Best Camping Coffee method?

[mudgudgeon]

I wish I remembered what I disliked about the Aeropress when I had one.

One possibility I can think of was that I felt the amount of coffee one got out of a press was too small.
But I have since seen people making a super strong press and then adding more hot water to the concentrated coffee.
Maybe I never tried that.
Have you tired adding more water to a concentrated batch?

I used a smaller aeropress daily for ages at home.

- I just use one scoop of ground coffee
- Pour slightly cooled boiling water almost to the top of the aeropress tube ( to the #3 mark).Boiling water burns the coffee
- Insert the plunger, but do not plunge.
- Let it sit for 2-3 minutes to steep.
- Then plunge it

I found my aeropress became hard to plunge for some reason. Still works great, just needs a bit more effort to plunge it

There's almost no clean up of you clean it up straight away.
A few spoonfuls of hot water is enough to rinse the plastic screen.

For camping, it packs into a coffee mug, and you can put a week or more worth of filter papers inside the plunger.

 

[mudgudgeon]

My favorite coffee for out camping and even at home when I have the time is Cowboy coffee. Kent Rollins has a great video on how to get it just right. Several people that have had some with me prefer it now as it's a little smoother and less acidic, so easier on the stomach for wheeling

I like cowboy coffee too. This was my go to if i was making coffee at work. For ages it was the only way i made coffee when camping.

 

[bigredmachine]

I find cleaning the push-down filter on the French press a pain to clean if I don’t have running water. How do you clean it easily?

ill either pour water over it from a bottle or fill a pot and just swirl it around. im also not picky about having the screen spotless so as long as i have most of the grounds out of it its good enough.

 

[Lo2aY]

Moka Pot for me. It's the easiest way to make espresso outdoors.

 

[Unimogguy]

We use a pour over or stainless French press or cowboy coffee method. Just depends. I almost always take a backup tho after breaking a glass French press.

If the campsite has power I’ll take the Barista Express with a 100’ 10 AWG extension cord. I really like to rough it…cleanup is super easy since it produces an espresso puck.
I mainly take it because I like to see faces of the other men when the female they’re with asks them why they didn’t they think of that?!?!?

Backpacking is completely different. I’ve found the single coffee bag (def not instant) dropped in a pre measured amount of boiled water works great. Added benefit is its super light and easy cleanup.

 

[Marvelicious]

Does anybody have a camping coffee method that they love?

I have tired instant coffee.
This means lots of the “premium” brands. Starbucks Via’s, Verv, Mount Hagen, even Folgers….. and all of these taste a bit sour to me.

Wacaco - this made a fine shot of espresso.
But it’s a lot of pumping for a small shot and clean-up was a bit hard if you are in a place without potable flowing water.
And it’s a small amount of coffee, even with the larger add-on.

French Press - I love the taste and size of this method. And it’s relatively easy to make when camping.
But man is this tough to clean without clean tap water.

K-cups:
I have a portable/manual k-cup coffee maker. This is my current go-to camping coffee.
The taste is okay, but not great.
And you do end up with the waste little cups and the prongs that pierce the k-cup can’t be cleaned until you get to a water tap.

So… in short, I’m looking for a perfect method. And yes, I’m being very persnickety here. But why not? Great coffee without waiting too long can be a great start to a day.

Anybody have recommendations?

I tried an Aeropress… and threw it away. Sadly, I don’t really remember what I didn’t like about it. General googling sure turns up a lot of people who like this method.
Should I try it again?

What about pour-overs? Perhaps clean-up would be a breeze if I can toss the grounds and paper filter into my fire?
But I worry about the ease of brewing in cold, windy locations.

Or maybe there is an easier way to clean a French press?

Slightly old thread, but I stumbled into it. I'm an Aeropress guy on the road, and about half the time at home (the rest of the time I make espresso). I wouldn't be surprised if size was your complaint, especially if you like a nice big cup of coffee. I've adjusted to it, but it's a touch smaller than I would prefer... but... they recently started making a larger version that's roughly twice the size of the original. I haven't bought one, but I probably will sooner or later. Basically, the original fills my mug 3/4 of the way and I kinda want that other 1/4.

