What’s the best way to make coffee while you’re camping?

This time of year, we’re all squeezing in our last camping trips of the summer. Hiking and adventuring, the outdoors – There’s so much to enjoy. You likely have your favorite ways of setting up camp, beloved places to go. The important question is:

What’s the best way to make coffee while you’re camping?

I personally have several different ways I go camping. So naturally, I have a different way to brew coffee for each of them. Here are our favorite styles of coffee brewing in the outdoors.

Family Style

When I go “family camping”, I bring my little camper trailer with, relatively, lots of amenities.

I use a stove top burner and an old metal percolator for brewing coffee each day. I love drinking coffee when I’m camping, so I make a large pot.

I put in a fairly coarse grind for this type of brewing. Once the water starts coming thru the small glass thimble on top I let it percolate for 7 minutes on a very low heat.

Some coffee roasts are more suited than others for this style of brew, as certain roasts end up tasting bitter using this method. Our Peruvian medium roast tastes awesome in this old school percolator – It’s incredibly smooth.

Minimalist

I motorcycle camp a lot, too, carrying minimal amounts of gear and physically small gear to fit on the bike.

For this type of camping, I use my Aeropress. This way, I only need to carry a cup, the Aeropress and a grinder. (Yes, I bring my grinder for freshness! I use the manual burr grinder that fits nicely inside the Aeropress.)

Personally, I like my coffee black, without cream, so I use a fine grind on the Aeropress to make the strongest brew I can. I add a small amount of hot water in the cup once the coffee has been brewed, to make something like an Americano. For this style, I love our Espresso Blend.

Car camping

Excursions that allow us to park the car nearby offer an opportunity to bring a few more amenities. In this case, my coffee brewing style of choice is a French Press — It’s simple, yet luxurious and delicious. With just a French Press, a course grind of coffee, something to make hot water and a mug, you’re good to go!

Our Mexico Full City Roast is perfect for brewing in a French press

Rubicon was built around a love of nature and the environment. Our compostable bags are perfect for camping – resealable, and available in both 1/2-pound and 1-pound bags. Shop online or visit us at the roastery!

Where are you headed this fall? Tell us about your favorite places to camp, and how you like to make coffee while you’re camping, in the comments below!