Being in a home that's not your own (be it a hotel room, cabin, or even tent) is no excuse for bad coffee. In fact, we would argue that you can have some of your best coffee of the year throughout your summer travels — after all, what goes better with cold brew than an empty to-do list and a picturesque view?
We've chartered the course for a masterfully packed bag full of the coffee essentials you need for a hotel, hiking, or beach vacation — the rest of itinerary we leave to you!
Hotel
Packing list:
The happy marriage of the Porlex Mini and AeroPress has been well documented, but when trying to save space, it really is unbeatable. That's because — much like the old packing your socks in your shoes tip — the Porlex slides perfectly into the tube of a compressed AeroPress.
Once you get to your hotel, and explore the local coffee shops for a fesh bag of coffee, it’s just a matter of finding hot-enough water. Your best bet is to pull water directly from whichever coffee maker is the room or give room service a ring.
Camping
Packing list:
It partially depends on how much room you have in your bag, but while following a trail up a mountain, carrying as little extra weight as possible is a must. Instant coffee still doesn’t taste exactly like brewing it, but in recent years companies such as Sudden have developed instant coffee technology that tastes damn good. Highly reputable specialty roasters, like Equator and ReAnimator, have made instant versions of some of their finest coffees. As long as you’re willing to do some heavy stirring, you can even make iced instant coffee.
If you’re already bringing a pot to heat water, you can pack some regular coffee and brew specialty cowboy coffee. And if you’re heating water anyways and are packing plenty light (or not straying too far uphill), you could bring an AeroPress and Porlex setup too. Just know that there are definitely alternative ways to drink delicious coffee that won't weigh you down!
Beach House
Packing list:
Listen: you’re going to want refreshing cold coffee at the beach, right? And odds are your beach house will have a pitcher, jars, or heck, a big bowl will do. So you really just need these bags and some coffee and you’re good to go.
Make sure to check-ahead if there's a grinder in the house and bring pre-ground coffee if not! Because cold brew as a brew method doesn’t bring out as many aromatics as hot brewed coffee, you can feel even better about grinding as much coffee as you need for the whole trip before leaving the house. Pro tip: you can even pre-portion your coffee in the Cold Brew Bags ahead of time, so there's no need to bring a scale or occupy the kitchen while your housemates whip up breakfast.
