Coffee first thing in the morning

[Ian Stewart]

1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?

 

[C clearly]

Hi! I would say that if coffee is really really important first thing in the morning, you should come prepared to make your own upon occasion.

 

[LTfit]

I suggest that you bring your own coffee if you can't wait till the first town with an open bar (on the Plata there usually was one open by 7). From my experience there were kitchens in many of the albergues I stayed in.

 

[wisepilgrim]

Early early a.m. coffee can be a challenge and you might have to suffer a few Nescafe instants along the way, not the finest of options but lightweight and likely to get you through the first hour until a suitable replacement can be had.

 

[Ian Stewart]

Thank for your replies.
I was "given" a trekking plunger / coffee cup after spending a few $$ buying the sleeping bag etc for the trip.
My first thought was "great but I dont want to carry that"
Now changed my mind : need that coffee

 

[notion900]

Make sure you have a good headlamp. 5.30 am is pitch dark.

 

[LTfit]

On the Levante I took a coil to boil water as there were rarely kitchens and bars didn't open till 10.00 or 11.00. The Plata is luckily not in that category.

 

[WGroleau]

will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?

An albergue that has breakfast will have coffee and hot water, but not at six in the morning. An albergue with a kitchen will have hot water and may have coffee, and probably won't limit the hours of access. Most villages will have a place that serves coffee, but at six AM, you'd be lucky to find a gas station/convenience store open on the highway. So, some days, you either need to carry something to heat water, or get it the day before and drink it cold. Or carry a thermos and fill it for three euro when the opportunity arises.

 

[hel&scott]

Unlike the French route the bars are more spread out and tend not to open till after 9am which can be annoying if you are hanging out for a caffeine fix...

 

[kelleymac]

Excedrin Extra Strength Pain Reliever (over the counter pain medication in the US) has caffeine in it. You can take a pill in the morning and it should get you through to 9am for a coffee break.

 

[jsalt]

I sometimes take an electric coil and instant coffee. For milk & sugar I buy a tin of condensed milk and decant it into a plastic bottle, which then lasts for about a week.
Jill

 

[Shston Girlfd]

1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?

Coffee is essential to me - I bought instant and a small cup. Some mornings it was instant coffee and tepid water, but enough to get me going. I did bring chocolate covered espresso beans that lasted me a few days. I generally began each morning by 5:30. In most hamlets first coffee wasn't available until at least 7:00. Occasionally found a vending machine and the larger towns/cities will sometimes have a bar that opens at 6:00am. Remember - this is a religious pilgrimage and sacrifices are expected and rewarded with fabulous coffee con leche by 9:00am. Buen Camino my friend in caffeine!

 

[Bradypus]

I sometimes take an electric coil and instant coffee.

It is probably because I have a background in anatomy and physiology but the first time I read someone mentioning "electric coil" on the forum the first thought that came to my mind was contraception. Took me a few moments to realise that the phrase meant something completely different in this context

 

[jsalt]

 

[CaminoJoy123]

Make sure you have a good headlamp. 5.30 am is pitch dark.

Where I live, 6am was sill showing some light in early August, though sunrise is not until almost 7am.

I think all of June the sun rises before 6:30am, which offers some visibility at 5:30am, or just after. I am often awake and walking then!

Can you give more information on how light the mornings are in August and September in Spain?

Are the Pyrenees, Santiego and Finisterre all in the same time zone?

 

[Bradypus]

All of the Camino Frances is in the same time zone.
To take Burgos as an example: sunrise today is officially 07:24. In a month's time it will be 07:56. Of course there will be enough ambient light to walk by for some time before that. Quite how early will depend on cloud cover.

 

[Lmsundaze]

Excedrin Extra Strength Pain Reliever (over the counter pain medication in the US) has caffeine in it. You can take a pill in the morning and it should get you through to 9am for a coffee break.

You don't need the pain reliever if you want to go this route, you can buy caffeine pills and get your caffeine without the pain relievers which can have side effects.

 

[CaminoJoy123]

All of the Camino Frances is in the same time zone.
To take Burgos as an example: sunrise today is officially 07:24. In a month's time it will be 07:56. Of course there will be enough ambient light to walk by for some time before that. Quite how early will depend on cloud cover.

