Coffee in the Wild – Unleashing the Barista Within on your Camping Trip

The smell of pine needles mixed with smoke from last night’s fire pit. The crisp air in the morning as the sun peaks out of the horizon of the mountains. You take in the scenery of trees and open fields as the world around you begins to wake up announcing the start of a new day. All is peaceful as you take a deep breath and start heating up some water to make some coffee…

Am I describing your camping trip yet? I think that’s how camping is in my head. The reality is that I’m typically waking up after a sleepless night because the kids kept waking up every two hours from all the the night time noises. Oh yeah, our tent doesn’t block out the light from the morning. So sunrise at 6:00am means that everyone is getting up already. I rub my eyes, roll out of the sleeping bag and help to get the kids dressed and out of the tent. I’m pretty sure I slept a little bit? Yeah, I’m going to need that coffee stat.

However your day starts on a camping trip, as soon as that coffee is brewed and in your hands, it can really help set the tone for the day. Now I’m sure there are many ways to brew coffee while camping, but I want to highlight what works for me.

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The Moka Pot – A Great Tool for Camp Coffee

I don’t want to get into the technical aspects of a Moka Pot in this post. It is a really neat tool, and we can discuss that in another post. But here are my reasons for choosing to use a Moka Pot on a camping trip:

• It’s easy to pack
• It’s easy to clean
• Pre-grinding your coffee beans cuts the prep time
• No extra hot water pot needed
• It tastes great

I have four kids that range from age 4 through 10, and I’m sure you know traveling anywhere with a large family means every space counts when you pack your vehicle. I’m also thinking of all the things I can do to lessen the amount of prep time while I’m out with the family. This brew method checks off these two items for me, and allows me to enjoy my coffee while unplugging and spending time with others at the campsite. Who knows, this could change for me in the future. But for now, this is what works!

What do I need to get started?

How do you brew a Moka Pot? Lets start off with what you need. But first, let me get this out there. Yes, I pre-grind my coffee for my camping trips. Although I am a firm believer in freshly ground coffee when it comes to brewing at home, I am also trying to not bring more equipment with me than I need to. Plus, when I am getting less-than-ideal hours of sleep at night, it’s nice to think that my past self has already ground up the beans for me.

• Moka Pot (The 12 cup version can serve 2 -3 people)
• Pre-ground coffee stored in a 32oz Ball Jar (medium grind)
• Burner (I use a Coleman Single Burner)
• Fresh water

Now that you know what you need, lets get to know the Moka Pot. To keep things simple, the Moka Pot is broken up into 3 parts: The upper chamber, the lower chamber and the filter basket (which goes right between the upper/lower chambers). Water goes into the lower chamber. Coffee goes into the filter basket. Then you screw the top on, and put it on some heat. As the water heats up and creates pressure, the hot water is pushed up through the filter basket through a tube and comes out the top into the upper chamber. Traditionally, a Moka Pot is used with finely ground coffee to make more of an espresso drink. But since I am using a larger 12-cup Moka Pot, and I am sharing with others, I can grind my beans a little coarser to a medium-fine grind so that you get a balanced cup.

Step 1: Fill the lower chamber with water

Using fresh water, fill the lower chamber with water just below the valve. Try not to cover the valve with water. Lots of pressure builds in the lower chamber when the water is heating up and the valve allows some of that pressure to escape.

Step 2: Fill the filter basket with coffee grounds

I’m typically grinding the coffee to a medium-grind for the Moka Pot. Something you might use for a pour over or drip coffee. The finer the grind, the more bold the flavor will be. You can use the scoop or your finger to lightly pat down the coffee grounds, but it does not need to be packed tight. Then put on top of the lower chamber and screw on the upper chamber to close it up.

Step 3: Turn up the heat and get ready to drink

At this point everything is ready to go! Put the Moka Pot on the burner, turn up the burner and listen. Once the water starts to boil you will hear the percolating through the filter basket and into the upper chamber. The total time on the burner will be between 5 – 8 minutes. It might be slightly longer if camping in colder seasons. Pro Tip: try to be patient. If you lift the lid before it’s done, it can make a mess and the hot coffee can spit out at your face. I won’t name names but I can tell you that this has happened to someone I know…

Once you hear more of a gurgling sound, the brew is complete and you can remove the Moka Pot from the heat. There are no secrets in this chamber, just some freshly brewed coffee. It will be really hot, so allow it to cool for a few minutes before you pour into your favorite camping mug and take that first sip of delight.

Final Thoughts

A few other reasons why this is a great camping brew method is that you don’t really need to measure anything (just more gear to bring). The Moka Pot is simple to use and doesn’t require precise measurements or a ton of equipment. It’s easy to plan my coffee for a camping trip with this method! Once you complete your brew and everything cools off, all you need to do is rinse it with water really well and you will be ready for the next coffee session. If you are planning a trip this summer, share your experiences with us on what works for you on your camping trip!