7 Ways to Make Camping Coffee

There's a good chance if you like camping that you also love your coffee. It is an essential part of my life and it's something I need to start my day even when I'm camping or backpacking.

There are many ways to make camping coffee. How it is brewed affects the taste and strength of the final product. There are other factors that affect the taste too so it's hard to determine which method is right for you. What's important is that you can brew coffee at camp and the method suits you based on taste, strength and convenience.

Cowboy Coffee

Before portable coffee makers, the cowboy coffee method was something that ever coffee-loving camper need to know. To me the end product doesn't taste great but at least it's better than no coffee. To make cowboy coffee, all you need is a pot or saucepan and some coffee grounds.

First you boil the water in the pot and then add coffee. Don't boil for more than 1 minute with the coffee or it will taste bitter. It may be better not to boil the coffee at all. Then take the pot off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes to brew the coffee and to let the coffee grounds settle.

Drip Brew

Drip brew coffee is made by passing hot water through coffee grounds contained in a filter. The resulting coffee "drips" out the other end. The grounds stays in the filter. Both permanent and disposable filters can be used with this method but you usually need courser grounds for permanent filters.

Portable Espresso Machines

Espresso machines make coffee by pushing hot water under high pressure (about 220 psi) through coffee grounds enclosed in a filter. Portable espresso machines get this pressure from pumping or portable gas cartridges.

French Press

This is one of the most popular way for making camping coffee. You'll probably love the French Press coffee if you like medium strength coffee. Making camping coffee with the French Press is really simple.

Boil some water in a pot or kettle. Put 2 spoons of coffee inside the French Press and pour in the hot water. Add more coffee if you like it to be stronger. Put on the lid/presser and let it steep for 5 to 10 minutes also depending of how strong you want your coffee.

When the steeping is done, simply press down on the presser slowly until you can't push it anymore. Pour the contents into a mug and enjoy.

Some modern French Presses don't require a separate mug and you can drink it straight from the press.

Percolator

There are three chambers in coffee percolator. You put the coffee grounds in the middle chamber and water in the lower chamber. Then place the percolator pot on a heat source to boil the water which is then forced up the spout through the middle chamber where you put the coffee and to the top chamber. You now have fresh-brewed coffee in the top chamber of the percolator.

Siphon/Vacuum Brew

The siphon/vacuum brew method used to be a very popular way of making coffee. Today it still retains some hardcore fans. There are two chambers in a siphon coffee maker. Coffee is placed at the top chamber and water at the bottom chamber. Placing the siphon coffee maker on a heat source boils the water and forces it to the top chamber, mixing with the coffee grounds. You then remove the coffee maker from the heat source. As the bottom chamber cools down, it creates a vacuum which 'pulls' the coffee from the top chamber into the bottom chamber, filtering out the coffee grounds in the process.

The Aeropress Method

I don't know which category the highly popular Aeropress belongs to. In a way, it's similar to the espresso machine method but with total immersion like the French press and almost like the drip brew method too but faster and with pressure. It's an entirely new way of making coffee.

To make coffee with the Aeropress, you first place the filter on the bottom cap and twist it tightly closed to the main chamber. You then add coffee into the chamber and place in top of your favorite drinking vessel. Add hot water (~175 degF) and stir for about ten seconds. Finally, insert the plunger and press down gently, maintaining pressure for about 20-30 seconds. The resulting coffee is pushed down into the drinking vessel.