 10:20:20 -0700, SMS
wrote:

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.

Get a Turkish coffee mill that's tried and tested by nomadic drinkers
of fine coffees.

http://www.espressozone.com/z-175m.html

You have to love the global economy: "Made in Germany."

With "traditional decorative scroll designs."

Dan

What's strange about the "Made in Germany". There's a huge Turkish
(immigrant and native-born) population in Germany.

It's a bit like a lot of our "Chinese" food is produced in Toronto, a
city with some bilingual English-Chinese street signs.

John Kane Kingston ON Canada

catzz66 wrote:
Bob wrote:

Kudos for solving a problem that few even knew existed but until or
unless you design a practical on-the-bike espresso maker I guess I'll
have to avoid bike camping tours.

Regards,
Bob Hunt

Considering what some people pay for their bikes, they could arrange to
camp near a $tarbuck$. Personally, I love coffee, but don't drink it on
rides. Living in the southwest US, I am usually needing to drink more
water and prefer it to be cool.

Iced coffee is great for hot weather rides. You really want to ensure
that you are getting enough coffee on every ride.