Be a mobile barista

You're craving freshly brewed coffee, but find yourself away from home, no coffeemaker at hand. And no Starbucks or other such java haunt in the vicinity, either. Ever run into this problem?

For me, this scenario frequently arises when I'm backpacking. No electricity. I also choose to leave my clunky bodum at home (it's fragile and drearily heavy).

The solution? You bet I've found a way to get my morning coffee, and it's easier and cheaper than you might think.

Of course, instant coffee has enjoyed a long history, and in recent years more and more one-helping coffee products have appeared.

However, few are tasty. And the ones that are tasty lean toward expensive and heavily packaged (translation: environmentally unfriendly). I've found a far better way.

My solution lies in pantyhose. Yup, I brew my own coffee with a pair of nylons. (How positively MacGyver.)

What you need:

• 1 pair of unused pantyhose
• ground coffee (my current fave is Jumping Bean brand)

What to do

1. starting at the toe-end, snip approximately 5" of pantyhose
2. pour coffee grounds into open end; shake to nestle grounds into the toe
3. tie knot in pantyhose to form "coffee sack"
4. place "coffee sack" into mug
5. pour near-boiling water into mug
6. steep to desired strength
7. remove sack
8. add milk, etc. to taste

In short, this method requires zero specialized equipment. It's low-tech, lightweight, cheap and re-usable.

Best of all, my coffee turns out buttery smooth. Every bit as good (and oftentimes better) than those commercial one-portion packets.

Tips: 

• Best to grind beans as close to use as possible. 
• If you decide to make yourself a second cup, resist adding new grounds to old. Toss the old grounds — Mother Earth'll love 'em — before adding new.

Next up: How to grind your coffee beans between two beach stones. (Ha, only joking!)