Every coffee addict knows you can’t go without your precious morning cup, even while in the woods. Luckily, there are many ways to make coffee for yourself or a group using simple methods that require no electricity. Here’s how you can make yourself some camping coffee.
When we go camping, we’re willing to give up many of the luxuries we have at home. We don’t need a TV or our memory foam mattress, nor do we need fancy coffee machines like Nespresso or Keurig.
That’s right. You can make a barista-quality cup of coffee even while you’re out camping. Below, I’ve detailed many different methods and coffee-making devices you can use to brew your cup of Joe.
There’s a little something for everyone, whether you want a light option while backpacking or prefer something larger for multiple cups of coffee. Here’s how you can make your perfect cup of camping coffee!
How to Make Camping Coffee
French Press
Do it like they do in Paris…but in the woods. A French press is a cylindrical glass container with a plunger and fine screen to filter out the coffee. It’s a very simple device and great for making a few cups of coffee at once. So if you’re sharing, or need a few hits of Joe in the morning, this will work great.
To make a cup of coffee, bring water to a boil in a kettle or pot. While waiting for the water to boil, add your ground coffee to the French Press. For a standard cup of coffee, add 3 tablespoons of coffee for every cup of water.
Pour the boiling water over the grounds after letting it sit off the heat for 30 seconds (to prevent burning the grounds). Place the lid of the French Press on top and let it sit for 3-4 minutes.
After it sits, you can press down the plunger to filter the grounds and start drinking your coffee.
Bonus tip: use coarsely ground coffee rather than anything fine, like espresso grounds. Fine grounds will be too small for the French press.
Instant Coffee
It must be said. Simply the easiest way to make camping coffee is with instant grounds. You pour it in, stir, and then sip away. I know many coffee aficionados won’t like this option, but some good options out there will do the trick.
Make Cold Brew
Cold brew is a very specific kind of coffee that can’t be confused with iced coffee. I recommend making a batch of cold brew at home and bringing it with you. That way, you can just pour it straight from the cooler when you wake up in the morning.
With cold brew, you steep coarsely ground coffee at room temperature for at least 10-20 hours. Overnight is a good option. Give it a stir, add a lid, and then let it sit.
After it has sat, you can filter the coffee and then discard the grinds and the filter. Your coffee will be super strong, so you’ll want to dilute it with up to 50% water or milk. Grab a couple of ice cubes from the cooler and enjoy!
Percolator
Before drip coffee machines and Keurigs, percolators ruled the coffee-making world. Since it requires zero electricity, it remains one of the most simple and effective ways to make coffee while camping.
To make coffee, you use a coffee percolator, which brews coffee on the stovetop. At the top of the pot, it has a filter basket which you fill with coffee. The bottom holds the water. As you heat the water, water is drawn up through a tube to connect the two.
The coffee is good to go once the water has reached a boiling point.
Submersible Filter
Do you ever make loose-leaf tea? Well, you can similarly make coffee by using a simple Mugmate filter to submerge in the coffee. For this method, you will want to avoid fine grounds and go for a medium-coarse.
To make coffee, place the filter in an empty mug. The filter should fit most standard mug sizes and hang on top of the rims. Fill it with your coffee grounds, and then pour your hot water over top. Add the lid while it steeps.
Let it sit for 1 ½ to 3 minutes depending on how strong you like your coffee.
AeroPress
Are you an espresso fan? The AeroPress is the easiest way to get a coffee that resembles espresso. It won’t be espresso exactly, but it will produce a small amount of very strong coffee, which is as close as you can get.
The handheld machine uses fine or espresso ground beans. You fill the chamber with a scoop of coffee grounds and pour hot water over the grounds. Then, you’ll stir the mixture together before inserting a plunger to extract the coffee.
The AeroPress is very easy to clean and great for making a quick cup of coffee while camping.
Pour Over Drip Coffee
Another way to get a simple cup of coffee while camping is with drip coffee with the pour-over method. This method requires a coffeemaker such as the Chemex or the Hario V60, which looks like a small cup and saucer that fits over your cup of coffee.
Start by placing a coffee filter in your coffee maker and then place your coffee maker over your mug. Add 3 tbsp of coffee for 1 cup, slowly pouring a hint of water over all the grounds. Let it sit for a minute to open the grounds before pouring the remaining water over the top.
The water will slowly trickle through the grounds and, after a few minutes, will have entirely dripped below for a perfect cup of coffee.
Which of these camping coffee methods are you going to try? Do you have a favourite method already? Let me know in the comments section below.
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