-- Edited by maids on Sunday 6th of November 2022 09:40:14 PM
TimTim said
07:52 AM Nov 7, 2022
The problem with a pod machine is finding a flavour of coffee that you like. If you do have a favourite coffee then you can use refillable pods but I have never used them so I cant give my opinion on them.
I was given a DeLonghi Nespresso pod machine that works well but found that I needed two pods to make a decent coffee. It is a 1260W machine so a 1500W inverter is ample and if using it for say 4 minutes then you use 84Wh If you like frothy coffee then the Nespresso milk frother 450W has worked well in the past so at 3 minutes to froth and heat the milk that is 22.5Wh.
Good luck
-- Edited by TimTim on Monday 7th of November 2022 11:30:23 AM
RoboLB said
08:33 AM Nov 7, 2022
TimTim wrote:
The problem with a pod machine is finding a flavour of coffee that you like. If you do have a favourite coffee then you can use refillable pods but I have never used them so I cant give my opinion on them.
I was given a DeLonghi Nespresso pod machine that works well but found that I needed two pods to make a decent coffee. It is a 1260W machine so a 1500W inverter is ample and if using it for say 4 minutes then you use 84W. If you like frothy coffee then the Nespresso milk frother 450W has worked well in the past so at 3 minutes to froth and heat the milk that is 22.5W.
Good luck
-- Edited by TimTim on Monday 7th of November 2022 07:55:23 AM
I reckon that's the challenge TimTim. I've gone through so many different coffee machines for home and office use.
Never found one of those pod types that I like the taste of.
We've now resorted to a stove top perculator. Old style. Easy to use, quick, great tasting coffee.
We used a "Wacaco nanopresso" manually operated coffee maker on our travels. Worked well and can do either ground coffee or pods depending on the configuration. www.amazon.com.au/s%2Caps%2C292&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-ranker-1hour_1_10, pm me for more info if required.
dorian said
08:39 AM Nov 7, 2022
TimTim wrote:
It is a 1260W machine so a 1500W inverter is ample and if using it for say 4 minutes then you use 84W. If you like frothy coffee then the Nespresso milk frother 450W has worked well in the past so at 3 minutes to froth and heat the milk that is 22.5W.
That's 84Wh and 22.5Wh. If supplied by a 12V battery, the draw would be 7Ah and 1.9Ah.
If you already have a healthy solar system with batteries & inverter capable of sustainably supplying the high current required for short periods then I believe that many of the pod machines have similar power requirements to what TimTim suggests, I haven't seen any which require significantly less .
If you don't already have a suitable set up, then you have a choice. Either your coffee's become very expensive or you find an alternative means of making your coffee. If you like pod coffee then having a power system which enables the use of a pod machine is perfectly do-able at a cost - which may for you represent good value.
Personally, having been used to an espresso machine at home, & never having been satisfied with any coffee other than the one I have been drinking for the past 20 years (Vittoria Espresso) I have never enjoyed a coffee from any pod machine. Not even the Vittoria ones. Over the years I have tried a variety of methods to make coffee whilst on the road, but only one has really fitted the bill for me, given that I like a full cup of a strong brew, black. Hence none of the portable espresso makers come close - their output tastes fine with my favoured coffee, but making it is too fiddly, & only provides a fraction of the amount I like.
For the past 5 years plus I have enjoyed two cups daily from my little Bialetti '4 cup' stove top moka pot. This provides the quantity & strength I like, albeit without the crema of an espresso, but I find it very acceptable, & prefer it to any bought coffees, pod coffees, plunger coffees, aeropress coffees etc It is quick & easy to make too. I gave up grinding my own beans, & find buying ready-ground & storing it in the freezer to work well. We buy the 1kg bags when on special at the supermarkets, which they often are, & 1 kg lasts me a month.
Because of our remote location, & the unavailability of anything other than instant coffee here, I last bought 6kg in an online order from Coles (gets flown up from Cairns) & am currently almost finished the 4th pack. It is just as good as the first was. We decant a weeks worth into a sealed screwtop plastic container at a time, sealing the rest & placing it back in the freezer. It is important that the coffee put into the pot to brew is at ambient temperature, not still cold from the freezer!
Good luck - coffee is a very individual thing & whilst I consider what I do to be better than 'just good enough' for me - getting to that point was a journey in itself.
