I am a sucker for outdoor brand/coffee company collaborations. One of my recent favorites was from local SF companies Timbuk2 and Blue Bottle with their travel coffee kit. Now further up the coast, Portland company Looptworks takes the portable caffeine-fix one step further. The Upcycle Coffee Travel Kit has everything you need to make a tasty brew on the go, packed inside a gorgeous upcycled leather pouch.
Fed up with mediocre coffee while traveling, Looptworks teamed up with local Portland roaster and fellow B Corp Nossa Familia Coffee to assemble an easy-to-carry travel kit packed with the essentials for brewing a perfect cup.
Each kit includes the following:
- Aeropress Coffee and Espresso Maker
- Hario Mini Hand Grinder
- Klean Kanteen Insulated Tumbler Mug
- Bamboo Spoon
- Nossa Familia Full Cycle Coffee
- Upcycled table cloth made from retired tent flies
- Upcycled leather travel bag with removable handlebar straps
To get started, you need something to grind the beans (yes, you must have fresh ground beans) — this is where the Hario Mini Mill Grinder comes in. Instead of pour-over coffee like in the Timbuk2/Blue Bottle version, Looptworks employs an AeroPress coffee maker, together with a bamboo spoon and an insulated mug from Klean Kanteen. An upcycled tablecloth from retired tent flies can serve as your picnic blanket and a beautiful leather carrying case holds it all in. The case has a handle for easy transport and can strapped to your bicycle handlebars with removeable straps.
A coffee travel kit obviously needs to include coffee (hot water not included!) and Full Cycle Coffee from Nossa Familia is a perfect fit, as they both have a soft spot for the environment (and coffee and bikes).
Big proponents of bike advocacy and safety, Looptworks is donating 1% of the proceeds from the Upcycle Coffee Travel Kit to Portland bike advocacy groups the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and the Community Cycling Center.
The Looptworks Upcycle Coffee Travel Kit retails for $185 and is available now.