Making Coffee At The Campground

Brewing Coffee Campground Style

There are a number of ways to make a good cup of coffee, but the way most people expect is to use an automatic coffee pot. While some campsites have electricity, where is the fun in making coffee just like you make it at home. If you want to brew a cup of coffee on your family camping trip, you need to do it the old fashioned way. That means that all you need is some water, a pot and coffee grounds, oh and a good fire.

Start With A Good Campfire

Once again, we are going to go old fashioned and boil water directly over an open fire. Once again, you could get a hot plate or a portable camping stove, but that is fat too easy. No, we are going to go old school and cook over a fire.

The trick to making coffee over a fire is getting the hear right. You would not want a big roaring fire as you would probably do some damage to at least one of your limbs. What you want is a small, hot fire with ample coals. Once you get your fire burning, allow it to burn for a few minutes so that you get some nice coals started. You can then arrange your coals, carefully, into a small ring shape at the edge of the fire. You now have a perfect resting spot for a pot, one where the heat will be nice and concentrated.

Now Brew Your Coffee

With a good fire burning and an appropriate bed of coals at the ready, it is time to start making some good coffee at the campground. Fortunately, this is not a complicated process. Simply add the appropriate amount of water to the pot and place the pot over your coals. Once the water comes to a boil, add your coffee grounds. How many grounds you add will depend on how you like your coffee. In general, a heaping tablespoon of coffee grounds should be added for each 6 ounce of coffee you plan to serve.

Once you add your grounds and give them a stir, all that is left is to wait. In about 6 or 8 minutes, you will have the perfect cup of coffee. Well, perfect except for the grounds in the bottom of the pot.

Dealing With Coffee Grounds

If you want to go full mountain man or woman, just deal with the grounds. Simply add an ounce of cold water to your pot and most of the grounds will settle, allowing you to pour a few cups. You will likely still wind up with some grounds in your cup, but that is camping. It is part of the fun.

If you really can not stand the grounds, you could try to filter your coffee in some way, but this will likely leave you with a bit of a mess, lots of coffee on the ground and perhaps a burnt hand. A better option to go ground free is to choose another less camping oriented brewing technique.

Other Ways To Brew A Cup Of Coffee

Even if you have electricity available to you, it is going to be best to avoid the automatic coffee maker. Could you do it, yes, but it would be a lot to carry, even if you are car camping.

Enter The French Press

The second best method for making coffee would be a french press. If you have never used one, it is basically a device that lets you make a traditional style cup of coffee and then strain the grounds with a built in stainless filter.

The first step in using a french press is boiling some water. Do so just like you would for a campfire cup of coffee. Once your water is at a boil, add coffee grounds to the french press, add your hot water and let it rest for 4 to 5 minutes. You can then insert the plunger and press down, trapping the grounds at the bottom of the press. You now have a ground free cup of coffee.

Should you decide to go the french press route, look for one in plastic. Glass containers are a big no no around a campsite.

Settling For Instant Coffee

But what can you do if you really don’t want to deal with the headache of making coffee at the campground? After all, you are probably dealing with kids, the family dog, making breakfast and a dozen other things.

Well, if you want the simplest route and you are not a purist, there is always instant coffee. Just heat some water, add a few teaspoons of instant coffee mix and stir it until it dissolves. It is a nice and easy way to make coffee at the campsite, but its not going to taste that great. Sometimes you just need caffeine in a hurry though.