Setting Up an RV Coffee Bar

There are some in the full-time RVing world who would tell you that, once you decide to hit the road and take up living in an home-on-wheels, there are certain creature comforts you'll have to learn to be okay with giving up. “There's just not enough space to bring everything you want,” they'll say.
However, those people couldn't be more mistaken.
Take coffee brewing, for example. Maybe you used to have a big fancy coffee machine in your sticks-and-bricks home, way back before you officially launched. You decided it wasn't going to fit well on your RV countertop, and even if it did, you wouldn't want to have to move the thing up and down from the counter every moving day.
The thing is, now you're worried you'll have to settle for subpar coffee for however long you're on the road, or wondering how much of your budget is about to be blown on overpriced coffee shops wherever you go.
That's all right, friend! You never needed some complicated contraption to make good coffee anyway, and your bank account needn't worry either. There are all sorts of alternative coffee brewing methods that are not only RV- and travel-friendly in general, but when used correctly can also produce a better cup o' joe than you're used to, and will save you money in the long run.
In this guide we're going to share some of these portable coffee-making tools, from brewers to equipment to storage containers. Let's get to it.
Getting Started
To kick things off, we're gonna let you in on a little secret: There are just two main things that will affect the quality of your coffee above all else:

1. Using fresh coffee beans.

2. Having a good coffee grinder.

If you can get those two things right, you're already 80% of the way there. You simply can't beat the aroma and flavor of recently roasted beans that have been ground just before brewing. That tin can of pre-ground stuff that's been sitting on the grocery store shelf for...well, who even knows how long, simply doesn't cut it.
Let's tackle both points above in turn.
Step #1: The Freshest Coffee Possible
There are two ways to ensure you have the freshest whole beans possible: 1) buy directly from local coffee roasters as you travel, which is the most realistic (and fun!) for RVers, or 2) sign up for a subscription delivery service such as Crema.co or Blue Bottle, the logistics of which can be difficult at best when you're moving from campground to campground.
You may also have decent luck with the coffee bean dispensers often found at “natural” grocery stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, etc.
Whichever way you go, you'll want to keep those beans fresh as long as possible with a vacuum storage canister like the Airscape, the Ankomn Turn-N-Seal, or the Fellow Atmos.
Step #2: The Best Type of Grinder
When it comes to grinding coffee, the only thing you should be looking for is a conical burr grinder, particularly one with ceramic burrs. This will produce a MUCH more consistent grind—usually at any level of fineness or coarseness you like—versus a blade grinder, which roughly chops the beans into uneven-sized pieces and thus leads to uneven coffee extraction.
If you've got the space for an electric one in your rig, you can't go wrong with the OXO Brew grinder. It's made by one of the top kitchen equipment companies around, and at $80–$100 (depending on if you manage to buy it while on sale), it's one of the most affordable entry-level grinders in its category. Other competitors in this space are the Bodum Bistro and the oft-recommended Baratza Encore.
For those who require the smallest, most portable tool possible, you'll want to go with a manual hand-crank grinder (often referred to as a “coffee mill”) like the Porlex JP-30 or Hario Skerton. They'll give you a bit of an arm workout each morning, but it's worth the effort—and, they are easily stowed in a cabinet or drawer when you're done.
Brewing Implements
Now we get to the fun part: Deciding how the coffee's going to get brewed. Again, you don't need some big contraption taking up counter space. Allow us to introduce you to a little concept called pour-over coffee, which often involves brewing a single serving directly over your mug.
Coffee Drippers and Portable Makers
The most common way to do this is with a cone dripper like the Hario V60 or Kalita Wave. You simply put in an appropriate-sized filter, run a little hot water through it to rinse out any paper taste (which doubles as a way to preheat your mug—just a little protip there), add your freshly ground coffee, then use a kettle (more on that in a bit) to pour hot water over the grounds in a circular motion, making sure to saturate them all as the coffee drips into your mug.
Alternatively, you can employ something like the AeroPress, which does look a little weird at first but makes it very easy to produce a fine cup of joe—and a strong one, at that.
Now, there are dozens of ways to brew with the AeroPress, to the point that there are world championship “recipes” you can try for yourself. YouTube is full of videos you can watch on the subject. Just know that they typically involve filling the AeroPress with fresh grounds (after putting one of the little circle filters into the cap), pouring some hot water in, stirring, letting the mixture sit for some amount of time (usually about a minute or two) and pressing down on the plunger directly into a mug.
When you're done, the cap and be removed to eject the coffee grounds “puck” straight into a bin before simply rinsing the rubber plunger tip. Easy peasy.
Kettles
Any coffee aficionado will tell you that a gooseneck kettle—the kind with a long curvy spout—is the only way to do pour-over right. It offers far more pouring control than any alternatives, and it's just plain fun to use.
Two of our favorite gooseneck kettles are the Bonavita Interurban and Fellow's Stagg EKG. Both of them allow you to set a specific water temperature and hold it there for a while, so you can dial in the exact kind of extraction you want, every time you brew. Consistency is key with great coffee brewing, so don't skimp on the kettle here.
There you have it. Purchasing a few of these small, yet effective coffee items will give you the perfect coffee bar in your RV and the perfect cup of joe anytime you need it and anywhere you happen to be. Start shopping today and you’ll be well caffeinated on your travels from here on out.