The coffee connoisseurs out there are going to frown at this, but I prefer instant coffee.
Sorry, but not sorry.
It seems like every tiny house, van, camper, and trailer owner out there makes a special space in their tiny place for coffee. It can be a coffee station, coffee paraphernalia storage area, coffee grinding gear, or coffee-making counter. The fragrant bean makes an appearance in all of them.
I have always loved coffee. I love the smell, the taste, and the feel of the beans in my hands. The roasting process is an art and so is the making of it. There seem to be dozens of ways to make coffee. From the French press to the Neapolitan flip pot.
The coffee process is fun, but does require a lot of gear.
In addition, homemade coffee has become a lot more sophisticated. Machines that cost thousands of dollars take center stage in the tiniest kitchen. There are also dozens of different types of filters, pour-overs, K-cups, Moka pots, and Melitta pots.
That’s the issue. There are so many THINGS that go along with making coffee. And there’s not always room for them all. A tiny house already has limited space that I would prefer be taken up with food or ways to make food.
I never really considered switching to instant coffee. I never found a brand that I liked until I took a trip to Tanzania. In our safari lodges, the staff served us Africafe Coffee.
Africafe has become my simple coffee of choice.
Tanzania grows some of the best Robust and Arabica coffee beans in the world at the foot of the 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro. These beans are then ground fine into a tasty instant coffee. The coffee is served throughout the country in hotels, bars, and cafés.
On my trip, I liked the coffee right away. It’s not fancy, but it’s mellow and not overly pretentious. It goes well with different milks and is also great iced. I also don’t have to clean out coffee makers, pots, filters, or compost any grounds.
Some people may sneer at a cup of instant coffee, but my mornings are a lot simpler and relaxed with a cup of it.
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]