Caffeinated and On the Road: 5 Caffeine Delivery Systems for Today’s RVers

Historically, if you needed a caffeine boost you’d simply brew a pot of coffee in a percolator coffee pot on your campfire and be done with it. Starbucks Changed Our Perception. Caffeine has taken on a completely different persona over the past 20 or so years. Now it’s practically a cult with cult-like followers of various brands and caffeine delivery systems. Starbucks changed the perception that coffee was just a commodity and introduced us all to the idea that caffeine can be ingested in designer products, which can be personalized and delivered in a variety of formats. 

Many Different Ways to Consume Caffeine

However, caffeine is not restricted to just coffee, and it can be found and consumed in many different products.  In lieu of a trip to Starbucks, you can get caffeine in a simple pill form, like Wakeups (Canada), NoDoz, JetAlert, and Stay Awake (US brands) or you can drink your caffeine in energy drinks, such as, Red Bull, Monster, Sparkling Ice + Energy, Rockstar, Fast Twitch, Starbucks Frappuccino and dozens of other brands.  And now liquid caffeine products are enjoyed both hot and cold, by people of all ages.  To this point, caffeine is found in many soda pops (Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc.) which are ubiquitously consumed by children and adults alike.

Alcoholic Coffee Drinks

But there are also other more exotic caffeine drinks which can be enjoyed in your RV, but these are certainly not intended for children’s consumption. These exotic drinks are served either hot or cold and what makes them special are the alcoholic spirits that are added to create an Irish Cream or Black Russian or dozens of other popular spiked coffee drinks.  A little Baileys, Grand Marnier, Amaretto, or Cognac and whip cream will completely transform a simple cup of coffee into a delightful after-dinner cocktail.

5 Sources of Caffeine

There are at least 5 different sources that RVers can use to ramp up their caffeine consumption as mentioned above.  The pills, soda pop, and power drinks don’t need a lot of explanation so this article will primarily focus on better ways to improve your caffeine consumption through coffee, tea, and alcoholic cocktails.

Five Common Caffeine Delivery Products 

1. Caffeine Pills 
2. Soda Pop
3. Power Drinks 
4. Coffee and Tea 
5. Caffeinated alcoholic beverages

Use the Right Tools to Brew Coffee and Tea

Whether you’re creating a straight-up cup of coffee or tea or an exotic cocktail, there are specific tools and techniques that should be used in your RV to improve the quality of these caffeine sources. Historically, if you wanted to brew a pot of coffee, you would simply use a percolator coffee pot on a grate over an open campfire, or on a camp stove, or a stove top. 

Unless you’re roughing it in your RV no one uses percolator coffee pots any longer. On the other hand, you might prefer to make coffee in a French Roaster, or in a drip coffee pot, or a Keurig coffee maker. Some RVs are now equipped with a coffee pot that grinds whole beans prior to brewing a single cup or a pot of fresh coffee.  

If tea is your caffeine delivery choice, that is typically made one cup at a time by adding loose tea leaves or bagged tea to boiling water. This can be done using a variety of infusers, diffusers, or strainers.  Regardless of your preference for either tea or coffee, it’s critical that you use the right tool with the right product to achieve optimum results. In other words, you wouldn’t want to use a drip coffee grind in a French Roast pot unless you’re trying to achieve a muddy sludge in your cup when you’re finished.

Understanding the Differences in Coffee Roast Options

You also need to buy the right type of coffee to match your personal taste preferences. As a point of reference, the darkest and oiliest beans produce the strongest flavored coffee. Lighter colored beans with less oil showing on the surface of the beans will make a milder cup of coffee.  Pre-ground coffee is also identified as dark, medium, or light roast, and this will help you choose the right coffee flavor to meet your preferences.  This is also true for Keurig coffee brewing systems.   Not all coffee pods produce the same results.  You need to pay close attention to the intensity of the roast to find the flavors you prefer.  

Start With Filtered Water

In addition to the right products, you need the right technique to make a desirable caffeinated drink in your RV. That includes starting with filtered water and always brewing your caffeine drinks fresh. Coffee or tea that has been sitting around for many hours will taste old and stale.  Even worse is coffee that is burnt or over cooked.  If you’ve ever been in a greasy spoon where a half full coffee pot has been left on the burner for hours on end, you can clearly smell that the coffee is over cooked and not fresh. 

Regarding filtered water, if your RV is not equipped with an all system water filter then you can use a portable water filtering system like a Brita water pitcher to filter the water used in your caffeine drink.  Starting with clean filtered water and the right coffee or tea product will produce a fabulous caffeine drink.  Finally, as a side note, instant coffee might deliver a quick shot of caffeine, but it generally doesn’t produce a desirable cup of coffee in most circumstances.

Spike Your Coffee for Added Flare

Now, if you want to make your perfect coffee drink even better, you can add a variety of alcoholic beverages to create stunning coffee cocktails. These can be served either cold, over ice, or hot with a dollop of whipped cream or heavy cream.  And if you really enjoy these added flavors in your coffee, but if you don’t consume alcohol or you’re going to be driving your RV soon, you can get most of the flavors; cognac, Bailey’s, Grand Marnier, Amaretto, Hazelnut, etc. in a non-alcoholic format.   

RVer’s Have Caffeine Options

In summary, you can get caffeine in so many different forms now it’s uncanny. You can take a pill, like a WakeUp, or drink a cup of tea or coffee, or enjoy a soda pop (Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew), or consume a power drink (Monster), or create an alcoholic blended coffee cocktail.  But remember, whether you enjoy your caffeine drink, iced or hot, spiked or not, anytime you’re planning on driving your RV be sure your caffeine drink is sans the alcohol.