Get Your Caffeine Fix While Camping Using These 3 Simple Methods (Watch Video)

Picture this: You arrive at your favorite campsite, set up your tent, and feel excited to spend a glorious weekend in the woods. But there’s a problem: Your campsite doesn’t come with a coffee maker — or Keurig or kettle or fancy espresso machine. How will you wake up every morning and prepare yourself for a long day’s hike without a steaming cup of joe? It turns out, you can get your caffeine fix even in the great outdoors. Use these tips for brewing fresh coffee while camping.

How to Make French Press Coffee While Camping

When camping, it’s best to leave your coffee machine at home. Try bringing along a French press instead — since it doesn’t need to be plugged into an electrical outlet, it’s extremely portable. The OXO Outdoor Campgrounds French Press (Buy from OXO.com, $25.99) has an 8-cup capacity and features including a removable protective case for easy cleaning and shatter-resistant carafe.

You should also consider buying pre-ground beans or grinding whole beans at the campsite with a manual burr coffee grinder (Buy from Amazon, $39.98).

This step-by-step guide from OXO brews about 4 cups (32 ounces) of French press coffee:

1. Add 10 tablespoons coarsely ground coffee beans to French press.
2. Fill to top with hot water (between 195 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit) and stir grounds.
3. Place plunger and lid on top. Wait 4 minutes.
4. Gently and slowly press plunger down. Pour a cup and enjoy!

How to Make a Single Cup of Coffee While Camping

If you’re the only java lover on a group camping trip, it’s probably not worth packing an entire French press. Instead, make the perfect cup of joe using single serve coffee bags from Wildland Coffee (Buy a 4-count sampler from Wildlandcoffee.co, $9.99).

Closely resembling tea bags, each pouch contains real ground coffee (not the instant kind) in either a medium, dark, or extra dark roast. Here are the company’s recommended directions for brewing a coffee bag:

1. Heat 8 ounces water to a near boil.
2. Place coffee bag in insulated camping mug. Pour in hot water and steep 8 minutes (or longer for more intense flavor).
3. Once brewed, remove the bag and enjoy.

How to Make Cold Brew While Camping

Since it’s summertime, cold brew is a winner if you’re looking to sip a refreshing beverage on humid days.

Making cold brew takes longer because the coffee beans need to brew in chilled water for several hours. However, it’s worth the wait — the coffee will have a smoother and less acidic taste than if you were to use hot water.

This recipe from Dennis Perezn of the BlackTieKitchen.com utilizes a French press and a 7:1 ratio of water to coffee to make a rich and flavorful cold brew.

(Note: When camping, gently place the French press in a large, deep cooler and allow the coffee grounds to brew there until you’re ready to serve. Also, keep any leftover cold brew stored in the cooler afterwards.)

Ingredients:

• 4 ½ cups slightly chilled water (distilled or filtered water recommended)
• 5 ½ ounces coarsely ground coffee beans

Directions:

1. Add coffee grounds to French press.
2. Pour in water.
3. Using a spoon, make sure all grounds are wet — no need to stir vigorously.
4. Place plunger cap onto French press without plunging it.
5. Set French press in cool place on counter 10 to 12 hours for standard brew time. For more intense flavor, let sit up to 24 hours.
6. Once brewed, slowly press plunger down. Pour coffee into separate serving pitcher and enjoy.
7. Place leftover cold brew in a cool place like a cooler or fridge for 3 to 4 days.

With these coffee making tips, keeping your energy up on an adventured-filled camping trip should be a lot easier. Soak up those scenic views with the help of some java.