What is the Best Camp Coffee Pot?
Before I describe the Best Camp Coffee Pot, for the wilderness, have a seat, and grab yourself a coffee. The first thing that comes to my mind as soon as I wake up is, “I want my Coffee”, and I want it now!
I don’t consider myself a hard-core coffee addict, but then again, this is what most people would say. I enjoy my early morning cup of joe, and the statistics prove that I’m not alone in this line of thinking.
The aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning is a joy to experience. It is my first, and often only time of day alone, before I head out into the world to slay my daily quota of dragons. Personally, the aroma of a freshly brewed coffee is just as appealing as the drink itself. Lately, I discipline myself to 1 good cup in the morning, and that does me for the whole day. Whatever amounts you choose to drink, … that’s your business.
According to the pundits, experts, and studies, “coffee” is the second most popular beverage in the world. Tea, holds the number 1 position as far as beverages go. Yes coffee, is even more popular, as a drink, per volume drunk, (insert your pun here), than beer, wine, orange juice, and Coca Cola!
Is it any wonder that so much time and effort is invested in brewing a great cup of morning coffee.
Brewing Coffee away from Home
Summer weekends are for fun and adventure. Getting out to the cabin, the campground, or to the lake, does not mean that we should deprive ourselves of a top of the class, cup of joe, … afterall, who’d want to wake up to a weekend morning without coffee? … not me for sure, and I suspect you would not either.
Statistics show that 65% of Americans drink coffee at breakfast and it’s not unusual to see anyone with a cup of joe, in their hands, at anytime of the day or night. Brewing a morning coffee is a ritual that takes place in every home and office in North America. A smaller percentage of the population will be having tea or some other beverage, but rest assured that for many people waking up to face the new day, coffee is very high on their to-have list.
Brewing a morning coffee at home is a fairly simple procedure, whether you use the drip method, a french press, or percolate your coffee. Let’s not forget to mention the espresso lovers for fear of exile and banishment.
The aroma of morning coffee, wafting through the house has very little competition. Only bacon deserves an honorable mention in this competition for the senses.
3 Methods of Brewing a Morning Coffee at Camp
As an avid outdoorsman and mountain man, I demand my morning coffee. This I found out the hard way, many years ago. When I first took to the bush and to the mountains, I brought herbal teas and hot chocolate, for my early morning drinks. This worked well in the beginning, but I was soon brewing morning coffees on the mountain.
This environment required a method for brewing coffee that was not complicated and tough enough to withstand the rigors of bush and mountain travel.
There are many methods of brewing coffee used in various parts of the world, but I was looking for a practical method that would work for me. That was many years ago, and today I still use the same systems, only the technology has changed in the positive.
I’m going to focus on practical methods around camp and on the trail. If you’re out camping, in a park, or on the trail, you’ll be making the coffee. If you’re used to picking up your cup of joe, from a friendly barrita, listen up. This morning, you are the barista!
Of course, we all know that the best coffee, begins, with the best beans. Since we’ll be making coffee in camp, it’s best to keep things simple. Outdoorsmen and outdoors women, want their coffee, pronto!
The aroma of a hot coffee, nestled in your hands, with your back against a log, waiting for the sun to rise above a mountain ridge, is ones of the pleasures of life on the mountain.
1. My Favorite, the French Press
The French Press requires coarse-ground coffee beans. Get your water boiling. Pull out the plunger and put 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of coarse ground coffee in your pot. Pour the very hot water into the pot. Some aficionados stir the mixture and some consider it sacrilegious to do so. Pick the one you want.
Place the plunger in the pot, bare breaking the surface. Wait 3 to 5 minutes. Enjoy the aroma of this beverage of the gods. The hardest part of this method is waiting the required time period. Only a disciplined mountain man, can wait the full 5 minutes recommended by the coffee gods.
2. Percolated Coffee
A second method that can be used for making coffee is with a coffee percolator. A percolating coffee pot on an early morning campfire is the best alarm clock there is, bar none.
Percolating coffee gives off a pleasant aroma, but that’s where it stops for me. This is not a practical system of making coffee when camping, hiking, hunting, or fishing, in the backcountry, unless you’re in a truck, or on a horse.
In my opinion, percolated coffee is more bitter, and does not do well against drip and french press coffee.
3. Drip Coffee
Drip coffee is just as the name implies. Place your coffee in a drip cup and patiently wait for the water to work its way down into the beans.
This can be done with a paper filter or a metal mesh filter. I prefer the metal mesh over the paper filters because the paper filter absorbs the essential coffee oils and this robs you of all it best flavours.
Some Tips for Brewing Coffee in the Wilderness
- stick to one method per trip, remember that you’re carrying the equipment
- ensure that your coffee making system is bombproof, able to withstand the rigors of a weekend in the wilderness
- coarse grounds for the french press
- fine grounds for drip coffee
- use a metal mesh for the drip method
Final Thoughts while you sip on that Coffee
A morning coffee in the wilderness, or on top of a mountain, waiting for the sunrise, is an experience like no other. Coffee is a popular drink, world-wide for a reason.
The French Press and the Drip Method are in my opinion, the two easiest methods to brew coffee in the wilds of Nature. All of my experiences with more complicated methods usually do not end well, and get my new day, on the mountain, off to a bad start. This includes espresso systems that don’t stand up well to the rigors of the outdoors. I would love to hear about how you brew your morning java in Nature.
Perhaps I can learn something useful. The French Press and the Drip Method have always worked well for me but these days I only carry a french press. This has solved my morning coffee issues.
If you have better, more practical methods of making morning coffee, you can Contact Me here. I would love to hear from you. We can discuss the best methods of brewing coffee, while we sip on Nature perfect beverage!