Camp Coffee

When to use this

Whenever you need coffee and have a stove, a fire, or boiling water.

• Morning ritual on any multi-night trip
• Keeping a night-watch alert
• Rewarding the person who started the fire

See it done

What you need

• Ground coffee (medium-coarse grind works for all three methods)
• A heat source and a pot or kettle
• A mug per person
• Cowboy method: nothing else needed
• Pour-over method: a lightweight dripper (Aeropress, GSI Ultralight) and a filter
• Percolator method: a camp percolator

Step by step

1. 1.Boil water. For best flavor, let it cool for 30 seconds off the boil - about 200°F.
2. 2.Cowboy coffee: add 2 tablespoons of grounds per 8 oz of water directly to the pot. Simmer 4 minutes. Remove from heat, add a splash of cold water to sink the grounds, pour slowly.
3. 3.Pour-over: set the dripper on your mug, add a filter and 2 tablespoons of grounds. Pour water in slow circles. Total brew time 3-4 minutes.
4. 4.Percolator: fill the basket with grounds (1 tablespoon per 6 oz of water), fill the pot with cold water below the basket, set on medium heat. Once it starts perking, brew 7-10 minutes.
5. 5.Taste before adding anything. Camp coffee is often stronger than expected.

Pro tips

• Pre-measure grounds at home in a small zip-lock so you're not guessing in the dark.
• A pinch of salt cuts bitterness in cowboy or percolator coffee.
• Aeropress makes espresso-strength coffee and cleans up in 30 seconds - worth the weight.

Common mistakes

• Boiling pour-over water too hard - it scorches the grounds and turns coffee bitter.
• Under-dosing grounds to "save weight." Weak coffee is worse than no coffee.

Analog companion

Prefer the full landing page first? See the 3-day camp meal planner.

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