Off grid coffee making options

[Road2Trails]

Hello fellow coffee enthusiast! We wanted to share with those of you who like to camp off grid or find yourself often without shore power how we make copious amount of coffee with no battery impact. We drink A LOT of coffee and for fear of an intervention we will just leave it at a lot, so we needed to come up with a way to make a large amount of GOOD coffee. We started with a large French press. It was a water consumer when trying to clean and we were spending a lot of time making coffee instead of enjoying our time enjoying the scenery.  Pour over was the next option but it too took a lot of “preparing” time UNTIL we found the  melitta 60 oz  carafe and pour over basket. We have a traditional percolating camping coffee pot. But is used for boiling water and only use it to make coffee in an emergency. It was hard to be consistent with taste and strength and keeping warm without “burning” it was an issue. I have attached pictures of our system. Hope this helps our fellow boondocking coffee drinking camping enthusiasts. 

Finding joy in every moment,

 

 

[SeaDawg]

 Nothing like a great cup of coffee!

 

[Road2Trails]

@SeaDawg amen and amen. 

[Mike and Carol]

That looks like exactly what we do with the same pots.  We have the same percolator pot that we use to heat water then pour over into an insulated carafe.  On days we’re on the move, the insulated carafe  goes into the truck for refills as we drive!  Mike

[SeaDawg]

We use a budget version of the same, last ten or 12 years. We use an old stainless carafe from a dead home coffee maker, and the bigger #4 filter size pourover cone.

We used the tiny #2 for a couple years, straight into the mug. Still use it (actually a collapsible silicon version which i still  carry when we rent campers outside the USA)

I love the coffee. So does Paul. I think he'd be happy if I replaced our more expensive home coffee maker with the carafe, cone, and tea kettle. It's the very best. But, at home, he's usually up first, and makes our coffee. Camping, he still gets up first, but takes the dog for a walk, while I get dressed and make coffee.

Life is a bit different,  at camp, but it's simply wonderful,  for us.

I'm counting the days to camping season, and camping coffee. The trailer smells so good when coffee is brewing!

 

[Guest]

For me it's espresso.  For camping I use the Cafelat Robot with 1Zpresso hand grinder. Home it's the Dalle Corte Mina with a Weber EG1. 

[Road2Trails]

You and my husband have a lot in common! I will Be sure he sees this. I am guessing we will have a new purchase for the camper. 

[Frank-n-Val]

Timely topic for us. Within the last month we’ve bought a camp percolator, primarily as a space saver for camping. However, to our surprise, it has greatly improved the taste of our morning coffee. So we’ve freed up counter space in our home kitchen and are looking forward to using on the road. It takes a little more time, but the coffee is worth the time. 

[Mountainman198]

Melitta Thermos Filter Cone into good ole Stanley Thermos. Makes great coffee and very little mess. 
 

for a single cup I use the Aeropress

[Landrover]

Great post.  We use the cheep black and decker 5 cup coffee maker. Easy to store, found it’s not to practical for camping no heating element to keep coffee warm. I like the ideas shown keep them coming. I’m looking to change coffee makers.👍🏼

[Trainman]

I've been watching "1883" on TV and they just use the old fashion way, coffee pot on the open fire, don't all campers do it that way.

trainman

[topgun2]

Cowboy coffee can be very good or very bad.  The longer you have been out on the trail, the more that you (and those around you) smell like campfires, horses, horse poop, saddle sweat, human sweat, etc., the better the coffee usually tastes.☺️

[SeaDawg]

The closest thing I've ever had to cowboy coffee was my grandmother's coffee, in a big white enamel pot on the stove top. No basket or filter. An egg and cold water settled most of the grounds, not all.

She and her brother used to turn the cup upside down after afternoon coffee, and read "fortunes." I only let my gramma read my fortune. Her brother's were always too dark...

Some people call it Swedish coffee. It was well known among all the Scandinavian folks (who all kept chickens, so the egg was "free")

[VBistro]

We have 2 set-ups -- aeropress and the little dripper.  For extended trips in a single location, we'll find space for the breville barista espresso machine!

mb

[Jstone]

Old backpacking habits die hard, and this filter is a survivor, which also turns out a wonderful cup of coffee. This GSI filter clips onto just about any cup, takes #2 or #4 filters, which allow for very little water for cleanup. I haven’t broken it in 10 plus years of heavy use(quite a feat for anything to survive my ham-fisted antics for that long). It weighs less than 1/2 ounce. I boil water and control the bloom easily… makes a great cup, every bit the equal of my Technivorm Moccamaster at home.

