You’ve reached the highest point of your tour, enjoying the spectacular views, only to wash it down with some lukewarm instant coffee from a plastic cup… no thanks. We want great coffee, no matter where we are! Here’s how you can enjoy the perfect coffee while bikepacking or hiking.
Who hasn’t dreamt of being at the summit by sunrise? Just 100 more metres to go. How do we picture the moment of arrival? First, stretch out on the alpine meadow, soak in the view. And then? Coffee! But not just any coffee – one that truly lives up to the majesty of our surroundings. When you’re used to good espresso from a fancy machine, tepid Nescafé from a flask doesn’t quite have the same appeal; even here, we’re looking for something more – to enjoy the taste and the cosy hygge feeling.
At the same time, space on our bikes or in our hiking backpacks is limited, and we don’t want to lug around too much heavy gear. So, what does it take to brew the perfect summit coffee? The best portable coffee maker? The finest beans? Or maybe the perfect grinder? We’ll show you what we packed for bikepacking in the Dolomites.
This article is part of our Coffee Special, full of product tests, exciting insights and some valuable new perspectives on coffee. Curious? Then click here!
The Water
What could be better than using the clear, pure spring water from the mountains for our coffee? First, it tastes better, and second, it saves weight while bikepacking. For those who want to play it safe, you can run the water through a filter. Bottles for this purpose are available from brands like Bachgold or Naturbummler.
The Beans
The coffee ceremony begins with the scent of beans filling your nose: For a perfect espresso, don’t skimp on the quality of the bean or the grinder. Luckily, the number of small, high-quality roasteries has grown, so everyone can find their own favourite coffee.
The Grinder
If we learned anything from our factory visit to rb.crafts, it’s that perfect coffee on a bikepacking tour is only possible with freshly ground beans from a top-notch grinder. For our manual Wacaco espresso machine, we took the EXAGRIND along as the perfect match.
For moka coffee from the Bialetti, we turn to the high-end COMANDANTE hand grinder; the lightweight outdoor version with a tough plastic body, naturally. The TRAILMASTER X25 grinds our beans on bikepacking tours with the same top-quality NITRO BLADE burr as the C40. Superb!
The Camping Stove
In the rush to pack your things, don’t forget: you still need to heat up your coffee water! The compact and ultra-light Crux Solo cooking system from Optimus fits perfectly in a frame bag or backpack. If you’re not planning on cooking high-altitude pasta, just leave the pot at home and boil the small amount of water needed in the pan – that’s what we did.
The Coffee Machine
The heart of the coffee ceremony: the machine. If you don’t want to miss out on real espresso at the summit, bring a portable manual espresso maker. Brands like Flair Espresso, Staresso or Cafflano offer great options. When choosing a device, the key question is: do you want to turn the brewing process into an elaborate ritual, or simply get the job done quickly? Team Slow Food will opt for the PICOPRESSO from Wacaco, where you build high pressure for coffee extraction by pumping.
This is pure deceleration: with the PICOPRESSO, the manual brewing process, involving multiple steps, turns coffee preparation into meditation. You’ll find a review of this manual espresso machine, by the way, in our sister magazine, DOWNTOWN.
Wacaco’s manual espresso machine delivers a tasty, but not especially hot espresso. If you prefer a hotter brew even while bikepacking, it’s better to go for the classic quick coffee option: steam-brewed espresso from a Bialetti.
For those who want to reward themselves with an even better espresso at the summit – and don’t mind a bit of extra effort – there’s the 9Barista espresso machine, weighing in at nearly 2 kg. We’ve already tested it over at our sister magazine, ENDURO. And if you’re not carrying your coffee water because you’re collecting it from mountain streams, the extra weight is almost a non-issue.
The Drinking Vessel
You drink with your eyes first, so it’s worth packing your favourite espresso cups for coffee, even when bikepacking, instead of settling for a basic camping mug.
You really don’t need much at all for the perfect summit coffee. Once you’ve invested in high-quality gear, you can treat yourself to a blissful coffee moment at every summit.
Filtered stream water, freshly ground beans from a speciality roaster, and the coffee maker of your choice: you can create an almost meditative moment on your bikepacking or hiking tour, with your own coffee ritual. Naturally, the coffee tastes extra delicious in such moments. But let’s be honest: nothing beats the view!
Fancy more stories about coffee? Keep an eye on the big DOWNTOWN Coffee Special – it’s worth it!
Words: Felicia Nastal Photos: Julian Schwede
