This is the kit I pull out of the cupboard each morning to make coffee. Obviously I don’t brew manually because it’s convenient. There’s lots of bits and pieces and nothing is automated. Some folks would look at all this gear and write it off as being too complicated.
I love all the various bits and pieces. I continue to expand my collection of manual coffee brewing equipment. I’ll admit, that I have a job which makes accumulating gear very easy and inexpensive. For someone who doesn’t have a job like mine, for under a hundred bucks, you can get a manual coffee kit including: Aeropress coffee maker, Porlex coffee grinder and a bag of fresh beans. The kit in my photo above probably costs closer to $450. That might sound like a lot, but if you compared the cost of decent electric espresso makers and grinders, plus accessories, $450 is a bargain. The obvious advantage to manual gear is that you can take it anywhere, so there’s no compromise when you’re making coffee while camping.