Morning Java: It's not for amateurs

Discussions about Cape Dory, Intrepid and Robinhood sailboats and how we use them. Got questions? Have answers? Provide them here.

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bobc
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Morning Java: It's not for amateurs

Post by bobc »

In a recent topic the subject of morning coffee was broached. Now, I'm not a coffee snob, really, but after reading that some of you might be brewing coffee in 12V percolators obtained from truck stops, I felt morally obligated to step in. You see, I live near Seattle, home of Starbucks. We practically invented coffee here.

Coffee is so important to Northwest boaters I that I'm going to suggest that John Vigor's new book be titled "Making Coffee Afloat: And 19 Other Useful Ceremonies, Superstitions, Prayers, Rituals, and Curses".

I can't do the topic justice here, but I'll try to cover the basics of brewing coffee. I don't have the equipment for latte's at sea, so for latte's I either dinghy ashore, or wait for the latte boat to come around. I've been thinking about yanking out the Yanmar and installing a steam engine. I figure with a good source of steam on board, I could have latte's even while underway.

A great cup of coffee starts with a quality roasted whole bean. It doesn't matter where it's grown, as long as it's passed through a Seattle port and roasting company. Starbucks or Seattle's Best are both good brands.

You'll need a good grinder. I use a Zassenhaus Model 156 knee mill. These are adjustable so that you can get the perfect grind. They don't use electricity and take very little space. These mills aren't cheap, but unless they've been abused they'll last forever. I bought mine on ebay. If you buy used, make sure the burrs haven't been damaged. The Zassenhaus mills have hardened burrs so they're unlikely to be worn. When you get right down to it, we're talking about coffee, so price really shouldn't be an issue. You'll want to periodically clean the burrs by grinding uncooked rice.

Image

The Zassenhaus knee mill has a little compartment on top that holds just about the right number of beans for my coffee press (as you gain experience, you won't need to count the individual beans).

My coffee press is the BonJour 3-cup model shown here. It's made of polycarbonate and seems to be unbreakable. The only thing you need to watch with this unit is the removable rubber base. You'll want to take the base off before you commit the grounds to Neptune, otherwise you run the risk of loosing it overboard.

Image

Ok, so you have the beans, the grinder and the press. You'll also need an accurate timepiece. Any modern quartz watch with fresh batteries will do, or you can use the time display on your GPS unit. The GPS unit offers the best accuracy as the time base is a rubidium clock. Note that some of the satellites use cesium clocks. This won't affect the taste. Avoid using balance wheel watches and clocks.

Finally, you need good water. Obtaining high quality water while afloat is an advanced topic that I'm not going to attempt to cover here. Perhaps John can include a few chapters on water in his book.

At this point, you can use almost any method available to heat the water provided you don't introduce contaminates (a charcoal grill is out). You can probably even use that trucker's 12V coffee pot if it's clean and you have the batteries for it. I find that I can obtain good results with a diesel stove. A coffee snob would probably object to heating the water in an aluminum container, but my palate isn't so refined that I can tell the difference. Even so, it would probably be best to use a glass or Pyrex pan.

Now that you have the right equipment, here's how you make coffee in 10 easy steps:

1. Fill a clean pan with water and apply heat.
2. Fill the grinder's hopper with beans and grind while the water is heating
3. Just before the water is comes to a boil, put a little bit in the coffee press to preheat it.
4. Just as the water comes to a boil, empty the coffee press and pour in the coffee from the little drawer on the coffee grinder. I do all of this over a paper towel because it can be a little messy if you're not careful. I find that it's best to open the drawer while holding the mill over the press.
5. Note the time and pour the boiling water over the grounds, filling the press. Leave enough room to install plunger. I fill to the top of the handle band.
6. Install the press plunger and push the filter screen down just far enough to submerge the coffee. On the BonJour press turn the top so that the pouring spout is covered by the integral shield. This will keep the coffee from cooling as quickly.
7. After four minutes, use some of the leftover boiling water to preheat the coffee cups.
8. After six minutes, slowly press the on the plunger to push the screen all of the way to the bottom. This traps the grounds at the bottom. How tightly you trap the grounds is a matter of taste.
9. Empty the preheat water from the cups.
10. Turn the BonJour lid so the pouring screen covers the pouring spout, fill your coffee cup and enjoy.

