Please help this truck driver find a good mobile coffee maker for his truck.

[BigJDub]

I'm a long haul trucker in the US. I'm sick of the garbage they pass off as coffee for $2+ a cup in truck stops. I'm not into expencive high end machines but I know I can make better coffee with a $15 Mr. Coffee from walmart. So now I'm trying to figure out what would be the best way to brew in my truck.

I like a dark full flavor coffee and I always drink it black.
I would like to be able to make up to a full thermos worth at a time but also able to brew just one cup if that's all I want.

I will be buying a hand powered burr grinder and grinding my beans fresh each morning.

My truck has a microwave, 2000 watt 110v inverter and many 12v outlets. I also have a small Optimus backpacking stove (like a jet boil). So I have several ways to get water hot or power some electrical items.

A big concern of mine is cleanup. Considering I pretty much live in my truck I don't have access to a dishwasher or hot running water. So I'm looking for a setup that requires as little cleaning as possible. For that reason something that uses common paper filters would be best. I've never tried pour over but that looks like an interesting option. The problem I see is that the ones I see are only ment to make 1 or 2 cups at a time and that wouldn't be enough.

Any advice, tips, or comments?

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

Three things to consider, actually four things: French Press, AeroPress, Pour Over, and Chemex. You can get French Presses in various sizes, but you're gonna have sediment, so you may not like that for the larger size where the sediment has sat in the brew for too long. I would do an Aeropress, because you can vary the extraction via the grind fineness, etc, and give yourself more options as your skills in using it develop. For the larger batch, I'd use a Chemex for a cleaner brew you can put into your thermos.

Hope this helps & welcome to the forums.

Cheers,

Peaberry

 

[PinkRose]

Hello BibJDub,

Welcome to the Coffee Forums website.

There are several options for making coffee in your truck. I agree with Mr. Peaberry about the French Press. The coffee grounds and sediment can be a bit messy to clean up and you'd need running water for sure.

Since it sounds like you need to brew more than one cup at a time and if you plan to use a thermos for your coffee, you may want to take a look at the item below. I have a friend who goes camping and he uses this in his camper. He inserts a paper filter into the filter holder and just tosses the grounds in the trash when he's done. He said that he would rather make fresh coffee a couple times a day instead of making a whole thermos full of coffee, and have it get bitter and cold by the time he drinks it.

Since you plan to grind the coffee beans daily, you will notice a big improvement in the taste of your coffee, as compared to the truck-stop brews.

It will be interesting to see what you decide to do. Please keep us posted.


https://www.amazon.com/BLACK-DECKER...087505&sr=8-7&keywords=two+cup+coffee+machine

Rose

 

[Musicphan]

I would recommend a solid drip brewer... the challenge with most of the manual pour over brewers is the limitation of one cup at a time. French Press can be larger but I find the clean up a bit of a pain. My suggestion is the Bonavita 1900TS - this can brew 8 x 5oz cups at a time (but can make less), easy to clean up with paper filter, has a nice insulated dispenser which keeps the coffee hot and makes an excellent cup. I have probably a dozen different types of brewers and this has turned into my go-to brewer.

https://prima-coffee.com/equipment/bonavita/bv1900ts

 

[PinkRose]

Hello BibJDub

Will you be able to use your 2000 watt 110v inverter for a 1500 watt coffee maker? Are you already using it for the microwave?

Just wondering.

Rose

 

[BigJDub]

Yes I can use the inverter for a coffee maker, I haven't tried it yet but I'm sure it would work. It does power the microwave. I'm sure I couldn't use both at the same time but individually they should be fine. My truck has a total of 6 standard 110v household outlets in it. I do need to have the trucks engine running when I run the microwave but that's not a big deal. I mainly use it for heating water for my oatmeal in the morning or heating soup for dinner.

The truck also has a refrigerator/ freezer but I don't see that as important to coffee making.

 

[BigJDub]

I was telling a friend today that I was looking for a coffee maker for my truck. He had a brand new Black and Decker 12 cup Thermal still in the box that he gave me. It was a gift that he didn't need. I tried it in the truck and it worked just fine. I'll use this for a while and see how it goes. If nothing else it's a starting point to see what I want to change and it gets me away from truck stop coffee.

Thanks for all the replies, I will keep in mind what you all have said and may apply it in the future.

 

[PinkRose]

I was telling a friend today that I was looking for a coffee maker for my truck. He had a brand new Black and Decker 12 cup Thermal still in the box that he gave me. It was a gift that he didn't need. I tried it in the truck and it worked just fine. I'll use this for a while and see how it goes. If nothing else it's a starting point to see what I want to change and it gets me away from truck stop coffee.

Thanks for all the replies, I will keep in mind what you all have said and may apply it in the future.

Wow! That worked out great for you. Give it a try for a while and see how it goes. You may be a very happy camper ---- oops. . . I mean, trucker

Rose

 

[topher]

My son drives long haul. He has a pretty sweet set up. He has a burr grinder(forgot which one he went with) a Clever dripper, cold brew brewer and a bodum water kettle . The Clever dripper makes a great cup of coffee and is super cheap. It's not glass so it wont break. He did have to cut the shelve in his fridge to secure his cold brew brewer. I will get pics later.

 

[BigJDub]

I'd like to see that, thank you.