HOW TO MAKE GREAT OUTDOOR COFFEE?
In recent years, there has been a growing trend in Japan and Hong Kong known as "outdoor coffee." This involves taking coffee brewing equipment along on camping or hiking trips to enjoy hand-brewed coffee in the great outdoors. To fully enjoy this experience, careful preparation in terms of timing, location, and tools is essential. Let's dive into the details with expert advice from Mr. Numata, an outdoor coffee enthusiast and the designer of Tetra Drip.
Shingo Numata (Founder of MUNIEQ) PROFILE
Living in Hokkaido, Shingo Numata is a passionate outdoor coffee aficionado and a designer of outdoor gear. He loves trail running, with his adventures taking him to mountain paths around the world. As a true coffee connoisseur, he even has a commercial-grade coffee roaster at home to roast his own beans. Whether he’s trail running or camping, his coffee equipment is always by his side, as he believes that brewing coffee amidst breathtaking scenery is one of life’s greatest joys.
In 2016, frustrated with the bulky size and lackluster performance of existing outdoor coffee drippers, Mr. Numata decided to take matters into his own hands. He designed a portable coffee dripper that combines "lightweight," "sturdy," and "delicious coffee" in one innovative package. He then quit his job as a bicycle engineer to start his own brand, MUNIEQ. Leveraging a major crowdfunding platform, he raised funds to mass-produce the Tetra Drip, a coffee dripper made from three foldable stainless steel plates. To date, over 22,000 units have been sold worldwide.
WHEN time
Designing outdoor gear is Mr. Numata’s daily task, but bringing his Tetra Drip to brew coffee in nature is his way of finding mental relaxation amidst his busy schedule.
“On sunny mornings, I wake up a bit earlier to go trail running and brew coffee while watching the sunrise. During lunch breaks, I’ll brew coffee while taking a short rest in a park near my studio. On days off, I enjoy brewing coffee while watching the sunset—it feels amazing.”
“Snowy days are also a wonderful time to enjoy outdoor coffee,” he adds.
WHERE Place
"Public parks, mountainous areas, and seaside locations can all be great places to enjoy a cup of coffee. When it comes to outdoor coffee spots in Hokkaido, Mr. Numata highly recommends the following three:
Spot 1: Lake Shikotsu - Bide Campground
Location ⬇️
https://goo.gl/maps/cLmuXaSBg252
"Located on the peaceful west shore of Lake Shikotsu, enjoying coffee while gazing at the sunset creates an unparalleled experience."
"In spring, you can see the fresh greenery along the lake shore, in summer, there's the azure sky, and in autumn, there are vibrant colors of the foliage. However, the campground is closed during winter."
SPOT 2: Asahiyama Memorial Park
Location и
https://goo.gl/maps/9qGBvVhkY5L2
"You can enjoy the view of Sapporo while indulging in a cup of coffee. On clear days, the distant mountains are visible. However, it's important to note that open fires are not allowed on-site."
"In spring, the park is filled with cherry blossoms; in summer, the contrast between the green mountains and the colors of the city is striking; autumn also showcases a blanket of red leaves. During the crisp winter air, you can gaze at the snow-covered mountains in the distance."
SPOT 3: Uryonuma Wetland
Location и
https://goo.gl/maps/xBh63efbceM2
" One of Hokkaido's hidden gems. In autumn, the foliage turns golden. Starting from the trailhead, it takes just one hour to reach. Enjoying coffee at Zero-Sha while admiring the 360° panoramic view is truly unique."
"In spring, there are remnants of snow and blooming skunk cabbages; in summer, you can appreciate various alpine plants; as autumn arrives, golden fields can be seen. However, it is not open to the public during winter."
Reference URL
https://hokkaido-labo.com/uryunuma-marsh-11157
BY WHAT Tools
"When it comes to making coffee while camping or hiking, many coffee enthusiasts worry about having to lug around a bunch of equipment and sweat, preferring instant coffee instead.
Mr. Numata believes that among the various methods of brewing coffee, hand-drip coffee is the easiest. It requires the simplest tools and is suitable for making coffee outdoors. Depending on the situation, you can choose to bring either a 'professional kit' or a 'lightweight kit.' The total weight of an ultra-lightweight kit can even be controlled to as little as 641g!"
