Tips On Adventuring With An Espresso Machine
Reelness Vol.1 — Adventuring with any kind of household appliance seems daunting for a number of reasons. Power, convenience, space etc, the list goes on. Earlier this year I worked on a project for La Marzocco Home, the creative concept was this exact thing. To take a household espresso machine on 4 adventures and I’m here to tell you it’s not as daunting as it first might seem.
Justin Emerson— the head of technical for La Marzocco shared some tips on getting started and what to look out for, Regardless of the machine, the fundamentals are basically the same and I wanted to share these with you in some basic tips.
The goods are secure!
Tip 01. Power — Where you go will dictate which solution best suits you. You have three options. The simplest, albeit, the noisiest is the petrol generator. It’s simple and best suited for adventures without neighbours unless you’re willing to trade coffee, and if they don’t like coffee then you are even more doomed. Next would be a powered campsite. Great if that’s your end destination but flexibility for a mid-trip roadside brew isn’t going to happen. Lastly and more than likely the most expensive but versatile solution to power would be batteries and an inverter (commonly found in high-end camper setups.)
The La Marzocco Micra will operate at around 8amps both brewing a shot and steaming milk at the same time. It also has the ability to switch off the steam tank to reduce power consumption if only brewing espresso is your thing and limited for power.
We opted for the noisy generator option for flexible of remoteness.
Tip 02. Fresh Coffee — Don’t be tempted to pack ground coffee. The changes in temperature and outdoor conditions mean grinding fresh is so important. If a hand grinder is your only option, it’s still better than ground coffee from your local.
Tip 03. Water — We often forget that espresso is made up of almost 93% water. Not only does the right water help keep your machine in the best condition but surprisingly enough it makes your coffee taste great too. Avoid the roadside taps and pack fresh before setting off. You don’t need a lot to run an espresso machine.
Tip 04. Be Prepared — Making coffee can be a messy art even when your trying your hardest not to be. The back of a truck can soon start to resemble the makings of a real cafe. Any preparation is rewarded with less mess. Extra clothes, containers for coffee grounds, used milk jugs and plenty of cloths help with keeping it clean and tidy along the way.
Tip 05. Look after it — When packing your machine pay attention to where you load it in. Low down and easily accessible is a good place to start, and not next to something hard or with sharp edges. We chose to treat ours like a passenger and buckle it in. Make sure to empty the drip tray and the water tank to avoid water spills while in transit.
Bonus Tip — Making coffee outdoors is fun and if you are camping in a group it’s likely you will become the centre of attention, which is a great way to meet new adventure friends, not to mention an even better bartering/trade tool. Make them grind your coffee for you if hand grinding is your option.
Lastly, just experiment. What’s the worst that can happen?