French press - too much cleanup and too much... chewing.
Pour-over - good coffee, too finicky for my state of mind when I haven't had any coffee.
K-cups - you're far more gracious with your review of the flavor than I am.
Wacaco (and other portable espresso makers) - haven't tried, but it seems like too much hassle for travel coffee. I've usually got other things on the agenda.
Cowboy coffee - see Tarantino's speech about buying good coffee in Pulp Fiction. I can see where it's "part of camping" for some folks, but it sort of flattens the flavors and everything might as well be Folgers.

Admission time: I might be a bit of a coffee nerd.

Have you considered the Bripe?

 

[MCtree]

Slightly old thread, but I stumbled into it. I'm an Aeropress guy on the road, and about half the time at home (the rest of the time I make espresso). I wouldn't be surprised if size was your complaint, especially if you like a nice big cup of coffee. I've adjusted to it, but it's a touch smaller than I would prefer... but... they recently started making a larger version that's roughly twice the size of the original. I haven't bought one, but I probably will sooner or later. Basically, the original fills my mug 3/4 of the way and I kinda want that other 1/4.

French press - too much cleanup and too much... chewing.
Pour-over - good coffee, too finicky for my state of mind when I haven't had any coffee.
K-cups - you're far more gracious with your review of the flavor than I am.
Wacaco (and other portable espresso makers) - haven't tried, but it seems like too much hassle for travel coffee. I've usually got other things on the agenda.
Cowboy coffee - see Tarantino's speech about buying good coffee in Pulp Fiction. I can see where it's "part of camping" for some folks, but it sort of flattens the flavors and everything might as well be Folgers.

Admission time: I might be a bit of a coffee nerd.

Have you considered the Bripe?

Oh man! I want the bripe now. That thing is awesome!
I mean, it’s way too small of a bowl for me and it’s basically drinking coffee through a straw (which seems gross), but I still want it.

And thanks for the input about the larger Aeropress. That might make it better for me.
But I forget, does an Aeropress make more of an espresso or a cup of coffee?

In all of my experimenting since I made the initial post in this thread, I have come to realize I prefer a cup of drip coffee over an espresso or a cafe’ Americano.

(At least I think that a pour over counts as a “drip coffee” even though there is no “drip.”)
We have a fancy, super automatic espresso machine here at the house and I have grown addicted to my pour-overs so I don’t use the super-automatic anymore.
I keep intending to step up to a nicer pour-over setup but I’m so accustomed to / satisfied with the product from my $24 hario hand grinder and $9.70 hario funnel that I’m in no rush to upgrade.
I got the hario’s for camping, but like the final product so much that I still use it every morning here at the house.
And when camping, it’s so easy to use and clean that I am loathe to go away from it.

That said…. I’m always game to try new methods to see if something is easier to use while camping.
I may get that larger Aeropress.

Also… for anybody looking to use a pour over:
I watched a bunch a videos on how to make a pour over and they all have people being awfully particular - weighing the water and grounds. But I find that it’s not as exacting a process as they make it out to be. Just eye-ball the amounts and practice with it and you will get a great cup of coffee.
(Though I do find the size of the grind does matter)

 

[Marvelicious]

Oh man! I want the bripe now. That thing is awesome!
I mean, it’s way too small of a bowl for me and it’s basically drinking coffee through a straw (which seems gross), but I still want it.

And thanks for the input about the larger Aeropress. That might make it better for me.
But I forget, does an Aeropress make more of an espresso or a cup of coffee?

In all of my experimenting since I made the initial post in this thread, I have come to realize I prefer a cup of drip coffee over an espresso or a cafe’ Americano.

(At least I think that a pour over counts as a “drip coffee” even though there is no “drip.”)
We have a fancy, super automatic espresso machine here at the house and I have grown addicted to my pour-overs so I don’t use the super-automatic anymore.
I keep intending to step up to a nicer pour-over setup but I’m so accustomed to / satisfied with the product from my $24 hario hand grinder and $9.70 hario funnel that I’m in no rush to upgrade.
I got the hario’s for camping, but like the final product so much that I still use it every morning here at the house.
And when camping, it’s so easy to use and clean that I am loathe to go away from it.

That said…. I’m always game to try new methods to see if something is easier to use while camping.
I may get that larger Aeropress.

