One of the best things about setting out and meandering deep into the hills and mountains is that it gives you the time and space to ponder the big questions of life. Naturally, starting with the most important, what is the best way to make coffee on the go?
I am about to embark on an analysis of excruciating detail - so I'll do you a favor and pop the conclusion up here!
In a nut shell, the Aeropress Go is the easiest, simplest and most compact solution. But if you're anything like me, when a proper espresso isn't an option, only a Moka pot brew will do. And the good news is that, despite appearances, it's not that much more of a faff to use a Moka pot over an Aeropress - if you know how to approach it...
Aeropress Go: pros and cons
The pros
The major benefit of the Aeropress Go is that it doesn't need a heat source to brew the coffee - you can just bring hot water in a thermos flask and away you go.
This is a more significant feature than you might at first appreciate. Of course, first there is the convenience side of things: no waiting for boiling, less kit - or, at least, easier to pack kit - and between the lid of the thermos flask and the container of the Aeropress, you've got two cups ready right there!
But more practically, if you're setting out on a bikepacking trip that threads together various culturally significant towns and cities, then using Aeropress with a thermos of hot water ready to go is more conscientious than setting up a stove in the middle of an urban environment. Coffee on the go is easier and require less planning than with a Moka pot and stove.
Aside from that, if you're flying out for a bikepacking trip, then naturally you won't be able to take a gas canister on the plane. If you're planning on cooking most of your meals for the trip, then it's economical and worth the time investment to source a gas cannister on the other side.
But if you're planning on staying in accommodation overnight getting by through a mixture of restaurants and what you can get from the supermarkets, then you can save a lot of space and weight by eschewing the cookset and gas and just relying on your thermos.
The most observant of you might have clocked that the Aeropress Go only takes about 240ml of water per brew, and might be thinking that a 500ml thermos flask would do the job - but you'd be wrong. Take it from me, a quarter of a liter filling only half a thermos doesn't hold its heat for long. I learnt that one the hard way. 750ml is the way to go if you want to get two coffees out of one flask - either that or 350ml and accept you'll only have the one.
The cons
First of the cons might actually be a pro, depending on your taste in coffee! If you prefer an Americano, a large cup of black coffee, then you'll get on well with the brew that the Aeropress Go creates. It is stronger than what you get with a French press, but it's nowhere close to a Moka pot, let alone an espresso - which is what I prefer.
On windswept hillsides and after its been quite a few hours since I filled up the thermos, I'm also not super keen on how quickly the Aeropress coffee becomes cold - sometimes I'm only halfway through before it loses most of its heat. The Moka pot coffee comes out piping hot, rather than losing some of its heat during the brewing process like the Aeropress, so a plus there for the Moka.
And finally, the plastic construction does become a little ropey after a while. I've had mine for three years and it's showing signs of wear from all the plunging. It doesn't affect the brew at all, it just looks a bit tired. My grandmother has had the same Moka pot for decades, and although it's not as shiny as a new one, it's still going strong.
Bialetti Moka pot: pros and cons
Yes, yes, I know this isn't the classic eight-side Moka Express that has been such an icon since its creation in 1933, but I have an induction hob at home and the aluminium original doesn't work on that, so I've had to go for a stainless steel model instead.
But it is still a Bialetti, though. I don't usually have such a brand loyalty - my 'vaccum insulated flasks' aren't actually from Thermos and my retractable, replacement blade knife isn't actually a Stanley. But I have a real soft-spot for Bialetti for their place in the history of coffee brewing paraphernalia, and I like to be reminded of that every time I have a coffee!
The pros I've mostly covered through the cons of the Aeropress Go: better tasting coffee that's always served hot and longer lasting product in general, thanks to the stainless steel construction.
Yes, it is a bit more difficult brewing with a Moka pot at times - almost ironically, I end up going without proper coffee if I'm staying the night at a hotel, as that is another situation where I don't want to use a camping stove!
Transporting the stove itself is pretty easy - my MSR Pocket Rocket folds up to be very compact. But once you factor in the gas canister and a couple of cups, it does then start to become difficult to pack everything away when you're on the move. You could clip a mug to the outside of your bikepacking bags, but I think that's pretty silly to be honest, as it'll just get splattered with debris.
My solution is repurposing an old electronics bag - I can fit my Moka pot, my coffee grounds and two cups and the stove in there making for one compact package. Using Ortlieb's Handlebar Pack QR, the whole thing fits in really nicely! My gas canister fits nicely into my cooking pots - and I keep those all stashed in my saddlepack between my spare clothes and extra layers. Works really nicely!