That's it. It's not difficult, but you'll probably want to practice several times at home before heading out to sea.
Bob Cutler
1981 CD27 (sold)
Everett, WA
Bubba

Mornin Coffee

Post by Bubba »

Bob, That was a right purty piece of information on how to make a riteshous cup of coffee. I'm downrite sorry to have to say you forgot say all of it.
You forgot to tell them cityfolks jes how much chickory to put in. I was wonderin why you didnt mention adding the cracked egg shells to that press thingamajig. I gonna tell Elliemae to look up them fancy coffee pots next time she got the Sears book out. Bubba
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Tod Mills
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Thanks, Bob! I'm copying and pasting your notes...

Post by Tod Mills »

to my computer for future reference! At present I'm settling for the coffee bags and while it's okay, it's definitely not as nice as I'd like to enjoy aboard my vessel.

I had been hearing good things about pressed coffee, so I tried some at my local coffee shop: MmmmMMmmm Good!

Thanks!
Tod Mills
Montgomery 17 "BuscaBrisas", Sandusky, OH (with trips elsewhere)
Tartan 26 project boat
Cape Dory admirer
gallegodude@aol.com

coffee

Post by gallegodude@aol.com »

HOLY MOLY! By the time I went below and did all that while sailing in the Chesapeake, I would be run over by a freighter. I think I will stick to boiling water, and using instant coffee with a couple tablespoons of chocolate syrup mixed in instead of sugar.
Yum!
Mike.
RMeigel
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1979 Cape Dory 27
Annapolis

Java mecca

Post by RMeigel »

BobC

I have yet to make what I consider a decent cup of coffee at sea. I would appreciate your opinion on stainless steel french presses as marketed by Beast Marine. Mine has produced the best java elixir thus far on Pacem but I suspect that I'm off in both (1) the measurement of grounds (Starbucks, of course) and (2) time to steep.

'Was a bit surprised to read your praises of Starbucks ---- I thought "Charbucks" was passez in Seattle these days. That you all had moved on to anything but.

Robin
rtbates

You're kidding , right?

Post by rtbates »

I don't and won't do all that on land much less on Seraph.

Randy 25D Seraph #161
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neil
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Post by neil »

Starbucks???
are you serious?
}=-(-_-)-={
Guest

The perfect cup of coffee

Post by Guest »

Stah bucks, wow. French press, how impressed I am.

You dudes ought to try laying low in a spider hole and making the perfect cup of coffee in a canteen cup, using C Rats comfort kit coffee. It is pre measured to get the perfect brew, heating it just so to the exact temp with a heat tab. There wasnt enough water to preheat the cup. But to show you had class, you stuck your little finger out when you drank it. Lah de dah.
And you always left an eighth inch left so you didnt swallow sand.Stah bucks? french press? Bubba, you got it right. Croissants, anyone?
John D.

Weeklong coffee experiment

Post by John D. »

A few years ago, in my pre-Cape Dory days, my wife and I bare-chartered a 28 foot sailboat for 5 days. It was a Hunter, but that had no effect on the coffee.

For day one, we had coffee from home in a Thermos. Day 2 and 5 we brewed it in one of those small Melitta drip cones that makes coffee right into the mug. Day 3 and 4 we were on a mooring and took the Annapolis water taxi ashore for Starbucks.

Day 1 and 2 Abby thought were awful, which is why we went ashore for coffee on Day 3 and 4. She thought that was awful too. I was baffled, because it all tasted OK to me, and the Starbucks was downright good.

Turns out, that was our daughter's first cruise - she was born six months later. Apparently, many expecting women lose their taste for coffee, although in my case, luckily, not for sailing.

