Making Coffee on the Trail

Backpacking and camping, it's always a struggle to find a happy medium between quality of food and drinks and space. I've found this coffee recipe lets me make coffee easily and since you boil the water before putting in the grounds, you can use it for other cooking before making your coffee as well (such as oatmeal, which is my go-to backpacking breakfast!).

If you are grinding the beans yourself, a course grind (similar to preparing for a French press) is preferable.

Step 1 - Boil water then add grounds

Start by boiling the water and once you bring the water to a boil, turn off the stove and use any excess for other cooking, then add your grounds. Stir the grounds into the hot water, then turn the stove back on (no lid needed).

Step 2 - Bring back to a boil and create a foamy layer

Bring back to a boil, watching the coffee grounds rise to the top to create a foamy layer on the top (seen in the picture above).

Step 3 - Settle grounds

Once there is a foamy layer, turn off the heat and settle the grounds by either:

1. Hitting the bottom of the pot on a flat surface, such as the ground, several times, or

2. Using a pendulum motion, swing the pot back and forth, drawing the grounds to the bottom of the pot (as seen above).

At this point, the grounds will have settled to the bottom and the coffee is ready to drink! 

Enjoy!