How to make camp coffee

Nothing says welcome to the great outdoors like the smell of coffee brewing. Okay, maybe it’s not completely synonymous with nature, but as an evolved species, we’re afforded the finer things in life. Enter: truly amazing coffee, served up right in the woods. Sounds pretty fantastic, right?

There are two main schools of thought when it comes to high-quality camp coffee: Aeropress or pour-over. We’re going to show you how to execute both so you can make up your mind for yourself. For both methods, remember to pre-grind your beans or bring along a hand-powered coffee grinder (smashing coffee beans against a rock is not an ideal way to start).

How to make Aeropress coffee: video

An Aeropress is a light and small device that makes coffee (crema and all) without electricity. It may sound complex, but we promise it’s not. There are two common ways to use an Aeropress: the inverted method and the original method. We’ll explain both, and the video below takes you through the inverted method.

Aeropress: inverted method

1. Fit the large cylinder and the plunger of your Aeropress together (without pressing the plunger all the way in) and stand them up on a level surface.
2. Add 1.5 scoops of finely ground coffee, or 1 scoop of espresso grind, into the cylinder. The funnel makes it easy to pour in coffee grounds.
3. Fill the large cylinder with hot water (use the numbered notches on the side of the cylinder to see where the maximum is) and let bloom.
4. Stir once using the paddle that comes with your Aeropress.
5. Let steep about one minute (or less, depending how strong you like it).
6. Place a filter in the cap and then twist the cap onto the top cylinder.
7. Carefully and quickly flip the Aeropress over, so it’s on top of your coffee cup and the holes in the Aeropress cap point into your cup.
8. Press down firmly until you hear a hissing sound.
9. Take a sip, and add more water if you made it too strong.

Aeropress: original method

This method isn’t that different from the inverted method, but there’s no flipping your Aeropress and you use the plunger last instead of fitting it on first. Here’s how it works:

1. Place a filter in the cap.
2. Twist the cap onto the larger cylinder.
3. Sit the filter and cylinder over your coffee cup, so they’re resting on top with the holes in the cap pointing into your cup. Drip a little hot water in to wet the filter.
4. Add 1.5 scoops of finely ground coffee, or 1 scoop of espresso grind, into the cylinder. The funnel makes it easy to pour in coffee grounds.
5. Fill the large cylinder with hot water (use the numbered notches on the side of the cylinder to see where the maximum is) and let bloom.
6. Stir once.
7. Insert the plunger into the cylinder and press firmly until you hear a hissing sound.
8. Sip and enjoy!

Coffee nerds can get very particular about water temperature; hot, not boiling, water is a good place to start. Try leaving your boiling water to sit for a minute or so before adding it to the coffee grounds. This lets the water cool to just below boiling point, which some experts will argue, improves the taste of your coffee. And, as you use your Aeropress more, you’ll be able to fine-tune your grounds to water ratio to customize your own perfect cup.

How to make pour-over coffee: video

Sweet simplicity. With pour-over coffee, you just set up your dripper and then (like the name implies) pour your hot water over the top.

There are tons of pour-over coffee makers to choose from, like the GSI Collapsible Java Drip, the Soto Helix Coffee Maker, the Snow Peak Collapsible Pour Over, and the GSI Ultralight Java Drip. Once you’ve got your maker, just follow these 7 steps:

1. Place your dripper over your mug.
2. Put a filter in the dripper.
3. Add coffee grounds.
4. Add a splash of hot water to bloom (see the note above about water temp – that applies here, too).
5. Add remaining water in a spiral motion.
6. Remove dripper once all the water has drained.
7. Sip and enjoy.

As you can see, camp coffee can be just as good (or better) than your coffee at home, and it’s impressively easy to make. The only thing you have to figure out is whether you’re an Aeropress or a pour-over person.

Happy camping!

Related articles

• A coffee addict’s guide to camp coffee
• Camping checklist
• Trying to convince someone to come camping? Show them this.