Camping Coffee....

At home, we have our nice drip coffeemakers, or a French Press, and now days those strange little pod things that make coffee and cost a whole bunch of money. When you are camping out , you get to make "cowboy coffee" or "camp coffee", as it is sometimes called. While you can even do this in a plain old saucepan type of container; it is much better if you have a genuine camping coffee pot. It even looks more like official camp coffee when it is made in one of these. A camping coffeepot looks like one of those old-style percolator pots that worked on the stove top, except there is no percolator in it, it is just the pot with a pour-spout.

1. To make coffee, you let the water heat up
2. Once it starts boiling, then you dump in several scoops of coffee which will make it boil even faster and come right over the top if you aren't careful about adding in the coffee grounds.

Some people put in an eggshell, which is supposed to stop the coffee from boiling over. Since I always wanted my coffee long before I had cooked any eggs; I never had an eggshell to test this out with.

Then, you just let the coffee simmer for a while, depending on how strong you like the flavor.The old cowboy rule was that when a fork will stand up in the coffee, then it is ready to drink. I have never waited that long to see how good cowboy coffee actually is, and am fine with just drinking it rather than having to use a fork.

 

LOL I just take instant and drink that. Making camp coffee is more work then I am willing to do. My other option is to bring a small percolator or a small coffee pot and a solar plug. I got to have my coffee! LOL

 

Truthfully, I think that taking a little container of instant coffee along in the camping trip is a great idea! You don't have to worry about any of the problems of trying to heat the grounds and make coffee that tastes good, and not too bitter from boiling the grounds too much. If I were going to go camping anymore, then instant coffee is exactly what i would do, as well as a few tea bags, and some hot chocolate mix. Then, you could have whatever you want to drink when you are relaxing around your campfire.

@campforums, here is a picture of an actual camping coffee pot. As you can see, they look like a regular stovetop percolator, but there is nothing inside the pot like a percolator has.

 

They even have coffee in tea bags now. That makes it even easier. I got those before, for me they were a bit weak and I had to use 2 per cup but it is still good. I only get them for camping now. I always forget to bring Hot Cocoa when camping. Which is funny because I love Hot Cocoa before bed.

 

The coffee "tea-bags" comes in little boxes just like teabags come in. I think the brand that I have seen might be Folgers, but I am not 100% certain of that. I believe that the coffee bags are a better flavor than the little instant coffee sticks that you are showing us; but they are a little weaker unless you can let it steep quite a while.

I think the directions are to steep it about 5 minutes. Obviously, if you are sitting around the campfire with the little bag in your cup; you will be drinking lukewarm coffee if you wait for 5 minutes. You almost need to have it on a little pan on the stove to let it steep long enough to make a decent cup of coffee. Since the little instant coffee packets you are showing can simply be poured into hot water and drank right away; I actually think that they are a better choice for camping, and they would also take up less space to carry along as well.

Taster's Choice is an excellent quality brand; and I don't think you can find a better quality instant coffee than this.

 

Folgers and Maxwell House make them. Your right though, they do taste better then the instant sticks but are weaker.

Here is how I make a pot of it that is pretty good. I put 6 bags in the pot and start the boil. Hard boil for about 5 minutes. Let sit for 2 minutes. If you like it even stronger, after pouring a cup... put in another bag and let steep for 2 minutes.

My boyfriend likes his Military Style... if the spoon isn't standing it is not strong enough. LOL So far he hasn't complained.

 

I was thinking that it was really strong, too; but then I remembered she said before that she used 2 bags for a cup of coffee. I am pretty sure that the six bag coffee is for a whole pot full, although I am thinking that would make 3-4 cups the way she makes it.

I like my coffee with flavoring in it, and I especially love the flavored coffees, like chocolate raspberry truffle. Sometime, I mix the powdered creamer with some chocolate powder (Nestle's Quik) and add that to my coffee. If I were going to trnasport it on a camping trip, I would also add a few scoops of instant coffee to the mix and carry it along in one of those plastic freezer bags. They are stronger than the little flimsy sandwich bags, and they have a ziplock seal, so they would travel well, and just need hot water for a cup of scrumptious coffee.

 

Sometimes I take hot cocoa with me and sprinkle some in for flavor. It taste pretty good. Other times I just take a little container of Pumpkin Spice and sprinkle some of that in.

 

For me? Perked coffee - at what ever level you desire. Dark, rich, light, heavy brewed, thick, enriched; but whatever is decided I just gotta have that stunning aroma of fresh brewed wholesome coffee permeating the wilderness air. It's that come on over and you are welcome to join us fragrance. Its that sweet odour that beckons you rise and shine to greet the new day. It is as inviting as a crackling fire. A fold up camp chair will invite you to come sit awhile, relax and warm your hands with a steaming cup of coffee on a cool evening.

I rest my case.



MY STYLE

Sorry Dudes..........there is no way you're gonna beat down a coffee man.

 

I will not drink coffee at night and try to avoid any other beverage accept a small amount of water. I just hate getting up in the middle of the night.

This is especially true when you winter camp. It is more valuable to have a cup of soup or some other nourishing food stuff - you have a sustained warmth before retiring. True - I will not get up in the middle of the night anyway because I have a night bottle and don't have to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag.

Dude....we don't need to hear about that.

 

I was young back then, but I remember my uncles were big coffee drinkers. They use to get up before the sun did and would be prepping their coffee before they head out to go fishing. I couldn't understand it back then, but as I got older I could see how coffee can get you going in the morning.

 

...don't leave home without it.

 

How to make bad coffee

See #4 LOL

 

I think that I have just become forever spoiled with my favorite coffee! A friend in my senior forum posted about the coffee he was getting on Amazon and how wonderful it was, plus the great price. He gets what is called 'Foolash Goulash" by Coffee Fool. He said that it is different mixes that they have extra at the end of each day, but always fresh coffee, and always a great flavor.

So, I went to Amazon to have a look-see. Oh, my goodness!! They make every kind of flavored coffee imaginable, as well as the regular blends. They also do clearances on the flavored coffee (which I totally LOVE) and some were less than half the regular price.

I went through the list of discounted ones, and ordered several. They were add-on items; but I needed to order more dog food for Chipper anyway , so between the dog food and the coffee; there was enough to qualify for the free 2-day shipping.

Believe it or not..... I am now trying "Chocolate Pumpkin Pie" flavored coffee. Yes, I know that it sounds crazy; but this is amazingly good coffee. It has a rich chocolate flavor, enhanced with an aroma of pumpkin pie.........mmm, delicious. (next I will be sampling Blueberry Cinnamon, or maybe the Creme Brulee)

 

If you can ever find it, raspberry coffee and Kahlua go great together. I'm not much on flavored coffee, but that combination kinda hits the spot.