Camping is a great way of relaxing away from the busy city. Nothing feels better than being surrounded by nature with a cup of coffee in hand to help you destress.
In some instances, you are not allowed to light a fire due to environmental concerns, or you just simply don’t have access to fire-starting materials.
If you are having trouble making that much-needed cup of coffee in the middle of your camping vacation, don’t worry.
There are still many ways to brew without the need for a fire. Whether you want to enjoy it late at night or early in the morning, a great cup of hot coffee will surely be satisfying.
No fire? No problem!
While there are a lot of ways to make camping coffee, it’s almost hard to imagine brewing one without a fire nearby to boil your water. You just need to have a plan ahead and know your way around things to be able to pull it off.
Here are some of the ways you can make a camping coffee without the help of a fire:
1. Bring a propane grill
If you are planning not to start a campfire at all, you can plan ahead on what materials to bring that can be handy while you are out camping.
Bring a propane grill and a pot. Just by having those two materials with you can save you the hassle of starting a fire in the mountain or woods.
You can heat up the grill using the propane can like you would normally in the stove, and boil water on it. It’s a fast and easy way to brew a cup of coffee for you and your buddies. No need to make a fire from scratch. You can also use a butane backpacking stove for this trick.
2. Prepare hot water beforehand
Boiling water before camping is a wise choice since you won’t need to heat water in the middle of nowhere. All you need is your trusty thermos and you’re good to go.
It will keep the temperature of the water hot enough for hours on end and you won’t need to spend too much time boiling your water while camping.
A handy thermos is one of the most essential items you can bring on a camping trip. If you ever feel the need for a caffeine fix, you can simply bust out your thermos and pour yourself a warm cup of coffee. It’s literally that easy so don’t forget this for your next camping trip.
3. Use a portable water heater
Whether you are an avid coffee drinker or not, a hot cup of coffee will be appreciated by everyone in your group.
If you have a portable heater, it can be a great way to boil water that you can use for your camping coffee. Just make sure that you also have a source of electricity such as a small generator to power up your water heater.
Having a portable heater can also be handy in many other ways. You can use it to boil water to sanitize your materials or cook small meals for you and your friends.
4. Solar cooker anyone?
If you are on the fancier side of things, glamping as what most people call it nowadays, you can purchase a solar cooker that you can bring with you. Even though it might cost you the first time, it will eventually be useful in the long run for all your camping trips.
It doesn’t matter where you would want to set up a camp, as long as you have easy access to bright sunlight during the day, you will be fine.
You can recharge your solar cooker in the morning and save up its energy so you can boil your water and make a warm cup of coffee during the cold night.
Different Ways to Make Campfire Coffee
After ensuring that you now know how to boil your water to make coffee without needing a fire, you can try out these different ways to prepare an aromatic cup of coffee while camping:
1. Instant Coffee
This is the most basic way you can make your coffee and it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Instant means lesser hassle preparing it so this can be your best option in certain situations.
The packages for instant coffee are easy to bring during camping trips and won’t take up too much space in your backpack.
2. Traditional Camping Coffee
This is a method that is famous among backpackers and campers since it is easy to prepare and can bring warmth to anyone. It is also better than instant coffee as it can yield more flavor and strength.
All you need to do is place six teaspoons of coffee grounds into your pot and pour three pints of cold water into the pot.
After doing that, place the pot into your heating station and bring it to a boil. After boiling, remove it from the heating pad and let it sit for about 3 minutes. Then you have a traditional camping coffee ready to be enjoyed.
3. Cowboy Coffee
There are campers and backpackers that stay outdoors for a week with just a few materials with them.
If you are one of those people, you can make your coffee the cowboy way. This is the simplest way to make a cup of coffee using only the limited resources that you have with you.
Get your kettle ready and place it on your campfire or if you don’t have one, use whatever heating source you have with you.
Bring your kettle to a boil and remove it from the heat source while stirring it to cool it down. Add two tablespoons of coffee grounds 30 seconds after removing it from the heat.
Let it rest for 2 minutes, and then stir for another 2 minutes. You can see the coffee grounds settle at the bottom by this point. Pour your coffee into your mug while carefully making sure that the coffee grounds stay at the bottom of the kettle.
Jomar Teves
A blogger by day, a tech enthusiast by night, and a downhill mountain biker at the weekends. After four years in business school and working for multinational clients, Jomar believes he can improve the world through his writings. Jomar has six years experience as a writer and is a graduate of the BSBA Entrepreneurial Marketing program. His work has been published on Clutch Points, Blokt and iTech.