Also… for anybody looking to use a pour over:
I watched a bunch a videos on how to make a pour over and they all have people being awfully particular - weighing the water and grounds. But I find that it’s not as exacting a process as they make it out to be. Just eye-ball the amounts and practice with it and you will get a great cup of coffee.
(Though I do find the size of the grind does matter)

You've got a lot of range in the strength you can make with the aeropress, but I wouldn't call it "espresso". To make something that really qualifies as espresso takes significant pressure. Even a moka pot isn't really there.

More than anything, I'd compare aeropress coffee to French press with easy cleanup and less mud (if you use paper filters).

As for weighing everything... When I'm home, I weigh beans before grinding, but it's not really necessary. I just have a nice accurate kitchen scale right there, so it's convenient. That same guy from the Bripe video spent years talking about how inaccurate scoops were... then did a video to prove his point and proved himself wrong.

 

[TWILLY]

Instant.

After 35 years of exploring just about every backcountry coffee-making option, including as a commercial outfitter, I have settled on instant coffee for simplicity and speed. No grounds or filter trash, no extra kitchen gear to haul or clean, fast, simple.

 

[Cruiserhaven]

For years I used one of those old school enamel camping coffee pot boilers where you put your coffee grounds in a little round basket at the top and the boiling water circulates through.

That being said, in more recent times, I have sometimes lazily just brought some Death Wish black in cans or a bottle of black Stok cold brew.

 

[MCtree]

I think all this speaks to one’s interest in camping.
I have been on plenty of trips where I just eat the dehydrated bag-meals. Those are completely palatable.
But most of the time these days, I try to bring more comforts with me when camping.

When on trips when it’s all about being out in nature, I don’t mind the instant coffee. Like I said above - I mostly like the instant Starbucks coffee, the Vias.
But if I’m on a trip where I want to enjoy the culinary experience while camping, then I’m looking for more than bag-meals and instant coffee. If that makes sense. This was the point of my creating this thread.

 

[javelinadave]

 

[MCtree]

View attachment 3812756

Is cleaning easy on one of these things?

 

[javelinadave]

Is cleaning easy on one of these things?

I dump the grounds in my trash bag and give it a rinse. No more difficult that any other coffee pot.

 

[TreadingLight]

I went through a similar thought process and landed on the aeropress. Frickin love that thing. It makes good coffee, doesn't take up much space (fits in a small gear bag with a grinder), and cleanup is effortless. Literally just pop the pressed coffee "puck" and filter into a trash bag and you're done.

But i often just make instant.

It depends on whether I'm lounging around in the morning (aeropress) vs hitting the road (instant).

 

[Skniper]

Recent Aeropress fan here.
I bought an Aeropress last week after reading the camp coffee threads. Nifty little device. No coffee nerd here but I like a rich black coffee, this makes a really solid cop of joe for my taste. Strength easily adjustable. I prefer the upside down method of brewing on the Aeropress.
As mentioned it does not fill a regular coffee cup, I already want the bigger one.

My daughter has a Bialetti Moka pot, also very nifty.

 

[spazzyfry123]

Aeropress here as well. Small, easy, and cleanup is a breeze.

 

[thecapedcapper]

I have yet to take it camping but put together this coffee kit with a Hario Switch, Snowpeak Home / Camp burner, electric grinder and a small kettle in a Hazard Fraught apache case. I have an Aeropress too and the Hario Switch is as easy clean up - you just need to throw away the whole cone filter with grounds in it.

 

[MCtree]

Wow. Impressive organization.
And I haven’t thought about a portable electric grinder like that. I have a manual portable one that I use with my Hario, but I might prefer that, easier, route.

How many grinds can you get off of one charge?

And agreed on the simplicity of cleanup with the Hario.
The grinds and the filter go right into my fire later that day.

 

[thecapedcapper]

Wow. Impressive organization.
And I haven’t thought about a portable electric grinder like that. I have a manual portable one that I use with my Hario, but I might prefer that, easier, route.

How many grinds can you get off of one charge?

And agreed on the simplicity of cleanup with the Hario.
The grinds and the filter go right into my fire later that day.

Late answering but it's several, I'm not exactly sure as I haven't ran it out but I'd estimate about 8-10 at least. It also has a display on the top that shows battery in 25% increments.