Coffee and adventure:
Hand in hand. Always seemingly go together. Especially in the shoulder season when searching for ice climbing before it’s in full swing. Not used to early mornings yet leaves one sleepy. Under caffeination causes wobbly legs and fumbling of ice screws. Not fun on early season fragile thin, frozen waterfalls. I want to make sure I’m on my game!
For more information on this route have a look here:
Devil’s Pinch and Big Game Hunter
A two pronged attack came to mind. Not forgetting coffee, and packing all my gear the night before so I don’t forget my belay device… did this once already. Also, using a french press. It’s inexpensive, reliable and super easy to clean. It makes enough for a small thermos that I take with me on the climb, a cup over bacon n’ eggs while I check the avi conditions and for my travel for the long, dark drive.
The How To:
Grind beans, bring water to just off boil (200 degrees Celsius), wait 4 minutes on the timer, and I’ve got all my joe for the day. Bacon wasn’t even done! Now, because coffee temps are super important for flavour, I prep it all at once and pre-heat my backpack thermos. This keeps the coffee at the right temp for a full day. The coffee will be perfect for my mug over breakfast, and I put some into a travel mug with a bit of milk. This cools it down enough to drink it on the drive and you avoid scalding your tongue. Ask me how I remember this!
There are many ways to bring good coffee with you, but I’ve found when carrying enough for a full day of adventure when you’re a 2-3 cupper a day, this works great. Weight is light and it’s guaranteed to give you a warm cup at a frozen belay.
