How to make coffee while camping

By Bruno Reed May 26, 2022 Camping

If you're like me, you can't get your day started without first getting your coffee started. This is especially true when you're camping, hiking, or otherwise roughing it outdoors. You might think that drinking a cup of joe while enjoying the great outdoors would require some fancy equipment and painstaking preparation. But it doesn't have to be this way! Here are my favorite ways to make coffee while camping—no espresso maker needed!

Buy the right beans

The best way to make sure you're getting the most out of your beans is to buy them fresh. Beans that are roasted within a week of purchase will be rich and strong, with no off flavors from sitting around too long in warehouses or on shelves. If you can't find beans that have been roasted within a week, aim for ones that were roasted within a month; those will still be rich and full-flavored, but may lack some of the punchier characteristics of fresher coffee.

Finally, if all else fails and there's nothing available but old coffee (more than a year old), consider buying it anyway! Coffee can last for decades if stored properly—and who knows? Maybe your tastes will change over time and what was once an unpalatable brew will become your favorite cup of joe!

Grind your beans ahead of time

Pre-ground beans lose their flavor quickly, so it's best to grind your beans ahead of time. You can do this using a coffee grinder, food processor, blender or coffee bean grinder. The latter three methods are all great options because they produce less heat and thus preserve more of the flavor than grinding them in an electric device would.

If you're not quite ready to invest in a dedicated piece of equipment (and I don't blame you), try using your blender's pulse option instead of its speed setting for drip brewing. This will give you similar results without losing out on any aroma as long as your machine isn't too powerful for the task at hand (which is often the case). Just be careful when processing anything hot!

Use a French press or AeroPress

If you're looking for a more traditional way to brew coffee, the French press or AeroPress is your best bet.

The French press has quickly become one of my favorite ways to make coffee at home because it's easy to clean, simple to use and produces great results every time. For camping, however, I prefer the AeroPress because of its compact design. Both come with filters so that no matter what kind of grounds you use (whether fine or coarse), nothing will get through into your cup. These two devices are also perfect for traveling since they take up very little space in your bag and don't require any electricity—just hot water!

Bring paper filters

Paper filters are a huge time-saver. Instead of having to clean the metal filter after each use, you can simply throw away the paper filter and let it compost in your camp dutch oven. They're also lighter than metal filters and cheaper, making them ideal for camping trips where weight matters (like backpacking).

Finally, paper filters are more environmentally friendly than metal ones—they don't require any special disposal procedures or specialized facilities for recycling. In fact, you could even compost them yourself if you wanted!

Heat your water in a kettle

You can use a camp stove, solar oven, heat pack or thermoelectric cooler to heat your water. You can also consider using a thermos or battery-powered kettle.

If you’re traveling with a friend and want to share the experience of drinking coffee together, consider buying two portable coffee makers. A good option for this is the Nespresso Pixie Coffee Machine. It uses pods that are pre-filled with ground coffee—just add hot water and voila! You get delicious espresso in seconds without having to mess with messy grinds or complicated equipment.

Choose your milk and sugar wisely

Next, you’ll need to choose your milk and sugar wisely. It's best if you stick with powdered milk—or even better, powdered cream—since it won't spoil as quickly. If you're bringing along granulated sugar cubes or packets, be sure to keep them in an airtight container so they don't get damp. Sweetened condensed milk is another good choice because it can last for months on end before going bad (or at least until the next time you go camping). Alternatively, use a sweetener such as Splenda or Equal that comes in individual packets or small bottles. Finally, if neither of these options appeals to you personally (but why would they not?), there are also plenty of other kinds of artificial sweeteners out there that may suit your tastes better than traditional table sugar (though be advised: some have been shown to have negative health effects over time).

Making coffee while camping is easy if you take some time to plan before your trip.

Choose the right beans. The first thing to do is find out what kind of beans are available where you're going, and then choose the ones that you like best. For example, if there's a Starbucks nearby, try their coffee for breakfast one morning before leaving on your trip. Then look up online which beans they use so that you can bring some along in a small baggie or airtight container.
Grind your beans ahead of time. Pick up a hand grinder at the store; these are cheap and portable enough to bring along on a camping trip without taking up too much room in your gear bag or backpack! Grind the whole bag at once if possible—just make sure not to grind them into powder because this will make it harder for water to pass through them during brewing process later down line when using hot water instead cold (which means heat).

Conclusion

Okay, so this concludes the blog post and I hope it was helpful for people who want to make coffee while camping. If you have anything to add about what we covered in this blog or any other tips and tricks, please leave a comment below!