When I travel, I allow myself to give into the moment, go with the pace of life of the location I’m in, and embrace the culture I’m experiencing. As a result, I’ll readily compromise some personal comforts for the sake of having an authentic experience. But that compromise always stops when it comes to coffee.
That said, as much as I need that sweet sweet bean juice first thing in the morning no matter where I am in the world, I won’t settle for just anything. Even when my only option is instant, I’ll suffer through the under-caffeinated lull, lurching through a new city like a Java-deprived zombie in desperate search of a flat white. Good coffee is priority number one and once I’ve had my cup, the day can continue.
When I visited London for a solid three weeks, jumping from one Airbnb to the next, procuring coffee became an issue. Because I was spending an extended amount of time in the city, I needed to be smart with money, and couldn’t continually make trips to the cafe even though my Airbnb didn’t have a coffee maker. My now-husband and I then decided to venture to Tesco’s and get a French press, but coffee pickings were slim.
PSA to the English: I understand that tea is your beverage of choice, but settling for mostly instant coffee at your supermarkets is a travesty and you deserve better.
The Traveler's Solution to Good Coffee
Long story short, a good portion of my budget went to a decent cup of daily coffee and I desperately wish I could give my past self the VSSL Java handheld coffee grinder to rectify the situation.
Small, relatively slim, and made from aircraft-grade aluminum, the VSSL Java coffee grinder is built to withstand repeated use during backpacking or camping, but it can easily be thrown into a suitcase for other trips. It grinds enough fresh beans for one cup of coffee, so you can have your daily cup of Joe hassle-free with all the aroma and flavor you enjoy at home. While it won’t brew the coffee (an AeroPress is a good, space-saving method for making coffee when on a trip), it has 30 grind settings to accommodate whatever brew method you choose.
How it Works
Using it is also incredibly simple. Press the orange button on the top of the grinder, and the lid will pop off, allowing you to pour the beans into the grinder. Press the lid back on, then flip the lever over and attach the handle to make grinding easier. Unscrew the bottom attachment to set the grinder to your preferred setting, then screw it back on. From there, all you have to do is turn the lever until you don’t feel any beans being pushed through the grinder. The freshly ground beans will fall into the bottom attachment.
After grinding the beans finely, I brewed my coffee in the same French press that I got in London. I let it steep for about ten minutes before pressing the lever down and added milk, no sugar. Immediately I could taste how much smoother the coffee was then when I bought the beans already ground. The beans I used also tasted less bitter than they had in the past. Overall, the grinder helped make an extremely satisfying cup of coffee.
Take it Anywhere
VSSL offers additional instructions on different ways to grind your beans based on specific backcountry brewing methods you might be using, like AeroPress, pour over, or “cowboy coffee.” Even though the grinder is single-serve, you aren’t limited to just those brewing methods. Wherever you find yourself when traveling, whether that be camping in the woods or in an Airbnb with an old Mr. Coffee, this grinder will work to elevate your coffee experience.
Main photo by explorich/Shutterstock.