1． Professional kit
Water boiling tools, stove, fuel
outdoor hot water kettle
Tetra Drip
coffee filter
coffee grinder
coffee beans
cup
thermometer
2. Lightweight/Ultralightweight kIT
Thermos flask (filled with boiling water)
Tetra Drip
filter paper
coffee grinder
"Coffee beans (If you want to be even lighter, you can grind them into coffee powder before departure, then you don't need to bring a coffee grinder)"
Tool list
| tool | Professional Kit | Lightweight Kit | Super lightweight | Weight(g) |
| Stove | 〇 | 100 | ||
| fuel | 〇 | 225 | ||
| hot water kettle | 〇 | 137 | ||
| thermos flask | 〇 | 〇 | 170 | |
| water | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | 350 |
| Tetra Drip | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | 25 |
| filter paper | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | 1 |
| coffee grinder | 〇 | 〇 | 244 | |
| bean | 〇 | 〇 | 15 | |
| Beans (ground into powder before departure) | 〇 | 15 | ||
| cup | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | 80 |
| thermometer | 〇 | 36 | ||
| Set weight (g) | 1213 | 885 | 641 |
***
coffee beans
Light Roast: You can enjoy acidity and sweetness.
Dark Roast: You can enjoy the richness and bitterness of the beans.
Fresh Roasting
Coffee beans should be used within 2 weeks after roasting to preserve their aroma adequately.
Grind Size
Coffee beans should be ground into powder just before brewing. Ground coffee loses its aroma quickly due to increased surface area. If grinding coffee beans at home, store the ground coffee in a sealed container to prevent air exposure.
Fine Grind ⇔ Coarse Grind
With a fine grind, coffee extraction occurs quickly.
With a coarse grind, coffee extraction occurs slowly.
HOW step
STEP 1 Boil Water
Remove from heat when you hear the kettle start to make noise just before boiling, the water temperature should be around 85-90 degrees.
POINT: -
When the weather is cold, the water temperature drops faster, so the hot water for brewing coffee outdoors should be slightly higher than the temperature set by the above method.
STEP 2 Place Tetra Drip (or filter) on the cup Insert the filter paper
If unbleached filter paper is used, there is no need to pre-wet it with hot water.
STEP 3 Pour in the ground coffee
POINT: -
One common reason for failed hand-drip coffee is using too much coffee powder, causing the fresh coffee powder to overflow during blooming. Therefore, be careful to control the amount of beans.
If using a regular filter or dripper, the amount of beans should be about 4/5 from the bottom tip of the filter paper to the top of the cup or dripper.
If using Tetra Drip, the upper limit of beans is 18g (for a 1.5-cup dripper), and for a 3.5-cup dripper, it's 40g.
STEP 3 Pour hot water to brew the coffee
Place the kettle lower on the dripper to pour water.
If water is poured from too high, the surface of the coffee powder may splash. Especially when brewing coffee outdoors, if the wind blows, hot water may spill everywhere.
Pour hot water into the center of the coffee first, and then rotate outward clockwise.
Start with 25g, let it sit for 30 seconds to allow sufficient time for the coffee to brew. Then pour water in several times.
If using Tetra Drip, there's a trick you must know, which is to make an "inner circle" inside the triangle as shown below ⬇️
The triangular dripper Tetra Drip, consisting of three stainless steel metal pieces, weighs 25g for the 1.5-cup version. However, its performance in brewing hand-drip coffee is comparable to that of traditional drippers. Coupled with its stability when placed on a cup, it is suitable for making hand-drip coffee during hiking, camping, and travel.
**
Extra Episode: The Transformation of the Narrow-Spout Kettle
In outdoor coffee, if the same kettle can perform boiling water and pour-over, that makes lightweight packing possible.
Aluminum kettles for outdoor use are popular among camping enthusiasts. The super-light aluminum material, coupled with the slim body of the kettle, is great for brewing coffee outdoors. However, the spout is still relatively large, which may not achieve the perfect effect for hand-drip brewing for coffee novices. As a designer of outdoor coffee equipment, Mr. Numata has his unique "narrow-spout kettle modification method"! With just a small pair of scissors, you can trim the spout!
STEP 1
Using scissors, round off the tip of the narrowed spout to create a curve.
STEP 2
Use a hairpin to narrow the tip of the lower part of the mouth until it is completely bent.
*Depending on the material of the kettle, there may be deviations in the effect. Please judge for yourself whether it is suitable for processing to avoid the spout of the kettle from bursting.
After processing, the spout becomes narrower, allowing hot water to fall in a straight line onto the coffee dripper.
***
An outdoor product designer, who is passionate at the outdoors and coffee, designs and customizes his own coffee tools, and then enjoys self-brewed coffee in the wild—this kind of outdoor coffee lifestyle is truly cool, isn't it?