Smelling the coffee

Wake up and smell the coffee was my Granddad’s favorite expression when what he meant was that it was long past the time that someone should have been paying attention to events and circumstances around them.  It was an expression I often heard when he was lecturing me.

In terms of the Great Outdoors, smelling the coffee can be a wondrous event.  It can turn a cold and dreary day into something wonderful.  It can attract a potential new friend faster than anything in the world, as the aroma drifts outwards through the woods and campground.  It can fuel conversations, mend frazzled nerves, and restore confidence.

Fresh brewed coffee doesn’t have to be something you ONLY enjoy at home.  It also doesn’t have to be the foul tasting and murky stuff that I’ve tasted at many a campfire.  It can go glamping, car camping, or even backpacking with you.

There’s a number of low-tech ways to make coffee in camp.  The simplest is what we always called “boiled coffee.”  Ground coffee, preferably a coarse grind, was simply dumped into a pan of water, brought to a boil, simmered a minute or two, and then a cup of cold water was added to the mixture to “settle the grounds.”  If you don’t like chunks, some kind of straining arrangement is best.  It’s simple, but it’s not necessarily the best camp coffee you’ll ever drink.  The cost of this method is actually zero–you can use any pot out of your mess kit.

The percolator travels well for car camping or glamping, and perks cheerfully on a camp stove or camp fire.  It isn’t quick, but it is best for a group of several avid coffee drinkers, as it makes more cups at a time.  These pots range from small 4 cup versions to massive 16 cup ones, and come in a variety of materials such as enameled steel, aluminum, and stainless steel.  While they aren’t the cheapest, the best percolators for camping are the stainless steel, and with reasonable care, they will last for a lifetime of campfire coffee.  The costs of pots vary according to the quality of the pot, but the cheapest run about $14 on up to over $50 for large stainless steel pots.

For a single or couple, especially if they are fond of drip coffee, the simplest method is a portable filter holder (Melitta makes a plastic one for under $5)  This handy gizmo looks somewhat like a misshapen cup on a saucer, but it is designed to perch on top of your mug, hold a paper filter and ground coffee, and then be filled with boiling water.  The boiling water soaks the grounds and then drips out into your mug.  While it’s not the fastest–it takes a minute or two for a mug full of coffee to drip through, it does mean each and every cup is totally fresh.  There are also some versions with metal mesh “permanent” filters, eliminating the  need for disposable paper filters.  Coffee quality is good and they are compact & lightweight enough to fit anywhere, including a backpack.

For the coffee connoisseurs, there are stovetop expresso pots and coffee presses, capable of delivering coffee capable of making any barista proud.  These also range in price from about $15 for the least expensive models, on up to over $100 for more expensive versions.  A bit heavier than the filter holder for drip coffee, they can satisfy the gourmet coffee drinkers in the Great Outdoors.

For truly gourmet coffee, grinding it fresh for each batch is essential.  This too is possible, with hand held grinders.  GSI makes one version designed specifically for the backwoods gourmet.  I’ve not used them myself, so I can’t say whether they truly can achieve expresso-fine grind or the coarse grind a press requires, but something in between is certainly possible.  There again, the gram conscious backpacker isn’t going to be thrilled with the additional weight of these coffee accessories, but they do exist and they are small enough that divided among a small group, are certainly possible to take on the most strenuous of hikes.

So, wake up and smell the coffee…every day while camping!