A Silvia is around 30#, and doesn't take up a huge amount of room, so it's very portable. Put a grinder in a grocery bag along with a frothing pitcher or two a tamper and some fresh beans and then load it all into your car when you go on a driving trip. It's easy and then you can make great espresso drinks during your trip. Just like John above, I've learned and developed a taste for drinks that are far superior to just about anything short of a specialty cafe, so it's almost a necessity. however, I couldn't see keeping my Silvia to be used one or two weeks a year, especially when my brother-in-law wanted it, so I gave it to him when I upgraded. My new travel setup is a Lido or Skerton grinder, an Aeropress or Bodum french press (depending on needed volume), and a N'espresso Aerocino frother. Not espresso, granted, but them are the breaks...at least it's really good coffee.
your post reminded me of a question i had a bit ago and forgot to ask. I read a lot about people buying a seperate machine for "travel". are you telling me you pack up and bring an espresso machine on trips? if so, are we talking bringing a machine along for a quick 2 day trip? 1 week trip to the beach, etc??
that seems excessive, whcih sounds about right for the forum, lol.
i read about someone buying a used silvia for travel. please help me understand, i hope i am missing something?
Although my usual travel set up is a LIDO and Espro press, I have my whole home set-up with me for this week long trip. Packed Up the Spaz, Vario and all the gear; took up a bunch of space, but boy oh boy do I enjoy having it with me :)
i like you guys, but you're crazy. I would love you see my wife's face when i told her i needed an extra box so i could pack up the silvia for the trip. lol.
I like great coffee/espresso, but that is a little nuts to bring along with you. For me, my travel setup is a small hand grinder, a small bag of beans, a small container to microwave water in, and a plastic pourover. For a trip away from home, i can live off good coffee for a few days.
i like you guys, but you're crazy. I would love you see my wife's face when i told her i needed an extra box so i could pack up the silvia for the trip. lol.
I like great coffee/espresso, but that is a little nuts to bring along with you. For me, my travel setup is a small hand grinder, a small bag of beans, a small container to microwave water in, and a plastic pourover. For a trip away from home, i can live off good coffee for a few days.
That look on your wife's face is probably very similar to the look on my husband's. However, that being said - he was with me during our infamous (to my mind) two week vacation to see his brother's family in TX. They don't drink coffee. I was unaware of this before we took the trip. I am from the pacific NW, where there is at least a crappy-mediocre coffee hut on every corner, with the occasional place that actually knows what they're doing and produces good coffee scattered amongst them. There was nothing where we were at in TX except for a single Char$$. By day three, I was desperately searching stores for a french press to be able to make coffee at the in-laws house. We had to go to five different places to find one. I had originally just wanted a plastic pour over, but those were not to be found. With no grinder, I was reduced to store bought, pre-ground coffee. This was my first major experience with coffee after having spent 2-3 years with my own espresso set up at home, and I'd honestly had no idea how much my personal taste had changed until I tried to drink that disgusting swill produced by the pre-ground coffee in that french press.
It was a perfectly miserable two weeks. I mean, the rest of the trip was fine, except for the 107 degree heat and trying to sleep at night in a room that never dropped below 90. No good sleep + no good coffee = a miserable me, and a miserable wife = a miserable husband. He doesn't really give me any guff about what I want to take traveling anymore. I started researching decent travel set ups before we even got home, starting with a hand grinder. I have never been caught so completely without my precious morning beverage since. When I went to Vegas a couple of years ago with some girlfriends, we had a hot plate, mocha pot, stove top milk frother, hand grinder, and a pound of freshly roasted beans in our hotel room. They have their own travel pack that they go in whenever I travel. It may not be "espresso" technically, but it tastes a good sight better than 90% of what I have found when out on the road. And not once did we have to pay $7 for a latte from the nearest barista counter. (Seriously, the prices in Vegas are outrageous.)
If I could drop my whole counter espresso set up into a portable hole, bag of holding, or other extra-dimensional space (D&D geek, sorry) and easily take it with me wherever I go, I totally would.
I believe it. Five stores to find a french press - five. And one of those was Wal-mart. We finally found one at Bed, Bath & Beyond, if memory serves.
My b-in-law seems to think that my bad coffee experience has turned me off coming to visit. He recently swore they'd buy a Mr. Coffee for me to keep at the house if we come back and visit again. Of course, he has no understanding at all of how much that fails to tempt me. :)
you guys can't really be swearing off the entire state? Really? hey, I'm not from here either, but I've been living here for about 12 years - mostly in Houston. There's some very good coffee here (no, not just at some of the CG members' homes). There coffee deserts here (in Texas) too. Where does the family live?
Well, to be fair, Wichita Falls, which is about ten minutes south of the Oklahoma border. Since it's my only experience in that vast state, no I am not swearing off the entire state, but it was definitely culture shock for this native of coffee country. :)
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