Coffee is said to be the most popular beverage in the world. Why wouldn’t it be? It is probably just as versatile as water. You can have it pure, you can have it with lots of sugar or cream, you can have it with some ice and whipped cream–the possibilities are endless, really when it comes to coffee. And the best part is that it is literally everywhere. You can get it from a store along the highway, at the mall, at the grocery store, and you can even make your own mix at home. But what if you go camping? You will not be able to find a nice coffee shop with a barista that knows your “usual” in the forest if you go camping, will you?
Luckily, there are many ways to easily make yourself a warm cup of coffee in just a few minutes whenever you go out to camp with your friends or your family. If you want to make coffee without having to build a fire or without needing to use electricity, then you can bring hot water with you in an insulated container and use the methods presented here.
Steps to Prepare Camping Coffee Quickly
1. Instant Coffee
This is probably the fastest way to make your camping coffee–in fact, it will probably take you less than a minute.
All you have to do is buy a packet of your favorite brand of instant coffee–which is usually in powder form–before camping, bring it with you, and mix it with some hot water once you are ready for your caffeine fix while you’re in the middle of the forest.
If you go for this method, you will save a lot of space and money. You do not even need to have other coffee-making tools. All you need is boiled water and a mug! There is no special technique when using this method, and it boils down to how good the instant coffee you bought tastes.
2. Aeropress Coffee Maker
The Aeropress coffee maker has been gaining fame for the past few years and good reason. It is a pour-over and a French press in one. It is pretty affordable, it does the job quickly, and it makes your coffee taste good.
With this coffee maker, all you have to do is put in your coffee grounds, soak them in hot water for about one minute, stir, and slowly press the plunger down. Add some water if you wish. Pretty easy, right?
3. French Press
Using a French press is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to make great coffee on your own. The best part is it produces richer-flavored coffee. To make coffee using this method, fill the bottom with coffee grounds, add hot water, stir, leave it to bloom for a maximum of ten minutes (the longer you let it steep, the stronger your coffee is going to be), and push the plunger down. Pour and enjoy it!
French presses are often made of glass, but fortunately, there are French presses available in the market today that aren’t as fragile as the typical ones so that means you can enjoy camping without having to worry if your French press will break!
4. Coffee Bag
This technique is very much like the instant coffee method–and it will also take you just a few seconds–and the only big difference is that the coffee is placed in a small bag like a “teabag.”
All you have to do is pour hot water into a mug and throw your coffee bag in. Let it steep for three minutes, remove the bag, and have a drink!
This is a really quick method and in addition to that, it does not require you to understand how to get a coffee-making tool work! You can even make your coffee bags using your ground coffee if it isn’t already available in bags and you don’t want to bring other coffee gadgets while camping!
5. Pour-over Method
Making camping coffee by the pour-over method makes great-tasting coffee.
To make a cup, pop your pour-over cup open, line it with a filter, and add in the coffee. Set this on top of your cup. Then, pour hot water over your pour-over cup such that the coffee is saturated. Leave it for a while, then add more water.
There are many pour-over coffee makers available today that you can easily fold or flatten so that they wouldn’t occupy too much space in your bag.
6. Hand-powered Espresso Maker
We are so lucky to live at this point wherein you can make an espresso even without a machine. As it turns out, you can make your cup of espresso anywhere–yes, even in the forest if you are out camping–with hand-powered espresso makers.
To use one, put some hot water in the espresso maker for half a minute, add in some ground coffee, let it settle, and then begin pumping. You can pour it into the cup once you notice that there’s a brownish layer on top.
If you are not into manually controlled tools, this may not be for you, since this may require some effort and some skill. But you’re going to be okay once you get the hang of it. Besides, it’s quite fun making espresso manually, instead of just pressing a button, because it makes the coffee you make all the more special.
Conclusion
Oh, coffee–where could we possibly be if it weren’t for it? It gets us through long nights, it wakes us up in the morning, and keeps us awake during the day. Being away from home, work, or school when you go camping might make you think you will be deprived of coffee and that might sadden you especially if you love it, but that doesn’t need to happen! Your camping coffee can be just as good as the ones you always get daily, and you can even make it in a shorter period when camping!
Andrea Vaso
When Andrea is not writing, you’re most likely going to find her drinking coffee, reading a novel, or watching medical dramas. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and as of this moment, she is attending medical school.