Posted Wed Apr 30, 2008, 11:39am Subject: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
Hello all,
I do a fair amount of backpacking in the spring and summer for days at a time and previously have only used preground (i know shame, shame) or gone coffee-less. I'm searching for a fairly compact travel grinder to put in my pack. I currently use a jetboil stove system with a french press plunger when on the trail.
I've seen poor reviews about the GSI javagrind (interms of it's useability) and the Traveler II grinder both with slow milling times
To be honest, slow milling times really arent a huge deal to me, I can wait. However I dont want to go with a turk mill because I only do press.
Any suggestions? -- would the Traveler II be my best bet or is there something better?
Grinding time is pretty slow (never bothered me while camping), but the grind is very consistent considering the price you pay. I also use a JetBoil with the press attachment, and I have to set the adjustment screw at its most coarse setting (or completely off) to get a coarse enough grind. With the screw all the way out, it will occasionally fall into your grinds, but it grinds just fine if the screw does happen to fall off. Just don't drink the screw! I can't speak for the other models, but this has worked well for me, and I would not hesitate recommending it.
Posted Wed Apr 30, 2008, 1:55pm Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
Thanks for the suggestions guys.. I think for my immediate fix I may go with the Traveler II that Jeebs is using unless something else arisies. We'll see how it fairs for 20 bucks.
Wow, very very, interesting article mike! thanks for sharing. I had no idea.. at least on the level of brewed coffee... Overall very interesting article and certainly raises many questions and helps clarify a lot of theories "Vac packing the greens at origin and freezing them at arrival has a huge impact on cup quality. "etc. However on the trail, I'm not cupping pre-ground vs 1-year "non vac packed or frozen" green. It'll just be pre-ground vs fresh-ground.
Mike, what did you mean by "factors like grind quality" as more important "than freshness of the grind"
mikep Said:
I am beginning to believe that other factors (like the grind quality) have a bigger impact on the cup than the freshness of the grind (gasp!). Click Here (www.home-barista.com)
The article seemed to me to be more about storage methods i.e. "vac pack,frozen etc." rather than quality of grind, (but I could be way off) what do you mean/ what are your thoughts about grind quality in regards to presspot coffee on the trail. Obviously grind quality is a HUGE HUGE factor, but do you think the traveler II click here will obtain decent milling quality for a presspot on the trail?
Anyway, thanks guys, for the input and suggestions and more is welcomed!
mikep Senior Member Joined: 9 Nov 2004 Posts: 727 Location: Illinois Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Red Expobar OC / Gaggia... Grinder: Cimbali Jr/ Solis Maestro... Roaster: Hearthware Precision
Posted Wed Apr 30, 2008, 2:35pm Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
Hey Jonathan, I guess the thing that surprised me in the experiment was the fact that 10 day pre-ground coffee could beat ANY fresh ground coffee. It leads me to believe that if I start with good coffee, grind it with a good grinder before I travel and seal it up I will still be able to make acceptable (to me) coffee at least several days down the road.
I have the Traveller II, and took it on a road trip a couple years ago. I don't have a quantifiable evaluation of the grinds, but they just seemed less uniform than from say my Solis Maestro Plus. The burr holders and adjustment mechanism are not exactly rock solid- it is $20 after all.
It took a long time to grind enough for one cup for me and my wife. If I wanted to share coffee with other family members I made them grind it themselves. I went through the process because I believed it would be a difference in quality worth the hassle. Now I am not so sure - maybe my 'hassle tolerance' is going down as I get older :)
Posted Wed Apr 30, 2008, 9:29pm Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
Hey Mike,
So you (or rather the experiment) is saying that a 10 day preground could beat ANY fresh (crappy grind) coffee, or are you saying in this study, the 10 day preground was ground at the same grind quality as the fresh and it still beat it. If it's true that the 10 day old preground beats ANY fresh grind on the same grinder then thats crazy!!.. and i'm even MORE in shock and confused. haha. thanks for getting back to me though and explaining your take on everything. If this IS the case I'll probably just grind for press on my baratza and take it along with me.
As for the traveller II, I certainly dont expect it to have the same grind quality as my baratza at least in uniformity. But I just though (before reading that article anyway) a ceramic, solid, conical hand grinder for 20 bucks? why not?
Anyway thanks for all you input. I'll be out this weekend on an overnight hike and i'll see how the pre-grind method works out. I too dont want to wait forever for my morning cup, and i'm sure my group wont want to have to take forever to grind their own. I'm not completely ruling out the traveller though. I might actually do my own little experiment, but this def. changes my point of view on the travel issue, and reaffirms the staple of a quality grind in coffee brewing.
mikep Senior Member Joined: 9 Nov 2004 Posts: 727 Location: Illinois Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Red Expobar OC / Gaggia... Grinder: Cimbali Jr/ Solis Maestro... Roaster: Hearthware Precision
Posted Thu May 1, 2008, 7:58am Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
Argh! No. I am not saying that pre-ground is always better than fresh ground. I'm having trouble explaining my point. Let me start over.
The quality of a cup of brewed coffee depends on many factors, right? The beans, roast, freshness, water, grind, etc. all contribute to the final product.
My understanding had always been that grinding right before brewing was the single most important factor, outweighing almost all other factors.
The experiment I referenced showed that a different factor- storage of the greens- had a bigger effect on the final product than the fresh-ground factor.
It led me to rethink the relative importance of the different factors that go into the quality of the coffee.
This is all just my personal opinion, of course. I'm not trying to convince you not to buy the grinder. If I lived closer to you I would let you borrow mine to try it out for yourself. (My traveller II has metal burrs, I thought it was the javagrind that has ceramic).
Posted Fri May 2, 2008, 10:30am Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
I have a Traveler 2 grinder. I think the quality of the burrs and the support of them is on a par with the entry level Solis machines (I used to have one of them). The downsides of the Traveler 2 are that it is slow and the gap at the top of the burrs is small so large beans are a problem. Before I travel with mine I roast a supply of peaberries. That or small flat beans work in the machine.
Posted Sun May 4, 2008, 10:30pm Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
Thanks Phil. I have heard about the traveller II not suited for large beans. I have a traveller II on the way and I'll def. keep peaberries in mind when on the trail. Thanks again!
Posted Tue May 6, 2008, 2:28pm Subject: Re: Is there a decent backpacking/travel hand grinder out there?
I made the mistake of purchasing a GSI couple years ago. It as other people have noted is a total waste of money. Grind quality of a whirly bird grinder . Decided grind quality and how compact it packs are the important factors. So I'm on a waiting list for a Zass turkish mill. Figured my spirit burner stove is not the quickest so the slow grinding speed matches up. Was considering a Zass Knee box grinder, but worried about damage when in transit by the airline baggage handling. Rather just worry about my gear showing up.
Definitely would drink a decent tea than preground coffee. No grinder, no coffee.
Noel Mano dell 'operatore> Macinadosatore> Miscela> Macchina espresso
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