Grinding Coffee While on a Bicycle Tour

SMS

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".

DennisTheBald

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.

landotter

On May 23, 12:20 pm, SMS <scharf.ste...@geemail.com> 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!

Paul M. Hobson

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:.

SMS

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.

catzz66

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. =]

Roger Zoul

"SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> 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?

Roger Zoul

"SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> 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....

SMS

Roger Zoul wrote:
> "SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> 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.

Bob

On May 23, 12:20*pm, SMS <scharf.ste...@geemail.com> 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

landotter

On May 23, 3:18 pm, SMS <scharf.ste...@geemail.com> 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!

max

In article <FZCZj.1447$N87.175@nlpi068.nbdc.sbc.com>,
SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> 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.

Zoot Katz

On Fri, 23 May 2008 10:20:20 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
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

catzz66

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.