Thanks, this is great info. Hadn't realized this.

Just checked Finisterre, and today's sunrise is 7:45. So in a month, it will be about 30 minutes later.

This is going to be weird to get used to.

 

[Turga]

It is probably because I have a background in anatomy and physiology but the first time I read someone mentioning "electric coil" on the forum the first thought that came to my mind was contraception. Took me a few moments to realise that the phrase meant something completely different in this context

I can understand "coil" in that context. But "electric"! -Brave new world!

 

[Harington]

1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?

I started in September from Seville. In Andalucia cafés open very early for workmen, who work early because of the heat. I often found them open around 5.30/6am. Maybe not in the touristy part of Seville, though.

 

[Trude]

1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?

Definately bring your own coffee and powdered milk. Not a lot open on the VDLP before 10am and many places you stay are hostels not Albergues.

 

[sulu]

A lot depends on your taste in coffee, i.e milky/ sugary! you can buy packets of nescafe, also packets of capucino, if you buy the latter you have to like sugar in your coffee, if you buy the first you have the option of buying a tube of evaporated milk, which leaves you with a sweet coffee or carrying dried milk. At 5.30 or 6 it will be very dark, and dark for a while, and bars may be open by 6.30 or 7 but not so early. Weekends will be another thing entirely.
I also love to have a coffee first thing but often, on a camino, I have to content myself with buying a chocolate drink from a bar, the night before, and surviving until I reach the first open bar.

 

[Shston Girlfd]

View attachment 35696

I wished I had taken one, shopped for one but was unable to locate while on CF.

 

[mspath]

Chinese shops often have them.
However as you pass through France try the electrical goods stores Darty for a thermoplongeur.

For many more posts re the joys of such a gadget see
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/

Happy boiling and Buen camino!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

All of the Camino Frances is in the same time zone.
To take Burgos as an example: sunrise today is officially 07:24. In a month's time it will be 07:56. Of course there will be enough ambient light to walk by for some time before that. Quite how early will depend on cloud cover.

Yes, all of the Frances is in the same time zone, but the wrong one.

Franco decided to change time zones to be in the same one as Berlin, hence the dark morning and bright evenings.

 

[Purple Backpack]

I take a plastic camping cup and stuff it with the electric coil and packets of tea, Starbucks Via coffee tubes and sugar packets. I love my coffee in the morning or tea at the end of a cold, rainy day.

 

[HedaP]

I carry several lightweight coffee bags because their taste is far closer to real coffee than instant. The bags contain a mix of instant and real coffee. Staying mostly in municipal albergues that have kitchen facilities, I go make a coffee while the plastic bag rustlers are packing in the dormitory. Always sad when my stash of coffee bags runs out because haven't as yet been able to find anything similar in Spain.

 

[OTH86]

You COULD start weaning yourself off coffee?? But how would I know, being a double bag, extra strength tea drinker...
¡ Buen Camino ! ️️️️️

 

[notion900]

Thanks, this is great info. Hadn't realized this.
Just checked Finisterre, and today's sunrise is 7:45. So in a month, it will be about 30 minutes later.
This is going to be weird to get used to.

I was just in Spain last week and most people were leaving around 7.

 

[WGroleau]

...and many places you stay are hostels not Albergues.

Difference?

 

[Hikoi]

I sometimes take an electric coil and instant coffee. For milk & sugar I buy a tin of condensed milk and decant it into a plastic bottle, which then lasts for about a week.
Jill

I did that too and bought sweetened condensed milk in a tube from time to time. It was available in most supermercardos.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Difference?

Hostel = pension or B&B type accomodation. No kitchen.
Albergue = dorms, sometimes with a kitchen.

 

[WGroleau]

Hostel = pension or B&B type accomodation. No kitchen.
Albergue = dorms, sometimes with a kitchen.

All the places I have been called "hostel" in six countries have had dorms and kitchens.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Many people use "hostel" to refer to Spanish hostales, amd those are B&B/ pensiones/ guest houses and since Trude sees a difference between them, I assume that she is one of those who use the term ´Hostel' to translate "hostales".

