Welcome to our new Aboard series! Over the next few months we'll be adding posts to this portion of our site, describing how we do things aboard S/V Kingsley, our sailboat-home here in the Pacific Northwest. We're excited to share some ideas and ways of doing things with our readers and hopefully receive a good deal of feedback and ideas in our comment sections on each post (because we're kinda new at this and you people are smart!).             
   We start today with something we couldn't leave behind when we sold [almost] everything and moved aboard our 32 ft boat - coffee. We are in Seattle after all! 
   Be sure to check back in on our Aboard series as we'll share posts on lots of aboard topics including: cooking, cleaning, entertainment, heating, cats, kayaks, marriage:), the head, storage, books, music, apps, candles, and more!   ~Paul, Amber, & Kali

 
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We like to think we have mastered the art of a good cup of Joe on land or sea. On Kingsley, we often use the ol' stand-by - not a plastic, old, plug-in coffee pot mind you (this is Seattle don't forget!) - the french press. We heat up just enough water in the teapot on our Force 10 propane stove, add some ground coffee beans to the press (ground at the store or by our hand-powered grinder), add the water when it is warm enough, wait 3 1/2 to 4 minutes (using a timer), then press...pow!

Round 2: The stove-top espresso maker (percolator). Sometimes I need an iced Americano. This little guy (which we picked up cheap at Ikea) holds water in the bottom and finely ground espresso beans in the middle. When the water down below heats up it percolates up to the top (through the beans) giving you a good 4 shots of tasty espresso. Add some ice and water to taste or froth some milk and make a latte.
Finally, the cup-at-a-time Keurig. This thing has some unfortunate drawbacks but still comes through when you are late for work, don't want to spend money on coffee on the run (Starbucks), and want coffee that still tastes good. Just pop in a 'K-cup' flavor of your choice, add a mug full of water, hit brew, and wait about 3 minutes. The drawbacks? The price for the one-at-a-time coffees, the size of the machine, the electricity it uses, and the fact that for some reason the 'K-cups' aren't recyclable. As far as price for individual coffee goes you can usually find them on sale, I picked up some for about .50-a-pop at the grocery store the other day. As for the extra trash - which isn't good for us due to space and for the environment (think Pacific Ocean garbage patch) - we're really hoping customers will put pressure on the industry to make a compostable and/or recyclable cup. Ready for a coffee yet? Don't let living aboard slow you down! How do you make coffee on your boat? While sailing?
 


Comments

02/13/2012 12:56

http://aerobie.com/products/aeropress.htm

We used to use a french press and a moka-pot aboard Madrone, but we now use this gadget exclusively. The coffee is lighter than a moka-pot but darker than a french press. The aeropress really shines during cleanup, and is compact to boot.

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Mike
02/15/2012 10:12

I also switched from a French press (which broke while putting it back in its frame after cleaning) to an Aeropress. Melita works fine too, but I find Aeropress faster and tastier.

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Jess
02/14/2012 07:34

Good ideas about your coffee "fix". On "Vita e' Bella" we have found that the French Press is kind of a mess to clean up. The problem with a set top espresso maker is the grinding of the beans. The grind must be just right. We have started using the Melita "pour over" through a paper filter. The coffee is good and clean up is a snap.

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02/15/2012 14:00

French press makes great coffee. I didn't realize just how good it was until my Mr. Coffee Junior died and left me for the great beyond, then I was forced to used my French press. There's a huge difference in the roundness of the coffee. It's much smoother than drip, and I don't like coffee from machines anymore. I don't like the glass canister for my press (I'm on press #2), but I try to be careful while cleaning to prevent the shattering loss.

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03/07/2012 05:14

It’s really great stuff overall, I just wanted to say thank you. I am looking forward to another great article from your side. i like this type of content.

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