My Favorite Travel Set Up + Coffee Bean Recommendations

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The way you do anything is the way you do everything - Martha Beck

If you know me, you know how important my morning ritual is to my creativity, functioning and basic sanity. I spent years throwing myself out of bed and into a cold swimming pool or a 80 mile bike ride for triathlon training, more years dragging my exhausted self awake and immediately into a 12-15 hour work day at my business, and then more years rushing to a corporate office in traffic to go sit in meetings I didn’t want to attend. Now? My mornings are my luxury.

How you start the day sets the tone for everything else that occurs. If you rush through this foundational time, it feels like you’re immediately not worth the effort. If you can’t move at your own pace, who else will today? If you can’t carve out a little time for your care, why would they? I wake up with enough time to set my day up right - yes, that means I go to bed earlier if need be, that’s how important it is to me!

Now, I’m fueling my addiction - but my addiction is less to coffee and more to my ritual. I protect this time fiercely which means I need a way especially when traveling to honor this. I have gone through a variety of options including more trendy methods, and have settled on this. If I’m traveling somewhere that has electric kettles, I skip mine! But we often stay with friends and family and I’m an early riser who likes to rise in peace. And quiet! The portable kettle allows me to make my coffee in the sanctuary of my own room if needed and start my day exactly how I like it - a cup of coffee and writing.

Set Up

Note some items have a coupon!

• Portable Kettle: check price here

  4 Smart Temperature Preset - The portable electric kettle preset temperatures are 212-195-175-140°F, suitable for a range of tea and coffee temps! It is only 8.8 inches and net weight 0.98 pounds. Note: This has a US only plug, so keep that in mind during international travel!

• GSI Foldable Pour Over Cup: check price here

  The Collapsible JavaDrip's clever, expanding silicone cone brews fresh, delicious coffee and yet collapses to just 1-inch high to travel anywhere. Set the filter on top of your favorite container, add any brand of filter, grounds and water. The cover doubles as a trivet for the cone when you're done brewing and keeps everything clean during transport. Note: I have used other brands with terrible results, especially ones that don’t require paper filters. This one has never failed me!

• Natural Pour Over Coffee Filter: check price here

  I know it calls for a #4 filter, but I use a #2 - it’s smaller for packing and it works just fine!

Coffee

I’m a snob - I will admit it. I’m not to the level of slurping and detecting notes of shoe-leather and loamy soil, but I like what I like and I care who I buy from. That means I am on Team Starbucks Sucks! I find their beans to taste burned and light yielding a watery brew that is a suitable base for dumping in a week’s worth of sugar products and cream. In a pinch, I’ll grab one, but I have to be pinched hard.

I prefer darker roasts with a chocolate or nutty flavor and I’m not against adding a little spice like cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg. I loved the Dibek, Turkish and Syrian coffees we had in Mardin, Türkiye (more of that to come in the Travel section)! I also want to make sure my beans are fair-trade and honor both the farmers and the ecosystem.

1. In the picture shown I’m using Deathwish ground beans I picked up at a local grocery store. It’s a great coffee known for producing what it markets as the "world's strongest coffee." The idea behind Death Wish Coffee was to create a coffee blend that was both strong and flavorful, something that would cater to people looking for an extra kick in their morning routine. It’s great for a grocery store find - I’m going to make another cup right now!

2. My go-to Amazon pick is usually Kicking Horse Coffee, Grizzly Claw, Dark Roast it’s organic, fair-trade, kosher, sustainably grown, and it tastes fantastic. It’s rich, bold and has a ton of depth without being overwhelming or punching you in the face. Like me :) Of all their beans, Grizzly Claw is my favorite, but if you prefer a less dark bean, there’s other great options.

3. My absolute favorite bean and one of my top 5 coffee shops in the world is a direct result of living in Seattle, WA for some time. Seattle is the coffee capital of the United States and while yes, it is the birthplace of Starbucks, it’s more importantly the home to many vibrant shops and roasteries that pride themselves on quality, sustainability and giving back to their communities. Skip the line at the ‘first Starbucks’ in Pike Place and take yourself directly to the sweet haven that is Storyville Coffee Co. I am a huge fan of their Prologue Blend and had a bean subscription for many years!

Let me know what you like and if you’ve got any good travel recommendations - coffee shops or coffee setups, I’d love to hear about them! Now I might need to do a post on favorite coffee shops around the world!