Hail to the Hive!
I have been looking at robust practical storage ideas for the boats that could lend themselves to many applications and one thing kept grabbing my attention, ammo boxes. I am a bit of a geek and they appeal to the little boy in me that played soldiers and eventually joined the Air Force. But you can’t argue with their robustness and practicality.
So low and behold when I saw someone was using them as a gimmick to sell their coffee I knew I was going to get drawn in. And of course I did.
Price-wise it didn’t work out much different from buying an ammo box online and purchasing coffee separately but where’s the fun in that eh? The .50 caliber ammo box has a nice rubber seal and comes with 4 different blends of coffee beans. All given suitably gimmicky military names.
They are genuine surplus ammo boxes as well and the company itself set up by 2 ex Royal Marines.
Now I visit India frequently and have brought an indian moka pot back for 
The “Battle Prep’ One also caught my interest with its blend of beans from Brazil & Vietnam. Not something i have readily seen on supermarket shelves and it’s always good to try new coffee blends and indeed make your own.
Oooh and ‘After Hours’ makes me wonder what was behind this blend of Ethiopian, Brazillian, Vietnamese and Indian beans. Hitchiking through Ethiopia in the early 90’s is what switched a tea drinking/ instant coffee making youngster into a black coffee addict of the first order. So what this blend achieves I very much look forward to finding out.
And then there’s ‘Shots Fired’ which I am going to start with.
Let the ritual begin. I do like the ritual of smelling the frsh beans, loading the grinder, grinding as i look out the boat window and then making my brew in whatever manner i choose that day.
There’s something almost meditative about the ritual. It soothes me. And sometimes I havent decided how I am making my coffee until I am mid way through the grind. Moka, french press, aero press, drip through. They all bring their own something something to the flavour game.
Today simple French Press.
I’ll drink the whole large press to myself while I work on answering work e mails from the boat and casually wondering what i will use the storage container for ( re organise something) and if I will order more????
I think the review of the individual coffees from different methods may deserve a post to itself so I think for now. I’ll just sip away at this and get back to you all with a report soon.
Is it a bit gimmicky? Yes, but I am happy, 4 coffees to indulge in and a very useful sealable storage container for the boat.
What are your thoughts?