Aeropress
I like a good coffee when I'm traveling, and prefer to have my first cup before I get dressed. That meant traveling with a set of various sizes of coffee filters in the US, but with the invasion of the pods, that no longer works.
I've tried portable coffee makers, but while convenient they don't do much better than pod machines. The only advantage they offer is control over the quality and freshness of the beans.
In Europe, I've used a travel french press for the last five years. The coffee is excellent (aside from the grit), but cleanup is a pain and the preparation ritual doesn't always go smoothly before that first cup.
I recently received an Aeropress, and I think I may have found the ideal travel coffee solution. I've only made a few rounds so far, but it is much easier than a press, cleans up wonderfully, and most importantly makes a rocking strong cup. At the recommended "espresso" ratios (1:1 in their measurement system) it very quickly produces two doppio espressos of very high quality. A nice oily mouthfeel and no grit at all. I mean SERIOUSLY good espresso. At the recommended "American" ratio (2 water : 1 coffee), it has wonderful flavor although like most drip it's starting to get thin. We're playing around with intermediate ratios. The best part is that from the moment you have hot water (not long when using 220V kettles ;) ), it takes less than a minute to have a nice cup.
Commercial over. :)
I've tried portable coffee makers, but while convenient they don't do much better than pod machines. The only advantage they offer is control over the quality and freshness of the beans.
In Europe, I've used a travel french press for the last five years. The coffee is excellent (aside from the grit), but cleanup is a pain and the preparation ritual doesn't always go smoothly before that first cup.
I recently received an Aeropress, and I think I may have found the ideal travel coffee solution. I've only made a few rounds so far, but it is much easier than a press, cleans up wonderfully, and most importantly makes a rocking strong cup. At the recommended "espresso" ratios (1:1 in their measurement system) it very quickly produces two doppio espressos of very high quality. A nice oily mouthfeel and no grit at all. I mean SERIOUSLY good espresso. At the recommended "American" ratio (2 water : 1 coffee), it has wonderful flavor although like most drip it's starting to get thin. We're playing around with intermediate ratios. The best part is that from the moment you have hot water (not long when using 220V kettles ;) ), it takes less than a minute to have a nice cup.
Commercial over. :)