What is your go to method of making coffee when rolling around in the GFC. Aeropress? Cowboy coffee? Moka pot?
Figured this forum would have a pretty wide range of responses to this very important question. Hope you all had a great weekend.
My current go to is a metal french press (glass at home but that’s a no go for camping). I grind my beans and measure them out into 1-press increments before the trip. Boil the water in a JetBoil.
Early mornings and solo missions sometimes it’s a Starbucks Via. The Christmas blend is the best instant coffee I’ve had.
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I don’t have my camper yet but I use a stanley french press heated on a coleman propane stove
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I drink tea not coffee but same concept!
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I heat water in my coffee pot, but I use a pour over filter single serving thingy that I got at REI. Its a GSI ultralite drip with clips for the cup. Works great, folds up super small, and uses real coffee. I like that any unused hot water can be redirected towards other uses like dishes or hand washing… I used to hate having leftover coffee in the pot. I always felt like I was wasting water. And coffee, for that matter…
The thing is easy to clean and, at least for now, I store it in the box it came in.
Peace.
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Starbucks Via.
For some reason, everything tastes better when you’re camping, even instant coffee. Plus, I hate dealing with grounds.
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Starbucks Via is the only instant coffee I find even halfway palatable. I found a stainless steel basket that I can do ground coffee in on Amazon that works pretty well.
at least at home, anyway. I have to change my burr grinder settings to make the grounds a little coarser than I usually do.
I’m typically a Moka pot or aeropress person at home. However, dealing with grounds on multiple trips became a deal breaker. Throwing them in a garbage bag will lead to an inevitable leak and no fun cleanup. I’ve throw them in tupperware which was the best, but just something else I had to manage. So now I am firmly in the instant coffee camp. No mess or cleanup to worry about. Most of my setup (electrical, solar, fridge, etc) is pretty glampy but I just couldn’t take dealing with grounds anymore, even with the trasharoo.
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For those who dig the instant coffee…two great options in addition to starbucks via are Black Rifle Coffee instant https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/collections/instant-coffee and Dark Timber coffee…particularly the Mt Baker Mocha which is instant coffee and hot chocolate and its fabulous https://www.darktimberco.com/shop/vapor-packs.
I was on the via train for a while but moved to these two in the last couple years. Smaller companies too which are cool to support.
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Coffee Bombs!
Before a trip I take a large sized round basket coffee filter and put about 25g of ground coffee in it. I then cinch up the filter into a bundle use the guts of 550 cord to tie a collar. Usually I leave about 8 inches of the twine hanging off the bundle.
The result is essentially a giant tea bag, but with coffee inside. At camp you just have to boil water and then drop two or three coffee bombs in. The longer they sit in the water the stronger your coffee gets. Works like a charm.
i have also done the moka pot and am currently doing the instant route. for a while i was getting instant ‘packets’ from a Vietnamese supermarket that combined coffee milk and sugar (they have an ‘extra strong’ version), i got sick of the waste from the packet, ive done the Liard Hamilton instafuel (coffee and coconut creamer) but currently have my own ‘mix’ going on - instant coffee with mushroom powder and coconut sugar - for simplicity if thats simply. not sure really
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I have tried a lot of different methods for backcountry coffee. I have an espresso machine at home and have a high standard. I also don’t like much cleanup when I am out. Here are my picks:
-For backpacking: Starbucks Via - I tried these on a whim when I was trying to drop my pack weight and they are a solid option
-For truck camping: Snowpeak titanium french press. https://snowpeak.com/products/titanium-french-press-cs-111. I don’t know what it is about this thing, but the coffee is EXCELLENT. Better than the glass press I have at home and better than the MokaPot I used to use on my truck. Cleanup is a breeze. It is light, compact, and make enough to fill my small thermos for the morning so that I don’t have to make a second round after my first cup. I highly recommend this.
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I use a jetboil and a collapsible drip contraption with paper filters. I have a hand-grinder that I use sometimes or pre-ground beans. Depends on the type of trip I’m on. I’m a fan of pour-over coffee, that’s what I usually make at home.
I’ve used this same setup for several years both camping and back-country and it work great for conserving water. I buy biodegradable filters and bury them.
I’m surprised to see all the instant coffee folks. What about malt beverages? All those cans, bottles, six pack cartons… Such a disposal hassle. What’s next, instant beers?
I don’t really find the grounds to be an issue. Dunno… They go in the trash.
I find it way easy to just grab the bag of coffee that I already have at home an I’m all good. I like real coffee, but that just what I prefer. For those of like mind, the pour over gizwidget that I use makes great coffee. Anyway, do what you like; like what you do…
Peace.
I don’t actually drink coffee, but for you instant coffee and tea folks, maybe give this a look.
Shameless plug for a friend
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Personally I love the Aeropress. I use it camping and at home. Makes for a delicious cup.
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Also for camping and backpacking if you use a espresso grind the press can just eject little pucks of the used grounds and makes clean up super easy.
I am all about fast, light, and efficient when I typically use my camper. Premade food in containers to cut down on trash; flasks and growlers for drinks; bulk instant coffee to avoid dealing with waste; etc.
To each their own. Some people glamp, some people rough it, others in between.
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I’m definitely in the in-between group. I’m not a glamper. I like my coffee from ground coffee beans, though.
Peace.
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Thanks! They have a 10% off plus free shipping. Will give the sample pack a try.
Now if those other companies also had a similar offer…
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