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Old 02-27-2009, 06:14 PM   #1
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Good coffee maker for a trailer?

Hello all:

We just got our airstream and are still in the process of outfitting it for the upcoming camping season. An essential for us is a coffee maker. I've searched this part of the forums and found that people are overwhelmingly saying french press or espresso pot. The french press is definitely an option and not one that we're totally against. However, who's got a more conventional design that they have used and had good luck with in their trailer? We'd like something along the lines of your typical Mr. Coffee...something 120V AC. We have a BUNN at home, obviously the BUNN principle is not going to work well in a travel trailer. Sorry for the purists, but we like the convenience. Any suggestions?
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:28 PM   #2
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Just an observation

If you get a Mr. coffee you only get java when hooked to electricity or a gennie.

Your travels may leave you in a spot without electricity or during a power outage. You may be tired and pull into a parking lot for the night too. In those situations. No java for you.

Using the french press is a snap. and since your hot water source is your stove. You always get coffee when you want it.
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:31 PM   #3
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we enjoy our electric percolator at home and in the airstream. good luck!
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:46 PM   #4
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If you plan to always be in the campgrounds with electricity, a Mr. Coffee will work just like it does in the house. A 4-cup Mr. Coffee will take up less space if there's only two of you.

However, when boondocking (camping without power), you have to get creative.

You can become one of the rude campers who run a generator in the morning to power an electric coffeemaker.

Or if you have extra battery capacity, you can use an inverter to courteously and silently power an electric coffeemaker just long enough to brew, then pour the coffee into an air pot to save battery power.

Or you can do like some of us and heat water on the gas stove and pour it into a french press or java press, or a Melitta Drip maker.

Or you can use an old-fashioned stove top percolator.

Or you can use a Coleman stove-top drip coffeemaker on the gas stove--about as close as you'll get to a Mr. Coffee without electricity.
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:50 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Goin camping View Post
If you get a Mr. coffee you only get java when hooked to electricity or a gennie.
Huh? Maybe I need to go pull the plug on the 'stream and see if the inverter works, but I thought that that $180 Optima battery + inverter on-board would supply me with 120 AC for a little while (at least enough to brew a pot in a rest area before re-hitting the road after a restful night)???

Is there something about a battery + inverter + 120 AC coffee pot that won't work?
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:55 PM   #6
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We have gotten spoiled on Gevalia Coffee. They sent us a compact freee coffee maker that makes 2 big cups we keep in the AS. They also sent us frree standard size coffee maker we keep back in the house, and delicious blends of coffee in the mail.

When we aren't plugged we have a plastic gizmo we put a paper filter in and dump in some hot water
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Old 02-27-2009, 06:58 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by RoadKingMoe View Post
If you plan to always be in the campgrounds with electricity, a Mr. Coffee will work just like it does in the house. A 4-cup Mr. Coffee will take up less space if there's only two of you.

Or you can use an old-fashioned stove top percolator.
Are there issues with the pot falling out / breaking / etc. during travel? We have family that have had motorhomes and they had special coffee makers that were cabinet mounted and had locks, etc. to make sure the pot didn't go flying when they hit bumps and slammed on the brakes. Do you just pack away your coffee pot and wrap it in a towel when you travel?

As for a percolator...we have one, have used it extensively in our tent camping days up until now. Made tasty coffee, just had to remember as you near the bottom of the pot that there's bound to be grounds in there...even when ground as "percolator grind". We'd like to not use a percolator now.
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:15 PM   #8
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Cowboy Coffee

When not sipping Gevalia we get wild and wooly. Here's my recipe 1 pound coffee in a blue enamelware coffee pot on a nice campfire. Fill the pot with water and boil for a few hours. Throw in an old horseshoe. If it sinks boil it some more.
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:17 PM   #9
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A single battery isn't much in an Airstream, and it's even less if it's an Optima, which has much less amp-hour capacity than a conventional form-factor AGM (Lifeline, Deka, Cabelas, etc) due to all the wasted space around the round cells.

Inverters take a heavy toll on batterys. The 900 watts of [a regular size] coffeemaker will cause the inverter to draw over 90 amps from that single battery for somewhere around 12 minutes (0.2 hour) brew time. Because of the Peukert Effect, that isn't 90 amps x 0.2 = 18 amp-hours--it's considerably more.

Yes, it can do it, but once you get the battery significantly discharged like that, hardening of the sulfphation begins. You'll want to recharge it fairly soon. And if you're running AGM batterys, you definitely want a smart 3-stage charger. Overcharge an AGM to where it vents and it loses water you can't replace. A single-stage charger will eventually do this to an AGM.

Back to the coffeemaker. Our galley has an "appliance garage" with a tambour door (like roll top desk). It keeps our 1 qt slow cooker, mini food-processor, hand mixer and 4-cup Mr. Coffee in place. We leave nothing out on the counters when under way. There are lots of creative ways to keep things from flying around... rolling it up on the floor in the bedspread or throw rugs for example.
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:25 PM   #10
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Another vote for the freedom press. no muss no fuss and great tasting coffee. all you need is hot water from the tea kettle. I even carry a hand operated grinder.

