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.