Whether camping, road-tripping or music-festing, this Memorial Day weekend took Northwesterners to all corners of the region and beyond, and effectively marked the start of summer vacation season. When packing cars or RVs with gear and craft beers, it often proves easy to forget coffee supplies for all those lazy campsite or lakeside mornings. From frequent experience, here are your summer vacation season’s coffee essentials.
An Aeropress. Nothing beats this brewing contraption for maximum efficiency and minimal weight and size. The three-piece black plastic device pops together in moments to press espresso-strength shots or regular drip-strength brew into any standard-sized mug. The wait time between boiled water and hot black coffee is about 20 seconds, and the air-tight press requires no further cleaning than a quick rinse at one end (a wipe with a paper towel will also do the trick). Each Aeropress comes with a dandy zip-up travel case, and the pocket-sized filters can even be reused a couple times if you forget extras—give them a simple rinse as well.
A great light roast. Why light? Besides being delicious, light roasts have more caffeine than dark—and extended daylight hours tend to keep us up late. I frequently go with a Latin American variety, the bright fruit and floral flavors seem to ring true for summer. Don’t forget to grind it for the Aeropress (just a step larger grind than espresso) before you head out. Try Dillano’s Fazenda Sertao from Brazil, Matchstick’s El Aguacatal from Guatemala, Heart’s Guatemala Pulcal or Evans Brothers’ El Salvador Menendez Finca Las Delicias.
Almond milk. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, making it a brilliant take-along for camping trips and festivals. Add it to your shopping list—you can find it at most any grocery store and it tastes great with light-roast coffee.
A Stanley mug. It’s the Northwest classic. Headquartered in Seattle for five generations, Stanley travel mugs have been recognized as top of their class for a century. The 16-ounce vacuum-insulated leak-proof body of the One Hand Vacuum Mug keeps drinks hot or cold for up to six hours and works just as well for beer, soup or other camp provisions. Go with the iconic Hammertone Green.