PLEASE don't be the one that fires up the generator at 6am to run the coffee maker. That is so annoying.

-T
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:28 PM   #11
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I don't know what I would do without a Bialetti coffee maker. They come in sizes big and small. As long as you have flame, you can make coffee.

Amazon.com: Bialetti Moka Express 3-Cup Stovetop Percolator: Home & Garden
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:36 PM   #12
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I don't know what I would do without a Bialetti coffee maker. They come in sizes big and small. As long as you have flame, you can make coffee.

Amazon.com: Bialetti Moka Express 3-Cup Stovetop Percolator: Home & Garden
Another good choice! We have a couple of these although we've never taken one in the Airstream.
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:48 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RoadKingMoe View Post
Inverters take a heavy toll on batterys. The 900 watts of [a regular size] coffeemaker will cause the inverter to draw over 90 amps from that single battery for somewhere around 12 minutes (0.2 hour) brew time. Because of the Peukert Effect, that isn't 90 amps x 0.2 = 18 amp-hours--it's considerably more.
I'm more of a mechanical guy, electricity has never been my forte, so perhaps you will have to give more of a lesson here. By my basic recollection, a 900W appliance (running on USA AC current which is 120V) would draw 7.5 amps (900W/120V = 7.5A). Amps are Amps are Amps, right? So if I draw that 7.5 amps for 0.2 hours, then I've drawn 1.5Ah, right? Seems like my battery ought to be able to handle this without breaking a sweat and do it for a few days straight, right?

The PO bought the Optima battery, so you aren't insulting my choice. Maybe if I trash the Optima from making my coffee that I will buy a regular one as a replacement.
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Old 02-27-2009, 07:56 PM   #14
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RoadKingMoe suggests the Coleman stove coffee maker. We have been using that unit for about 18 months. I think it works great. (Like Mr. Coffee). We have tried the French press---it's good but the problem with that is that you only get max a couple of cups out of it. The Coleman coffee maker works just about like home. It even uses the same paper filters so it is easy to clean up. If you haven't seen it it looks like the Mr. Coffee or Krups and sits on the range and works with the flame of the range top. (No electricity).

That's my two cents.

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Old 02-27-2009, 08:04 PM   #15
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I'm more of a mechanical guy, ..Amps are Amps are Amps, right? So if I draw that 7.5 amps for 0.2 hours, then I've drawn 1.5Ah, right? ...
Yup at 110 volts. but for a 12 volt battery to supply 110 volts the amps at the 12v side go up by 110/12 = +-10x...so our 7.5 amps jump to 80+amps from the battery. Kinda like spinning the 'ole V8 starter for .2 hours...

Back to the subject, we use a stove top perc with local course ground coffee. 9 minutes on the 'top and we have sure'nuff coffee
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:26 PM   #16
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What Maurice said. Melitta.
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:28 PM   #17
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I guess herein lies the reason why I narrowly squeaked by my electrical classes in college. If we say that the appliance needs 900W regardless of supply, then I agree...W = V * A and therefore 900W from a 12V supply means that 75A are required and thus I'm going to draw 15Ah or about 25% of the battery's capacity to make a pot of coffee (neglecting the Pukey principle or whatever it was called).

However, there's a sticking point in my mind. Thus why I am beating this dead horse and even though ultimately I will be proven wrong, I at least want to fully understand why. If I need 900W based upon a 120V AC supply, then I need 7.5A. Amps are amps are amps, right? Regardless of AC, DC, etc...amps are amps, or am I wrong here? Why is it that when I switch to an inverted DC supply that those 7.5A are no longer enough? I thought that by equating things to amps that we could then compare on a level playing field.

The analogy of the V8 starter is a good one that I understand...never would I expect a starter or battery to resist the load of cranking a V8 over for 0.2 hours. So I get that the concept is real. I see the destination and I know where it's at, I just can't see the path in between.
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:37 PM   #18
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I like a cup or two of coffee in the morning. Lynn doesn't drink coffee so my french press is just perfect......for me. BUT when boondocking with our daughter and family it is sometimes difficult to make 1-2 cups ongoing. I had been thinking that the Coleman discussed here is the way to go so I am glad that I stumbled into this 'discussion.
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:42 PM   #19
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Ditch the Coffee Makers

We prefer to ditch the Mr Coffee and or fancy brewers and do it the old fashion way. We have always used our old mess kit coffee pot. Boil water and coffee untill grounds are cooked, put in a few egg shells to sink the grounds, pour and enjoy. . . I'm sure atmosphere has a lot to do with it but its always the best tasting coffee to us. I think the egg shells are an "old wives tale" but we do it anyway.
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Old 02-27-2009, 08:46 PM   #20
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French press in the trailer and at home. They really make the best coffee, I think.
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