3 Ways of Making Coffee While Camping - Panergy

There are a few things that are hard to replicate while out camping that we do in our own kitchen. I think coffee is one of those things. A simple coffee maker performs its duty fantastically, but it's difficult, or even impossible, to bring that coffee maker with us while camping.

While there are some options for making coffee at our campsite, each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, I think there's a reasonable balance between difficulty and quality. In this article we'll be going over three different ways to make coffee at our campsite; Instant Coffee, Cowboy Coffee, and French Press Coffee.

INSTANT COFFEE

I'll be the first to say this, I hate instant coffee. It's wholly a matter with flavor for me. I find instant coffee to produce a bland, weak flavor. But I am someone that likes really strong coffee. There are some good things with instant coffee. The packages of instant coffee take up almost zero room, they're very durable, and it only takes a minute to make; simply add hot water. Recently there has been a lot of improvements with instant coffee, most companies have begun to use a micro-ground process that takes high quality coffee and grinds it to a super fine consistency, but I still find it a little weak.

If you're someone that does not like very strong coffee and you don't want to spend a lot of time making coffee, and space packing materials and gear for coffee, then Instant Coffee might be perfect for you. A lot of brands come in different flavors, too.

COWBOY COFFEE

Cowboy Coffee is a term that varies for each person that uses it. Basically though, it is a process for making coffee while out camping or hiking. The usual process is in four different steps. Step One is roasting. Raw Coffee beans are roasted over an open fire. This done to release the oils and flavors that makes coffee coffee. The next step is grinding the coffee beans. This is done with either a hand grinder or even a smaller one that runs on batteries. Either way, it is done so the water can brew and make coffee, which is the next step. The third step, as said, is brewing. The coffee grounds are brewed in water for several minutes, depending on how you like it. The fourth step is the separation of the grounds and the water. This is either done with a filter or a cloth of some kind.

Most people now skip the first step and just bring roasted coffee beans with them. In fact, it's much easier to find roasted coffee beans than raw coffee beans. Some people even skip the second step and just bring coffee that is already ground. This is basically becoming a standard percolating style of coffee.

The problems with Cowboy Coffee is that it takes a decent amount of gear that can be hard to lug around. It also takes some time to make. And, if you do any of the steps wrong, the coffee is usually in the range of horrid to deadly, nothing anyone wants to drink. But if done correctly, with the right beans and gear, you will have yourself a pretty good cup of coffee out at your campsite.

FRENCH PRESS

For me, the French Press is the way I make coffee while camping. It's more material and gear to bring than if you were making Instant Coffee, but it's easier than Cowboy Coffee, and a little bit more forgiving. The first thing you need is a French Press (weird). Most of them have a glass cylinder, but that is not a good idea for camping. Finding a BPA-free plastic French Press is easy to do and much better for camping.

A French Press requires ground coffee to be added to the cylinder and then add boiling water to it. You let it seep for three or four minutes and then press down on the plunger, which brings a flat, metal disc down over the water, separating the grounds from the water. I find this produces a great cup of coffee without too much in need for supplies. If you make it wrong, while it may not be great, it won't be as bad Cowboy Coffee that is made poorly. After some practice, some of you may find the French Press to be the best way to make coffee, even at home.

There are many more ways to make coffee while camping than just these, but I think these three are the most popular. No matter what kind of coffee you want to make at the campsite, the important thing is that you become practiced with it, comfortable with it. That way you're sure to start each day with a good cup of coffee.