-- Edited by Cuppa on Monday 7th of November 2022 09:08:50 AM
We use coffee beans. I have a few times by accident & more to the point bought with impatience, recently simply been desperate, bought ground beans of exactly the same bean pre-ground. They are rubbish.
Buy beans & grind them, even by hand as we do it's not that difficult.
Quite frankly any bought coffee these days... it tastes like when I last cleaned out a septic tank. If I do buy a coffee, it is an espresso, but it is pretty rough on the whole. Use beans.
P.S. please use the correct spelling for words. When people do searches on topics, Sola is a range of various products which basically has no relevance on this forum either power equipment or an espresso machine. Sola has no relation with solar.
hufnpuf said
07:09 PM Nov 7, 2022
I have a machine that uses Lavazza pods. I like the coffee (there are different ones). I also have a moka pot like cuppa's, it is good for making coffee in the morning because I can use it on the stove. The pod machine is noisy, I am not going to fire that thing up at the crack of dawn in case the noise disturbs other people.
bristte said
09:42 AM Nov 8, 2022
As Cuppa said, coffee is a very individual thing. It's hard to make a recommendation without knowing what style of coffee someone likes and how much of a coffee snob they are. The OP asked about a pod machine, and if they're happy with that style then I don't think that there's going to be all that much difference between the compact ones in terms of power consumption It shouldn't be all that hard to run one one a half-way decent battery set-up with an appropriately sized inverter. They heat up fast and aren't usually on for long.
For those who are more battery constrained, there are a range of options that only require boiling water. I'd be inclined to suggest an Aeropress, which is a popular way to make a long black using ground coffee and boiling water. I travel with a Cafelat Robot, which is a bit of specialised gear, because it can make short blacks with the same inputs.
As something of a coffee snob, I agree that freshly roasted coffee ground just before brewing is best. This will improve your (non-pod) shots no matter how you make them. Grinding in a camp setting means a hand grinder. Fresh is the hard part.
Whenarewethere said
10:33 AM Nov 8, 2022
I actually have a spare Aeropress kit, have also bought spare rubber gasket & outer plunger.
Have been using the Aeropress since 2018. It is completely different taste to a French press.
For the investment you can't go wrong.
With all coffee. Quality beans (per cup it is actually economical). Hand grind, it's not that difficult. Do not use boiling water under any circumstances. If you like a hot coffee pre heat the cup.
Cuppa said
10:47 AM Nov 8, 2022
Whenarewethere wrote:
I actually have a spare Aeropress kit, have also bought spare rubber gasket & outer plunger.
Have been using the Aeropress since 2018. It is completely different taste to a French press.
For the investment you can't go wrong.
With all coffee. Quality beans (per cup it is actually economical). Hand grind, it's not that difficult. Do not use boiling water under any circumstances. If you like a hot coffee pre heat the cup.
Lots of people love Aeropress, & really they are the ideal travelling companion. Easy to use, economical, & unbreakable. I had a Porlex ceramic burr grinder which stored (minus handle) inside the Aeropress. I didn't like the 'balancing act' above the cup, always worried I'd slip & scald myself - although never did. BUT I have this peculiar liking for just a hint of bitterness in my coffee, & for reasons I cannot explain obtaining any hint of bitterness with an Aeropress was impossible no matter how strong I made it. For many I suppose complete absence of bitterness would me a significant positive though.
bristte said
12:22 PM Nov 8, 2022
Whenarewethere wrote:Do not use boiling water under any circumstances. If you like a hot coffee pre heat the cup.
That depends on the brewing method but yes, with an Aeropress it is supposed to be just below boiling, Not so with the Robot, as the water doesn't immediately contact the ground beans.
The point I was trying to make was that you need some way to heat the water, be it to boiling or close to it. This doesn't have to be electric.
I understand what Cuppa means about the risk of making a scalding mess with an Aeropress. You need to the right sized cup and a stable base. The little funnel that an AP comes with can help.
KJB said
12:52 PM Nov 8, 2022
My "Slide out" Espresso Bar........LaPavoni Lever machine and Iberital Grinder (all powered via Mains 240v. or Remote Start 3kva Honda Gen set)
My "Slide out" Espresso Bar........LaPavoni Lever machine and Iberital Grinder (all powered via Mains 240v. or Remote Start 3kva Honda Gen set)
Oh gosh, another manual lever machine. Now that is impressive!. A million miles from what the OP asked about tho'.