 

[CSmith]

Not sure where you live, but I carried Starbuck's Instant on the Appalachian Trail and it tastes mighty close to brewed coffee—I did not feel like I was deprived at all. Available at any Starbuck and also at REI.

 

[Kitsambler]

Starbuck's Instant

My understanding is that the Starbucks Via is formulated to dissolve properly in cold water as well as hot. This is a useful property!

 

[AbbyDee]

I can understand "coil" in that context. But "electric"! -Brave new world!

some call it an "immersion heater" If I recall seeing somewhere, it is imperative that you immerse the coil end in your water filled cup BEFORE plugging it in.

 

[mspath]

some call it an "immersion heater" If I recall seeing somewhere, it is imperative that you immerse the coil end in your water filled cup BEFORE plugging it in.

That is very important! Also always unplug the coil BEFORE removing it from the boiled water.

 

[C clearly]

Difference?

Albergues are accommodation for pilgrims, usually multi-bed dormitories. A "hostal" in Spain is a small, often family-run accommodation that has private rooms, with and without private bathrooms, rather like a hotel or b&B but without certain services such as 24-hour reception, etc. In Spain, if the word "hostel" is used, you would not really know what is meant - could be a hostal or it could be a multi-bed dorm.

 

[Jill81]

If you decide to go down the coil, cup, and tea or coffee route these little individually wrapped instant coffee packets from Nespresso are quite good and are available in French supermarkets and most likely in Spain as well. They weigh 3 grams each in a box of 25, make a decent cup of instant coffee and are more convenient than packing around granules in a ziplock. If you really need your morning caffeine it will get you through an early start until you can enjoy your first café con leche. IMHO although it's extra weight it's worth it!

 

[JillGat]

I often thought, walking the CF that someone could make a good living opening a small cafe near a big albergue on the Camino, selling coffee and croissants at 6am. You'd be done with work by 10am and could go back to bed.

 

[long trails]

I dd the section between Sevilla and Merida and like yourself I need coffee in the morning. From memory there were quite a number of days where I couldn't find anywhere open so had to walk on. I am not an early riser and pilgrims tend to get up later than the Frances.

So my advice would be to bring your own coffee. If I ever came bak to finish the VDLP then I will bring my own.

This was never an issue on the Frances, but of course there is a lot more infratructure geard at early rising peregrinos.

 

[Former member 60103]

That first morning coffee and croissant is the perfect start to a day on Camino and the wait until the first village bar/café that is open following an early start is best left unwritten. The coffee produced by the coffee machines in every café and bar produce some of the best coffee I have tasted and certainly better that the big branded outlets.
I have though carried ground coffee (couple of euros a bag) and simply added the ground up beans to hot water (assuming you can get it). Leave for a couple of minutes then gently stir and all the grinds will sink to the bottom and you are left with a very strong coffee. Ne need for filters or coffee bags (have not seen them for sale for ages) and its a better hit than instant. A word of warning though if you brew your coffee this way... remember to stop drinking about an inch from the bottom of the cup !
Here's to coffee and camino,
Don.

 

[AbbyDee]

I often thought, walking the CF that someone could make a good living opening a small cafe near a big albergue on the Camino, selling coffee and croissants at 6am. You'd be done with work by 10am and could go back to bed.

AH! A cup of comfort to start the day. I think that its more than the caffeine "jolt" that makes it needful: Just the ritual of having something hot to start the day is a little pleasure that enhances a morning start in good weather. and warms you inside out if the weather is less than clement. I remember the first couple of books I read about camino experiences, it seemed that people were walking the Camino powered by cafe con leche, chocolate croissants and coke zero.

 

[peregrina2000]

Chinese shops often have them.
However as you pass through France try the electrical goods stores Darty for a thermoplongeur.

For many more posts re the joys of such a gadget see
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ric-coil-changed-my-life-on-the-camino.19167/

Happy boiling and Buen camino!

Ahhhh, this is all music to my ears. Another favorite topic of mine, and I'm happy to say it is a lot less contentious than the topic of carrying hiking poles onto the plane.

I completely agree with those who say a coil is NOT needed on the heavily traveled Caminos, but if you plan to walk the Olvidado, Invierno, Vadiniense, Castellano-Aragones, Ebro, etc etc it will be a lifesaver if you simply cannot conceive of walking 10-20 km before your first cup of coffee.

