The Perfect Camping Coffee Pot?

If it wasn’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever ~ David Letterman

Coffee. It’s a staple. A luxury. Even a necessity for most. Coffee all by itself is pretty darn awesome. But enjoying a rich, hot, steamy, bold, cup of Joe as you’re watching the sun peeking up over the horizon, its rays delicately bleeding through the wispy clouds and towering pines on a cool, breezy, camping morning… well, that’s probably the next best thing to perfection. But it does beg the question – what’s the very best way to make your morning taste of Heaven? Which one really is the perfect Camping Coffee Pot?

There are almost as many ways to make coffee when camping as there are stars in the sky. Well.. not quite that many, but there are TONS of ways to make coffee at the campsite. And I’m pretty sure I’ve tried them all. Like most things in life, there are pluses and minuses with each coffee brewing method. So, the real answer to the perfect camping coffee pot question is…. it depends! (Don’t you hate answers like that?)

Camping means different things to different people. On one end of the spectrum is the pitch a tent in the middle of nowhere with no access to cell phones, iPads, or even a bathroom camping. On the other end is the gotta have my water/power/sewer hookups to I can watch my 40 inch flat screen and run my microwave, a/c, and slow cooker all at the same time “glamping” camping.

I’ve done them all, and pretty much everything in between. And I’ve made coffee in every one of these scenarios. The key is to use whatever method produces the best coffee given the situation and leaves you with the least amount of mess. So without further adieu…

The Guide to The Best Camping Coffee Pot (for you!)

• The Classic – The Old Fashioned Percolator. I’ve made many a percolated pot of coffee right on the grates of a morning campfire. Now, I know there are tons of folks out there who swear by that method; I’m not one of them. Perhaps I never mastered the technique, but it always tasted like a cup of sludge that I scraped from the bottom of my shoe. It also seems to make quite a mess (and I really don’t like messes)! But…. for those of you who do like sludge and messes, here’s the best camping percolator I’ve found.

• The Ever-Popular French Press. True coffee fanatics love this method. The coffee poured out of a French press is strong. Really strong. If you’re looking for something to jolt you awake, this is it. (Just keep in mind that this one, too, can be a bit messy to clean.)

• The Good Old Reliable Drip Coffee Maker. Yes, this is perhaps the easiest of all the brewed coffee methods. No muss; no fuss. Using high-quality coffee really makes a difference here! The downside…? You most definitely need a source of power – either a big noisy generator or you best be plugged into shore power. But if you’ve got either of those, then you’re good to go!  Cleanup is pretty easy too!

• The This-Can’t-Really-be-Instant-Coffee Cofee. Starbucks Via Instant. I’ve blogged about it before. I’m sure I’ll blog about it again. This is hands-down the easiest way to make coffee at your campsite. And believe it or not, it’s actually quite good! Surprisingly good! How can instant coffee be this good? Well, leave it to Starbucks to figure that out. But they most definitely did! I certainly recommend this for you tent campers – it takes up almost no room, only requires a bit of hot water, and virtually no cleanup. It can be a bit pricey, but let’s be honest… I’m pretty sure most of you would pay a nice chunk of change to have your morning engine-starter. (And these are only about 60 cents, so really not that bad at all!)

• The All-Around Perfect Camping Coffee Pot – The Pour Over. So this is it! This is my choice for best camping coffee pot. If I only had to get one method of making coffee, this most definitely is it! Yes, this method has been around for years, but it is only recently gaining in popularity. In fact, it’s steamrolling in popularity. (I first came across it watching one of my favorite camping and boating bloggers and YouTubers – Gone With The Wynns. I highly recommend their blog and YouTube Channel!) Just heat up some water with whatever heat source you’ve got (campfire, camp stove, even your microwave if that’s what you’ve got), put the cone filter full of rich coffee grounds on top of the pot and slowly pour the water into the cone. Savor the smell, then savor the taste. Pour over coffee is spectacular! It takes a wee bit longer than a few of the other methods, but the quality is unmatched, there’s very little cleanup, and most importantly there’s no electricity required, so it can be used virtually anywhere! I have the 10 cup insulated stainless steel version so we can make one large pot, then get fresh, hot coffee for hours!

Well, now you have no excuse! You can have an amazing cup of coffee no matter how or where you go camping! I have and use every one of the above-listed ways to make coffee (hmmm… I’ve gotta be honest, I don’t really use the percolator anymore, but I do still have it!). But I’ve noticed that my go-to camping coffee pot is definitely the pour over. Plus it looks cool, doesn’t it?

P.S. Want to know what I use at home? (You already know the answer to that if you follow me on SnapChat (Find me @TheSpicyApron).  This little beauty! (Yeah, I’m a little spoiled when it comes to coffee… 🙂 )