How to make GREAT coffee - not instant coffee - without electricity.
We choose to travel and camp in the GoneCamper conversion for a minivan for comfort, efficiency and frugality. Comfort means that we take as many of the comforts of home with us! One of those is a great cup of coffee in the morning. But when we leave home we also leave behind our programmable electric drip coffee maker. So how do you get great coffee in a campsite with no electricity?
Camp kitchen at Globe, AZ campground
On many camping trips I have survived by choking down a cup of instant coffee in the morning. The ONLY thing instant coffee has going for it is convenience. But the taste and fullness can never match fresh brewed coffee. Since GoneCamper is all about comfort, we have switched to an old-fashioned percolator!
This stainless steel percolator brews great coffee. We use the same grind as in our home drip coffee maker. Just add the desired amount of water to the pot, and the corresponding amount of fresh ground coffee to the strainer basket. Set the percolator on the stove and crank up the burner to high. Once the water starts boiling you will see steam rising from the spout and water "perking" into the glass dome. Now, reduce the heat until you get a nice rhythmic perk every few seconds. After about five minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot sit for another minute or two.
You're done! Pour and enjoy!
Making breakfast along the Kennecott River at McCarthy, Alaska
With a little practice you can also regulate how strong you brew the coffee by how long you let it perk and how much coffee you actually use. With a percolator like the one pictured above, you can not only make great coffee on the road out in the boondocks, but you are also equipped should the power go out at home.
You can find these percolators in some larger housewares departments - or even in thrift stores. Of course, this model and others are available online, too. You DON'T need a complicated "camping" coffee maker or press. People were perking coffee LONG before any electric contraption was invented!
"Camping In Comfort, Traveling Efficiently, Living Frugally"