John D.
CD27 Lilypad
Whitehall Creek, Maryland
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barfwinkle
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Post by barfwinkle »

using C Rats comfort kit coffee.
WOW! talk about Carbon dating!!! C-Rats vs MREs vs Haliburton Contractors does the trick! :D

IMHO, It is all a matter of "being in the moment"! I have had some damn good "foxhole" coffee (as the Guest quoted above probably has as well) and some damn good Starbucks! That being said, one can certainly enjoy a more "refined" moment (cup) and savor da flavor in a more civilized and relaxed setting! I find little that awakes me more than the aroma of a "sweet" smell of freshly ground cafe! :wink:

Fair Winds
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bobc
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The abridged version

Post by bobc »

I'm concerned that my attempt at humor may have made some of you afraid to attempt a well-made cup of coffee upon your well-made Cape Dory. So, here's the simple version. I hope that some of you will try it, and save the instant (with a added bit of Chickory) for removing Cetol.

1. Boil water (required in all coffee recipes)
2. Grind beans (takes less than 60 seconds and a lot less effort than grinding a winch to sheet in a genoa on a close reach)
3. Dump coffee and water together in a press for 6 minutes.
4. Push the grounds to the bottom and poor.

As for Starbucks, well I've been drinking their regular blend since the early 80's when it was served in the cafeteria at the University of Washington. I guess I'm kind of used to the stuff. However, I've bought some good coffee beans for half the price at Costco.

I really do like both the knee grinder (size and quality) and the press (unbreakable, high quality, inexpensive). Both seem well suited to making coffee on a small boat. I also find that I enjoy the morning ritual -- which I only do when I'm sailing and taking life at a more relaxed pace. I especially like making coffee for my guests. In the evening, just as the sun's setting after a day of sailing, it's a nice hot cup of Earl Grey that does the trick. (hot water over a tea bag -- couldn't be simpler).

The only downside to drinking good coffee made from whole beans is that I've long since run out of empty Folgers coffee cans.
Bob Cutler
1981 CD27 (sold)
Everett, WA
Neil Gordon
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Re: The perfect cup of coffee

Post by Neil Gordon »

Guest wrote:You dudes ought to try laying low in a spider hole and making the perfect cup of coffee in a canteen cup, using C Rats comfort kit coffee.
I was in the Navy, which is a much more civilized service. We had a 30 cup coffee maker on the signal bridge and brewed a new pot about every two hours. On the overnight watches, the coffee maker was the only source of heat, so we'd tie a string on a can or soup or beans or whatever and dangle the can in the pot until it was hot. Of course, the can would usually emerge without its lable. Best coffee in the fleet. (Given the choice between adding chicory and the label from a port and beans can, I'd go for the label.)
Fair winds, Neil

s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
Boston, MA

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Neil Gordon
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Re: Weeklong coffee experiment

Post by Neil Gordon »

John D. wrote:It was a Hunter, but that had no effect on the coffee.
As Charlie Brown said once, "A hot dog just doesn't taste the same without a ball game in front of it." Ambiance matters.
Fair winds, Neil

s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167
Boston, MA

CDSOA member #698
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barfwinkle
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AMEN Brother

Post by barfwinkle »

As Charlie Brown said once, "A hot dog just doesn't taste the same without a ball game in front of it." Ambiance matters.
:D
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dasein668
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Post by dasein668 »

Another alternative:

I am a coffee snob! hehe. Find a local coffee house that roasts on premises and buy fresh coffee. That's the first and most important thing.

Pressed coffee doesn't appeal to all—many find it too course, due mainly to certain oils that are present in higher concentration in pressed coffee. If you fall in this camp, you may find hand-poured drip to be more to your taste. I have settled on this method for the boat, as it makes a very good cup (provided you use decent coffee to start with), and the clean-up is much improved over a french press. Just yank the filter and dump it in the trash. It takes me about 4 minutes to make a cup, including boiling the water (my Kenyon butane stove will boil water in a jiff!).

This method is a little tougher when underway, due to the open top of the typical cone, but it can be done. We used a very large cone over a thermos for a trip up from the Carribean and didn't have any disasters. Just don't overfill the cone!
Nathan Sanborn
Dasein, Pearson Triton 668
dasein668.com
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