Sharing stories about coffee, stories, and stoke
So how do you drink good coffee on the road? Easy. Here are some simple steps to unlock the secret to never settling for bad coffee again on the road. Be forewarned, though; it takes a little bit of work, forethought, planning, and buying a few items. Ready?
We keep saying coffee was meant to be enjoyed outdoors. And while we certainly mean it, we've also shared different ways to brew coffee outside with you over the years. There are innumerable ways to brew coffee at the trailhead, around the campfire, and on a bikepacking trip. But how about from a van?
Like you, I love hand-built trails with tabletops and bermed corners. Gravity-fed flow trails are one of the wonders of the world. And so, I regularly hit the same trail systems repeatedly. But with gravel, whole new worlds open to me that I don’t see or miss by riding on enclosed trail systems. Oregon is packed with endless miles of gravel or dirt roads that take you on adventures that leave you whoopin’ and hollerin’.
We all are creatures of habit. Sometimes those habits are good, but we tend to notice them when they are bad. Maybe not "bad" as in "really bad," but we definitely know areas in our lives where we're mailing it in. Perhaps we're even lazy in those areas as well. So why bring this up? What does this have to do with coffee?
Often, we’re traveling quite a ways to a trailhead to ride. It could be anywhere from 1-2 hours away (or more). What that also means is we’re not in a hurry. We’ve committed a whole day to ride and being with friends in the outdoors. So why should we settle for cold coffee at the trailhead?
Most often, on weekends, I’m either riding or showing up for trail-building work parties. While I’m thinking lots about bikes (and trails) for obvious reasons, one of the other aspects of my planning is coffee. I suppose I don’t overthink about it as it slots into my mental checklist as I’m getting ready to leave … bike (check), helmet (check), shoes (check), knee pads (check), coffee (check) …
