Off grid coffee making options

[Boonter Jeff]

Italian stove top expresso maker.  Makes an authoritative brew but then you had hot milk or other “white” stuff.  Works well for me and you don’t need electricity (assuming you have a way to grind coffee or, as I do, grind some before leaving home).

[SeaDawg]

11 hours ago, BlueHighways said:

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

It helps keep the coffee grounds together. If you're tempted to give it a try someday, here's a recipe:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/egg-coffee-2952648

 

[Spike]

On 2/6/2022 at 5:02 PM, Road2Trails said:

melitta 60 oz  carafe

Yep, we are very happy with this one also. It keeps the coffee hot, easy to pour, and a nice clean appearance to match the interior of the Ollie.

[Steve and MA]

21 hours ago, Jim_Oker said:

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

X2 on the Clever Dripper.  It's what I use to fill my travel mug daily before heading to work. It's perfect for making one mug at a time, and it works well for camping. I use an old Hario burr grinder too, but slightly modified.  I replaced the knurled nut and hand crank with a 10mm acorn nut.  We keep a small cordless drill on board anyway, so might as well use it.  

 

[Geronimo John]

On 2/7/2022 at 6:12 AM, Trainman said:

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 I think you have pretty much determined the line between camping and glamping.  For over 50 years of trail and tent camping I used an ancient perk pot that was my Grandfathers.  That pot has black camp fire stains permanently embossed on the bottom half of the pot.  Only God knows how much coffee I wasted due to boil overs.  Or how many times that same pot had been used to heat water for my lady's morning routines.  Still have that pot.. way too many memories to let it go.  Will keep it until the day the cows come home because it always works no matter what. 

Two nice parts about an old cowboy campfire coffee pot.  First is that you can add more water for the slow to get up sleepers... while the real cowboy who is up at first light gets to enjoy the "First Run" brew.   Second is the Coffee Eggs.  I have "Brewed" many dozens of coffee eggs along the way.  Funny how the sleepy heads only found one egg in the pot.  Meanwhile i had enjoyed the others with a bit of salt, and some Tabasco.  Sure  will fire you up for the day.

But alas as I too have been assimilated into the Ollie World, I carry a four cup electric pot.  It is fired up first thing each morning,,,,, regardless of my old Lead Acid batteries state of charge.  My priority was a great cup of hot coffee.  So,  I enjoy my coffee first, and then would worry about my SoC.  Now with lithiums, I don't have to worry about that either. 

In lots of ways, I miss poking the fire embers and watching that ole Cowboy Coffee Pot work it's magic.  Not to mention the smirk on my face when the sleepy heads discuss who gets that one egg in the pot.   

PS:   Keep the egg shells as they are still useful for reducing the acid taste for follow-on pots.  🙂

[StephB]

I'm a one-cup-in-the-morning gal and hubby does not drink coffee.  I'd like to skip bringing anything big or electric, and the French press is too acidic for me, so I've been on the hunt for a non-electric, easy clean, no effort coffee (I appreciate an excellent brew but I'm not picky).  I found this - MyJo single cup coffee maker online.  Yes, it is a "made for TV, Presto" product, so I may be wasting my $25, but I'm going to give it a whirl. It takes Keurig cups or reusable pods you can refill.  If anyone has feedback about this little gadget it would be appreciated!  Plan B is a filter #2 pour-over set up.  

[topgun2]

In case anyone is still sitting on the fence THIS article might help.

Bill