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food:coffee

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Making coffee

with electricity

Electric coffee makers are possible, but are best used when connected to shore power. They use a surprising amount of power, particularly for boondockers:

Small drip pod
avg watts 740 1200
inverter ineff. 74 120
total watts 814 1320
Amps (W/13) 62.6 101.5
Ah per 5min use 5.2 8.5

To compound the problem, coffee is usually brewed in the early morning when batteries are most deeply discharged. This early morning load is bad enough for an MPPT-charged system but it hamstrings a PWM-charged system (for reasons explained here).

If you run a generator in the morning, that is a great time to use an electric coffeemaker.

without electricity

Heating water on a stove uses no electricity. It does require a bit more labor.

steeping

The french press is the most famous of the steeping coffeemakers

The aeropress has many RV fans because it is small and made of plastic.

pour-over

without heat

Cold-brewed coffee brews overnight in the cooler or on the counter. It is reported to be smoother and less acidic, but may require more grounds to achieve the same amount of flavor.

  1. pour grounds into a quart or other jar
  2. fill jar with water
  3. allow to sit 8-24 hours
  4. pour coffee through a sieve, discarding the muddiest bits at the bottom of the jar
  5. rinse the jar and sieve
  6. pour coffee back into jar through filter sitting on the sieve

other considerations

Space and other constraints might work against otherwise-acceptable coffeemakers.

  • will this fit in my van? On my counter?
  • if electric, do I have a big enough inverter to run it?
  • how easy will it be to clean without a sink and running water? Can I fit my hand into it?
  • does it require special/proprietary parts?
food/coffee.1527387536.txt.gz · Last modified: 2020/10/11 19:48 (external edit)