Whenarewethere said
01:49 PM Nov 8, 2022
KJB wrote:
It looks like some form of prohibited weapon, do you have a licence to use that thing!
Whenarewethere said
01:52 PM Nov 8, 2022
One could go in the shops & look at the wattage on the bottom of each machine or download each manual.
KevinJ said
02:46 PM Nov 8, 2022
I can't believe the lengths some people go to for a cup of coffee. I must be a heathen. I'll drink any coffee.
Cuppa said
02:50 PM Nov 8, 2022
KevinJ wrote:
I can't believe the lengths some people go to for a cup of coffee. I must be a heathen. I'll drink any coffee.
My wife's a coffee heathen too. She is happy to drink International Roast. Hence the Moka Pot just large enough for me.
TimTim said
03:30 PM Nov 8, 2022
Love it KJB .
I take a Breville Bambino Plus because some of the group love their frothy coffee.
Whenarewethere said
03:35 PM Nov 8, 2022
Recently I was regularly visiting a hospital, I found the staff room on the ward, the café had closed, in sheer desperation I made an International Roast. Previous time must have been 3 decades ago. I was starting to wonder if it was the remains of patients from the hospital from our failed health system offloaded in a disguised form!
KJB said
04:09 PM Nov 8, 2022
TimTim wrote:
Love it KJB .
I take a Breville Bambino Plus because some of the group love their frothy coffee.
Same La Pavoni but in our 35 year old home made "Slide on" - still in use. (I grind the coffee before leaving home ....not the preferred method though..) Powered by an on board 2Kva Honda Gen Set.
I can't believe the lengths some people go to for a cup of coffee. I must be a heathen. I'll drink any coffee.
X2 Kev...........International roast, white with two.
Not going to coffee heaven.
Red Fox said
07:50 AM Nov 9, 2022
Deleted
-- Edited by Red Fox on Wednesday 9th of November 2022 07:51:55 AM
Mike Harding said
08:08 AM Nov 9, 2022
KJB wrote:
Now *that* is style KJB :)
Whenarewethere said
08:15 AM Nov 9, 2022
Also using filtered water is a must.
Actually making a proper cup of coffee is a meditative process in itself, saves on other medications.
For those with accountancy thinking, even with expensive beans, making your own coffee is economical.
Don't forget to make an espresso as least every now & then, & no sugar. You will soon learn to appreciate coffee.
KevinJ said
08:22 AM Nov 9, 2022
Wouldn't distilled water be better?
KJB said
08:28 AM Nov 9, 2022
Whenarewethere wrote:
Also using filtered water is a must.
Actually making a proper cup of coffee is a meditative process in itself, saves on other medications.
For those with accountancy thinking, even with expensive beans, making your own coffee is economical.
Don't forget to make an espresso as least every now & then, & no sugar. You will soon learn to appreciate coffee.
Natural rainwater is best - no chlorine .
Your points are all true.......(sugar is a contaminant ... good, freshly ground, unburnt, sweet coffee does not need sweeteners, sugar, syrups or anything else to make it palatable/enjoyable) KB
Whenarewethere said
09:29 AM Nov 9, 2022
KJB wrote:
Natural rainwater is best - no chlorine
Agree, & we have a 4 stage Stiebel Eltron filter (I have even installed one for my tenants in my investment property).
Decades ago I installed 2 x 5000L (due to space arrangement, otherwise one 10k L tank. Would have installed 20k L but 10k was under the council "radar" regulations) rain water tanks in my parents home. When I sold the home due to their deaths for my siblings, the new owners removed the tanks, the gardener who still did the neighbours garden couldn't believe it as it was also all plumbed in for the automatic sprinkler system. He said it was one on the best systems he had seen.
Anyway. The rain water off Sydney Northern Beaches roofs, including possum poo was the best water I have tasted. I often had a drink from the hose (pumped system), & if I didn't forget, bottled some water for our own use.
Magnarc said
02:24 PM Nov 12, 2022
A kettle of hot water and three teaspoons of Pablo with two spoons of sugar. Easy.
Tic
Santa said
03:12 PM Nov 12, 2022
Pablo! really, cant believe they still sell that stuff, absolute bottom shelf, in fact probably worse than Bickfords coffee and chicory.
looking for best pod machine for camping
Has to be low wattage to work with sola
-- Edited by maids on Sunday 6th of November 2022 09:40:14 PM
The problem with a pod machine is finding a flavour of coffee that you like. If you do have a favourite coffee then you can use refillable pods but I have never used them so I cant give my opinion on them.
