coffee

[jordan]

hello again everyone. I'm enjoying this forum/site a lot. Everything is very informative. I really like coffee, and a friend and I are going on a lengthly trip soon. Not being a huge fan of instant coffee, and being new to the real stuff, I was wondering how you can make it without an electrical coffee maker. Thanks a lot and have a good day!


From Jordan

[jordan]

also, I have heard that dandelion roots can be used as a substitute for coffee. If anyone has tried this or knows any others please share :)

Jordan

[ina]

Hi Jordan

You can make a drink from dandelion roots (I think you need to first dry and the roast them), but from what I remember it doesn't taste much like coffee... Let's say, it's probably a much healthier drink than coffee, and it's something different. You can get it in healthfood shops, if you want to try it.

As long as you can boil water, coffee is easiest made with a cafetiere. They are usually glas, and therefore maybe not the right thing for a journey. But there are unbreakable mugs with a cafetiere inset; they would probably be the most suitable when travelling.

Ina

[Muddypause]

In the 70s there was a coffee shortage for some reason, and people were trying to roast all sorts of things - acorns and dandelion roots are the two I remember. The best I managed to get was a muddy-looking mess that tasted very similar to something that was nothing like coffee. In the end I developed quite a liking for Camp, which was (IIRC) a product made from chicory, presumably roasted.

[jordan]

well, i picked some roots today and cleaned them....now i am drying them. Ill let you know how it turns out.


Jordan

[wulf]

You don't even need a cafetiere - just some kind of filter to keep the grounds out of the final drink. I've got a couple of cup shaped filters, originally designed for tea and fitting fully inside a cup, and a larger filter rescued from the coffee machine I used to own. Either put the grounds in the filter, pour on hot water and let the filter sit in the water for a few minutes to brew or pour the water on the grounds in another container and then pour into your cup through a filter (the grounds are relatively heavy, so pouring slowly will leave most of them in the original receptacle rather than clogging the filter).

Both methods work for me, are as easy as instant coffee (okay - you've got to clean the filter but you can compost the grounds) and taste just fine.

Wulf

[matty]

i have made coffee using cheesecloth as a filter...at which point a mate stayin with us at time recommended using a sock...so if u just use some imagination u will get ur coffee - somehow....but like wulf says just pour slowly...

[wulf]

Hopefully a clean sock!



Wulf

[jordan]

well i spoke to my grandmother and she suggested a device called a percalator. basically a heat driven coffee machine (non electric) so im going to try it out.

ill let you know

jordan

[Muddypause]

she suggested a device called a percalator.

Popular in the 60s in the same way that fondue sets once were (now nobody admits to having one). I think percolators lost favour because they pass the water through the grounds repeatedly, so you tend to get quite a strong, bitter drink. But that may depend upon the type of coffee you use, too.

My old dad used to use a teapot and a tea strainer, which I suppose is little different in principle to a cafetière.

[matty]

it would have been more helpful to say that percolator is what i use every morning, actually....sorry... i didnt really know the proper name for it, (bought it from a dodgy shop with everything imported from like cambodia andstuff, so no name on the box...)so figuired that explaining it would maybe be incomprehensible...again, i wish i could have drawn it for u...but, i use a percolator, as it is simple, reliable, doesn't need filters, use it with or without power(just need some fire!). in fact u only have to give it a quick rinse too after each use...plus, this helps with the aroma. but as long u have it over quite a low heat, the coffee comes thru nice and slow, and is good. u might have to do a little testing to find out right quantities of coffee though. just make sure u get one that can make two cups, if u r travelling with a friend. they can be quite small. and use a coarse grind. and make sure u close it very tight! but anyway. just to reassure jordan that a percolator works for me. but doesn't everyone drink coffee in US anyway? surely u will never b more than a mile from a coffee and doughtnuts place or something.... or that just myth?

[jordan]

thanks matty, and yes i guess everyone drinks coffee in the us.........but im in Canada! haha, we have our beloved Tim Hortons. But even that costs more money, so I think ill give the percolator a go.


thanks


Jordan

[N.V.M.]

for me, coffee is the taste and the caffeine. you can not get caffeine out of substitutes. i suspect many coffee lovers don't realize they enjoy coffee for the "high" as much as they'd like to admit.