Bring your own coffee everywhere

The Issue

Hello readers of 2coffee.dev, the stronger seasonal winds have arrived in the North. If you're going out, remember to wear warm clothes, while I'm feeling a bit feverish, not having adjusted to this weather yet. Yesterday, I returned from my hometown to Hanoi, wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt in cold drizzle, with just one change of clothes and a water bottle in my backpack. Wait, why did I bring a water bottle? Well, actually, it’s my coffee brewing bottle.

Looking back at my purchase history from an online marketplace, I bought my coffee gear over three years ago. But that doesn’t say much, since I started getting into coffee long before that. At first, I drank instant coffee, but later, when I started working near a specialty coffee shop, the smell of their roasted beans prompted me to switch to condensed milk coffee. Gradually, I stopped adding milk and went with black coffee. Now, the coffee I brew has reached a whole new “universe.” If you recall, you can find my post on Reviewing various coffee brewing methods I've tried here.

I enjoy sipping a cup of coffee in the morning. If I wake up early, cook, and have breakfast at home, I take the time to brew coffee using a dripper. The aroma from grinding the beans to pouring water is still present, urging me to keep a steady hand for the best cup. On chilly, seasonal mornings, sipping coffee while reading the news is incredibly satisfying.

Sometimes, I feel like having a cappuccino. The blend of bitter chocolate and creamy milk always makes me wish tomorrow would come sooner. But making cappuccino is a bit of a hassle and time-consuming. I don’t have an electric coffee machine; most of my equipment is mechanical, meaning it relies on manual effort. They operate on simple principles: just hot water and beans, and with a few squeezes and presses, I soon have my coffee.

The advantage of these devices is convenience: they’re compact, easy to carry, don’t need electricity, and have fewer electrical components to break down. Plus, they’re reasonably priced. But in return, it takes a lot of work to “play” with them. If you want good coffee, you’ll spend more time preparing, adjusting things, exerting effort, and cleaning up. However, if you’re willing, you can still get a quality cup that rivals any expensive machine.

After all these years, the downside to this hobby is the endless accessories and gadgets. I don’t know how others feel, but as a coffee enthusiast, you become a “collector.” So much gear, and each item seems indispensable, which quickly leads to the need for a dedicated cabinet for coffee tools, parts, and whatnot. We may not always use everything, but the motto of any coffee “hunter” is to always be prepared.

Brewing at home allows for more setup and cleanup time, but going out is another story! Bringing coffee, scales, tamper, grinder, cloth, tools… Preparing coffee on the go requires weighing, grinding, heating water, brewing, and cleaning—just thinking about it is exhausting. But no matter how tiring, it has to be done. That’s why we bring our own coffee.

I have two or three bags specifically for carrying coffee gear when I go out. Depending on the type of coffee I want, I choose the appropriate bag. Otherwise, I just stuff everything into the green backpack mentioned at the beginning. There’s a lot to carry, but the essentials are beans, a scale, and a grinder. Yes, all things that are heavy and take up space.

I’m a fan of simplicity—only what's necessary, nothing extra. I love items that focus on convenience, simplicity, and ease of use, so I thought about how to brew coffee as quickly as possible. At home, I can do whatever I want, but for outings, like visiting family or going on a trip, coffee brewing should be as simple as making tea.

The speed of brewing actually depends heavily on the method. I recall the "mini machine," the Wacaco Nanopresso, which is compact but exhausting to use. The Flair Pro’s handle provides quality coffee, but it’s impractical to carry several kilos back and forth. The Moka Pot is convenient but needs a stove. Imagine asking an event organizer if there’s a gas stove 🤣. That’s why the bottle I mentioned earlier, the Pipamoka from Wacaco, has become my go-to.

The Pipamoka operates on a simple mechanism. The bottle is made of insulated stainless steel, with a removable plastic inner tube. You don’t pull it out completely but twist it up because the tube has threads, so the more you twist, the higher it rises. Inside the tube is a small container for coffee grounds; you fill it, pour hot water into the bottle, then place the container inside, letting it sink. Close the lid and twist steadily; water flows through the container from top to bottom, extracting a delicious cup of coffee. In terms of taste, Pipamoka resembles Pour Over by about 70-80%.

With this bottle, it takes only 3-5 minutes to have a cup of coffee. To avoid bringing beans, a scale, and a grinder, I pack pre-ground beans in small bags. E-commerce sites sell many small food-grade bags that can be heat-sealed. Buying a heat sealer allows you to pack your coffee grounds, preserving flavor for as long as you’re away from home.

That’s it. Before leaving home, grind the beans, pack them, and take them along with a Pipamoka bottle. If you’re extra careful, you can bring a portable kettle to eliminate the need for a stove. Water is available everywhere, and believe it or not, coffee tastes better with mineral water.

This is how I bring my coffee everywhere. With just a bottle, a bit of hot water, and pre-prepared grounds, I can enjoy coffee anytime, anywhere. And what about you? How do you bring your coffee everywhere?