 

 

[Hokieman]

I’m getting some good ideas.   We keep it simple, and use a compact camping percolator on the gas stove, just like the ones Road2Trails and Frank-n-Val show in their pics.  We like our coffee strong and a little bitter, so that’ll do it.  Don’t stray too far from stove, or risk burning the coffee, but it’s easy.  Regarding Cowboy Coffee,  this guy is an expert.   I haven’t used his technique yet (no egg), but I want to try it soon.  https://youtu.be/7UAoT21eqXI

 

[Trainman]

Just kidding about the campfire coffee, our trailer has a small one cup Keurig.

trainman

[2008RN]

We also use the compact camping percolator on the gas stove.  I am still trying to get the timing down for good consistency. Haven't spent enough time on the road yet.  We also pre-grind the coffee before we leave home.  We have several different flavors at home to select from.  I do notice a difference between my grind technique and my wife and the outcome of the coffee.  About 17 years ago I decided that when the cheap $40 grinder dies I would buy a nice gear grinder.  Still waiting for the grinder to die.  I want to get the full life out of this grinder.

[Mike and Carol]

5 hours ago, 2008RN said:

We also use the compact camping percolator on the gas stove.  I am still trying to get the timing down for good consistency.

My problem with a percolator is also the timing.  I guess the more you use it the more exact you become?

[Frank-n-Val]

I’m still a novice (after daily use for a month), but I’ve found the following gives me consistent results: med-high heat till it begins to perk, perk for 4 min on med heat, remove from heat and let sit for 5 min.*
I’ve tried a couple different filters and no filter; I can’t discern a difference with or without filters. Letting sit for 5 min settles most of the grounds. However, because I’d rather not have any grounds in my cup, I pour through a strainer (pictured).

*I’ve always used medium ground coffee. I understand a coarser grind may require a little longer perk time.

[Fritz]

I've become quite fond of an Aeropress for coffee (https://www.amazon.com/AeroPress-Portable-Travel-Coffee-Press/dp/B07YVL8SF3/ref=asc_df_B07YVL8SF3/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366315314542&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2052564283732757323&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029602&hvtargid=pla-851550080547&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=84691874068&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366315314542&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2052564283732757323&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029602&hvtargid=pla-851550080547).  

For an Oliver mug I fill it up once and let it drip, fill it up again and press.  Fast.  Super easy cleanup.

 

[Jstone]

The nectar of the gods, fresh-brewed in the GSI filter.

[Nick and Linda Stratigakis]

We are set to leave on March 1 to take delivery on March 4. We will be traveling light leaving behind our bulky espresso maker. As an alternative we will have our stove top Bialetti 6 cup, which will do for the time being. It is not exactly what a counter top espresso quality cup is but it will be good enough.

[BlueHighways]

On 2/7/2022 at 5:20 PM, SeaDawg said:

An egg ……

Please explain. I get the cold water. But don’t understand the egg.

[Jim_Oker]

We love good coffee too, whether at home or camping. Once you grind coffee, a lot of the flavor starts being lost quickly if you don't brew asap. So a good quality small portable burr grinder is a must. We used to use a classic looking Zazzenhaus mill but after many years of use while car/van/trailer camping the burr was shot and not replaceable, so I got a Hario Mini Mill to replace it - it works reasonably well and has no glass (whereas the larger Hario mill has a glass bowl to catch the ground coffee - I'd prefer to avoid glass for a camping grinder...). 

For brewing, we both like the Clever Dripper. It looks like a classic filter cone type brewer, but it actually brews more like a french press in that the coffee sits in the cone extracting flavor from the grounds until you put the device on a cup/mug and then a stopper opens up and lets the coffee pour through. But unlike french press, it's as easy to clean as a simple plastic cone with a disposable filter and you get no grounds in your cup. You grind as for french press and let it sit for minutes in the cone with a stir partway through before letting it rip into the cup. It's definitely not for someone who want a high volume of coffee fast but it does make an excellent cup once you get your grind and timing down. We have two Clever Drippers so we can brew our own cups simultaneously (and do our own mix - I do mostly home roasted decaf which is better than almost any decaf beans I've ever found with the one exception being a now out of business small batch roaster/cafe on the WA coast). I love the espresso we can make at home but the Clever Dripper makes equally fine cups of coffee albeit in a somewhat different style.  https://www.sweetmarias.com/clever-coffee-dripper-large.html