But I would add a bit of caution to @mspath 's suggestion. I think that the Tiendas de Chinos (our equivalent of dollar stores) are not a good place for buying anything electric or electronic. I have heard stories from many pilgrims that thought that kind of equipment is very cheap there, it is not good quality and not up to standards. I once bought a phone charger in one, and it lasted about three days. I bought my coil in the US and have duct-taped an adapter plug on the end so that I don't have to worry about leaving the adapter in the wall in the morning. It has weathered 6 caminos so far and I hope to use it for many more!

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[HedaP]

That first morning coffee and croissant is the perfect start to a day on Camino and the wait until the first village bar/café that is open following an early start is best left unwritten. The coffee produced by the coffee machines in every café and bar produce some of the best coffee I have tasted and certainly better that the big branded outlets.
I have though carried ground coffee (couple of euros a bag) and simply added the ground up beans to hot water (assuming you can get it). Leave for a couple of minutes then gently stir and all the grinds will sink to the bottom and you are left with a very strong coffee. Ne need for filters or coffee bags (have not seen them for sale for ages) and its a better hit than instant. A word of warning though if you brew your coffee this way... remember to stop drinking about an inch from the bottom of the cup !
Here's to coffee and camino,
Don.

Always up for a challenge so put ground real coffee in the bottom of a cup, added boiling water, and it wasn't bad. Made a jolly strong cup of coffee but certainly drinkable and better than instant. Fantastic. Thank you.
Now if only I'd learnt this earlier. I'm sure it would have increased my average distance walked by at least 5 kms a day!

 

[alexwalker]

And what's wrong with a cold beer instead? It is sooo much more than just a breakfast drink, and coffee is overrated IMHO.

 

[Deleted member 67338]

Trust me if you want a cafe on letche you will simply have it in your Albergue or find it straight away and cheaper at a cafeteria littered everywhere and was my point of call

 

[Deleted member 12253]

1st Sept start VDLP. I see the weather is hot in Seville. So early 5.30--6 am start to beat the heat.
Thing is I cant function unless I have had a coffee first.
My question is
will there be coffee in the albergue in the morning
or hot water
or should I bring a plastic cup and bag of coffee ?

Make coffee night before and carry frask. Another 5 to 8 hours before civalision again buen camino

 

[Deleted member 67338]

And what's wrong with a cold beer instead? It is sooo much more than just a breakfast drink, and coffee is overrated IMHO.

No Vino No Camino you would have been a great member of our squad lol

 

[Deleted member 67338]

Always up for a challenge so put ground real coffee in the bottom of a cup, added boiling water, and it wasn't bad. Made a jolly strong cup of coffee but certainly drinkable and better than instant. Fantastic. Thank you.
Now if only I'd learnt this earlier. I'm sure it would have increased my average distance walked by at least 5 kms a day!

Noted for my next Camino thanx

 

[NicP]

You've said you're walking the VDLP, which from what I could tell, was very different from the Frances (at least as I experienced it, from Astorga to Santiago). Unlike the Francais, there will often be no cafe con leche stop at 10 am every day- rather, its either sleep late enough to get one in the town you slept in, or wait until you get where you're going for the day -only occasionally you might pass through somewhere you can get some supplies mid-walk. When I walked the VDLP (in Spring) there didn't seem to be many of the 5am risers - I tended to wake around 7 and leave after that, hence I had no problems finding coffee and toast in a bar before leaving town. I get that the climate will be different in September, so you might want to leave earlier - I think the immersion heater and sachets of instant coffee might be your best bet if you (like me) absolutely must have your coffee fix!

Buen Camino - the VDLP is a fantastic experience - it changed my life, and my taste in coffee....

 

[Trude]

Difference?

Hostels on VDLP had individual rooms an no kitchens. They were as cheap as Albergues if there were two travelling together.

 

[WGroleau]

For what it's worth, I've been accused of being a coffee addict. But yesterday, with everything closed, I walked five hours without coffee and lived to tell about it.

 

[AbbyDee]

For what it's worth, I've been accused of being a coffee addict. But yesterday, with everything closed, I walked five hours without coffee and lived to tell about it.

The horror.........The horror........