I was given a DeLonghi Nespresso pod machine that works well but found that I needed two pods to make a decent coffee. It is a 1260W machine so a 1500W inverter is ample and if using it for say 4 minutes then you use 84Wh If you like frothy coffee then the Nespresso milk frother 450W has worked well in the past so at 3 minutes to froth and heat the milk that is 22.5Wh.
Good luck
-- Edited by TimTim on Monday 7th of November 2022 11:30:23 AM
I reckon that's the challenge TimTim. I've gone through so many different coffee machines for home and office use.
Never found one of those pod types that I like the taste of.
We've now resorted to a stove top perculator. Old style. Easy to use, quick, great tasting coffee.
That's 84Wh and 22.5Wh. If supplied by a 12V battery, the draw would be 7Ah and 1.9Ah.
https://www.google.com/search?q=450+watts+x+3+minutes+in+Wh
If you already have a healthy solar system with batteries & inverter capable of sustainably supplying the high current required for short periods then I believe that many of the pod machines have similar power requirements to what TimTim suggests, I haven't seen any which require significantly less .
If you don't already have a suitable set up, then you have a choice. Either your coffee's become very expensive or you find an alternative means of making your coffee. If you like pod coffee then having a power system which enables the use of a pod machine is perfectly do-able at a cost - which may for you represent good value.
Personally, having been used to an espresso machine at home, & never having been satisfied with any coffee other than the one I have been drinking for the past 20 years (Vittoria Espresso) I have never enjoyed a coffee from any pod machine. Not even the Vittoria ones. Over the years I have tried a variety of methods to make coffee whilst on the road, but only one has really fitted the bill for me, given that I like a full cup of a strong brew, black. Hence none of the portable espresso makers come close - their output tastes fine with my favoured coffee, but making it is too fiddly, & only provides a fraction of the amount I like.
For the past 5 years plus I have enjoyed two cups daily from my little Bialetti '4 cup' stove top moka pot. This provides the quantity & strength I like, albeit without the crema of an espresso, but I find it very acceptable, & prefer it to any bought coffees, pod coffees, plunger coffees, aeropress coffees etc It is quick & easy to make too. I gave up grinding my own beans, & find buying ready-ground & storing it in the freezer to work well. We buy the 1kg bags when on special at the supermarkets, which they often are, & 1 kg lasts me a month.
Because of our remote location, & the unavailability of anything other than instant coffee here, I last bought 6kg in an online order from Coles (gets flown up from Cairns) & am currently almost finished the 4th pack. It is just as good as the first was. We decant a weeks worth into a sealed screwtop plastic container at a time, sealing the rest & placing it back in the freezer. It is important that the coffee put into the pot to brew is at ambient temperature, not still cold from the freezer!
Good luck - coffee is a very individual thing & whilst I consider what I do to be better than 'just good enough' for me - getting to that point was a journey in itself.
-- Edited by Cuppa on Monday 7th of November 2022 09:08:50 AM
We use coffee beans. I have a few times by accident & more to the point bought with impatience, recently simply been desperate, bought ground beans of exactly the same bean pre-ground. They are rubbish.
Buy beans & grind them, even by hand as we do it's not that difficult.
Quite frankly any bought coffee these days... it tastes like when I last cleaned out a septic tank. If I do buy a coffee, it is an espresso, but it is pretty rough on the whole. Use beans.
P.S. please use the correct spelling for words. When people do searches on topics, Sola is a range of various products which basically has no relevance on this forum either power equipment or an espresso machine. Sola has no relation with solar.
I have a machine that uses Lavazza pods. I like the coffee (there are different ones). I also have a moka pot like cuppa's, it is good for making coffee in the morning because I can use it on the stove. The pod machine is noisy, I am not going to fire that thing up at the crack of dawn in case the noise disturbs other people.
For those who are more battery constrained, there are a range of options that only require boiling water. I'd be inclined to suggest an Aeropress, which is a popular way to make a long black using ground coffee and boiling water. I travel with a Cafelat Robot, which is a bit of specialised gear, because it can make short blacks with the same inputs.
