“Daddy, no! Don’t put your sock in your coffee!” my three year old daughter wailed when she caught sight of what I was doing. But it was too late, the hot water was being poured into the black tube sock and fresh coffee was pouring out from its toe. “It’s OK honey,” I tried to [...]
“Daddy, no! Don’t put your sock in your coffee!” my three year old daughter wailed when she caught sight of what I was doing. But it was too late, the hot water was being poured into the black tube sock and fresh coffee was pouring out from its toe.
“It’s OK honey,” I tried to assuage her concern, “this sock is now a coffee filter.”
After posting a tip on how to make your own coffee cheap on the road, some readers pointed out to me that they really don’t want to cart around the extra gear when they can just buy pre-brewed coffee from the store like a normal traveler. To these people I say:
It can be easier.
No, you don’t need to carry around your own hand crank grinder, an immersion heater, a secure closing storage canister, and a French press just to have coffee when traveling.
No, you can make yourself fresh cups of ground coffee with nothing more than a cup and an old sock.
Yes, that’s right, an old sock. The weave of a typical cotton sock makes it an ideal filter for coffee — though you may want to wash it first. Then, all you need to do is cut the top off the sock just below the heal, and you’re ready to go.
Just fill the sock up with a few scoops of ground coffee, hover it over your mug, then slowly pour hot water through it. The water will gather in the toe of the sock, mix with the coffee, and then filter down into your mug.
The more coffee you put in the sock and the slower you pour the water the stronger your cup of Java will be, the less coffee you use and the faster you pour the weaker the output.
Cleaning the filter is easy: just empty the spent coffee into the trash and toss the sock in with the wash.
This method of making coffee is truly simple, and can be done when traveling or at home. I truly don’t understand why the coffee maker was invented, as it seems as if having this big electric appliance to do the job of a sock is truly frivolous. Keep it simple and cheap, make coffee with a sock.
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About the Author: VBJ
I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. VBJ has written 3723 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.
VBJ is currently in: New York City
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September 18, 2012, 7:26 am
i love articles with multi functions…..socks are great….. worn as socks, used as a coffee filter and u can put the on ur hands in the absence of gloves…
thats why i take a sarong…. used as a sarong, towel, beach towel, make shift curtain on bunk beds..,(lower bed only) and bed sheet…trevor
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September 22, 2012, 2:12 am
Great tip Wade.
I was looking for the magic word “clean” or “washed” and yes I found it.
I wonder if there’s sufficient ideas area for an article about “20 innovative ways to use a sock when travelling”.
Allan McDonald
@ EQUIPnTRIP -
January 20, 2014, 3:00 pm
Why not just make instant?
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January 20, 2014, 3:03 pm
Why not just make instant coffee. No need for sock then. Please do not show my email address. Thanks, love your site. You seem really hard core. question, How do you get a visa for China? Is it hard? Hey thanks for everything.
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February 27, 2022, 6:02 pm
I bought a pair of socks at Dollar Tree to use as a coffee filter while camping. It saved weight and I can use it anywhere…even at home.
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