Sipping on a cup of quality java deep in the backwoods will be one of the richest and most fulfilling experiences you can ever have! Almost biblical!

You are 20 hours from your car, or perhaps a 5-hour float plane flight from the closest electrical outlet, and despite this, you are now savouring a mug of the best coffee consumed by any human…ever and anywhere!

A percolator makes great coffee but is heavy and uses lots of fuel

Maybe not true…but somehow everything tastes better in the backwoods. No one knows why…it just does.

So you combine this little backward culinary mystery with your proven love for the bean, and your camp coffee can be….or shall I say, will be…an eagerly anticipated experience each morning.

It’s hard to appreciate the intensity. You approach your fresh steaming mug of joe with a quivering lust. You gently brush the java chalice against your lips. But you don’t drink. It must be savoured. Ever so slowly, and with the patience of a Kung Fu Monk, you tip Joe’s holy grail towards your cake hole and as the magical liquid passes your taste buds, your eyes roll back and flutter with ecstasy. This is followed by uncontrollable twitching and a deep exhale of pleasure… REPEAT!

Ahhhhh…Awwweeee.

GSI’s JAVA PRESS is light, easy and makes great coffee

Drinking the joe is the easy part. Making it…not so much! The following are some of your options.

Camp Coffee Options:

• Percolator – A coffee pot designed to percolate is often a heavier option, however to some the extra poundage is worth it. They make a great thick rich tasting coffee. They may possibly be the best ‘tasting’ option, however, they do require long boiling times, which translates into heavy fuel consumption. This coupled with the fact that they are both heavy and bulky would suggest that they may not be the wisest choice – CONCLUSION: A percolator makes great coffee but is heavy and uses lots of fuel
• Drip Filter – Super light. They come as an attachment to your coffee cup or water bottle. You simply fill the container with ground beans and then pour hot or boiling water over the beans. When the water passes through it fills the cup with the magical brew. Easy and lightweight however the taste is often on the weak side. Very little fuel is used and there is some cleanup required. – CONCLUSION: A “drip filter” is light and easy but the flavour is not as rich
• Press – The press is either a dedicated device or an attachment to your coffee cup or water bottle. Place the ground beans in the device and then pour in boiling or hot water. Let it stand for 5 minutes and then press the grinds to the bottom. Either pour the coffee into a separate cup or drink directly.
  

  The “new” instants are light, easy and surprisingly tasty. The lightest option.

  The taste is excellent and very little fuel is used however there is some cleanup required.  CONCLUSION: GSI’s JAVA PRESS is light, easy and makes great coffee

• Cowboy – Coffee soup! Fill a large pot with water, and ground coffee, and bring to a boil….the longer you boil the stronger the taste. When ready, remove from heat and add a very small amount of cold water. This will help the grinds sink to the bottom of the pot. They scoop out the coffee from the top of the “soup”. The deeper you dig the crunchier the coffee gets. The second option for reducing the grinds is both fun and dangerous. Find or elect a brave (crazy) camper in the group who is willing to spin the pot filled with molten coffee soup in circles over his head. The grinds will be forced to the bottom of the pot by centrifugal force. Then scoop out the coffee from the top of the “soup”.   CONCLUSION: if you like it chunky, this is your style
• Instant – until recently this was not an option for any self-respecting coff-aholic. However with the introduction of the “micro-grind” instant coffee by Starbucks a couple of years back…everything has changed. They are easy, light, have no clean up and taste great. At least great-ish. Now instant is good enough for me!   CONCLUSION: The “new” instants are light, easy and surprisingly tasty. The lightest option, but you sacrifice taste.
• AeroPress – If you are a coffee perfectionist, this is your style. The press is super tough, moderately light, and easy to clean and you make a high-quality expresso, latte, expresso and Americano.   CONCLUSION: A little more bothering, yet the coffee is second to none.

Conclusion

The choice is ultimately yours and depends on factors such as the type of camping, location, equipment and space…however for me my first choice is the press, and if space and weight are a serious issue…I have no reservations about the “new & improved” instant – don’t tell anyone!