As something of a coffee snob, I agree that freshly roasted coffee ground just before brewing is best. This will improve your (non-pod) shots no matter how you make them. Grinding in a camp setting means a hand grinder. Fresh is the hard part.
I actually have a spare Aeropress kit, have also bought spare rubber gasket & outer plunger.
Have been using the Aeropress since 2018. It is completely different taste to a French press.
For the investment you can't go wrong.
With all coffee. Quality beans (per cup it is actually economical). Hand grind, it's not that difficult. Do not use boiling water under any circumstances. If you like a hot coffee pre heat the cup.
Lots of people love Aeropress, & really they are the ideal travelling companion. Easy to use, economical, & unbreakable. I had a Porlex ceramic burr grinder which stored (minus handle) inside the Aeropress. I didn't like the 'balancing act' above the cup, always worried I'd slip & scald myself - although never did. BUT I have this peculiar liking for just a hint of bitterness in my coffee, & for reasons I cannot explain obtaining any hint of bitterness with an Aeropress was impossible no matter how strong I made it. For many I suppose complete absence of bitterness would me a significant positive though.
That depends on the brewing method but yes, with an Aeropress it is supposed to be just below boiling, Not so with the Robot, as the water doesn't immediately contact the ground beans.
The point I was trying to make was that you need some way to heat the water, be it to boiling or close to it. This doesn't have to be electric.
I understand what Cuppa means about the risk of making a scalding mess with an Aeropress. You need to the right sized cup and a stable base. The little funnel that an AP comes with can help.
My "Slide out" Espresso Bar........LaPavoni Lever machine and Iberital Grinder (all powered via Mains 240v. or Remote Start 3kva Honda Gen set)
Oh gosh, another manual lever machine. Now that is impressive!. A million miles from what the OP asked about tho'.
It looks like some form of prohibited weapon, do you have a licence to use that thing!
One could go in the shops & look at the wattage on the bottom of each machine or download each manual.
I can't believe the lengths some people go to for a cup of coffee. I must be a heathen. I'll drink any coffee.
My wife's a coffee heathen too. She is happy to drink International Roast. Hence the Moka Pot just large enough for me.
Love it KJB
.
I take a Breville Bambino Plus because some of the group love their frothy coffee.
Recently I was regularly visiting a hospital, I found the staff room on the ward, the café had closed, in sheer desperation I made an International Roast. Previous time must have been 3 decades ago. I was starting to wonder if it was the remains of patients from the hospital from our failed health system offloaded in a disguised form!
Same La Pavoni but in our 35 year old home made "Slide on" - still in use. (I grind the coffee before leaving home ....not the preferred method though..) Powered by an on board 2Kva Honda Gen Set.
X2 Kev...........International roast, white with two.
Not going to coffee heaven.
Deleted
-- Edited by Red Fox on Wednesday 9th of November 2022 07:51:55 AM
Now *that* is style KJB :)
Also using filtered water is a must.
Actually making a proper cup of coffee is a meditative process in itself, saves on other medications.
For those with accountancy thinking, even with expensive beans, making your own coffee is economical.
Don't forget to make an espresso as least every now & then, & no sugar. You will soon learn to appreciate coffee.
Wouldn't distilled water be better?
Natural rainwater is best - no chlorine .
Your points are all true.......(sugar is a contaminant ... good, freshly ground, unburnt, sweet coffee does not need sweeteners, sugar, syrups or anything else to make it palatable/enjoyable) KB
Agree, & we have a 4 stage Stiebel Eltron filter (I have even installed one for my tenants in my investment property).
Decades ago I installed 2 x 5000L (due to space arrangement, otherwise one 10k L tank. Would have installed 20k L but 10k was under the council "radar" regulations) rain water tanks in my parents home. When I sold the home due to their deaths for my siblings, the new owners removed the tanks, the gardener who still did the neighbours garden couldn't believe it as it was also all plumbed in for the automatic sprinkler system. He said it was one on the best systems he had seen.
Anyway. The rain water off Sydney Northern Beaches roofs, including possum poo was the best water I have tasted. I often had a drink from the hose (pumped system), & if I didn't forget, bottled some water for our own use.
A kettle of hot water and three teaspoons of Pablo with two spoons of sugar. Easy.
Tic
Pablo! really, cant believe they still sell that stuff, absolute bottom shelf, in fact probably worse than Bickfords coffee and chicory.