Hey friends! I think I got every way to make coffee for camping - did I miss your favorite? Now that I’ve talked about coffee, I’m thinking of doing a video on evening drinks you can bring camping or backpacking - fancy hot cocoa, cocktails, sangria. What do you think? - Miranda
Ranger Coffee: chew up some gum, stuff the gum with coffee grounds, continue chewing gum to release caffeine. It is no peppermint latte, but it will kill that caffeine withdrawal headache.
Ever since finding REI's youtube channel, I really like how Miranda went from being a product demonstrator to having her own segment. It's also funny seeing how professional she was in those product videos.... and now that she has her own show complete with bloopers and burps, we're getting the full Miranda experience now that she has been unleashed LOL
I 1000% agreee. I've felt intimidated when walking into REI, it seems like a world onto itself and I didnt even know where ro start. Miranda has something special - her love for the outdoors is sincere and her videos are approachable, informative, fun, and have stoked my interest to get out there and try some new stuff.
It’s all about personality and presentation and Miranda has a ton of both characteristics. She makes me chuckle and hope my grand daughters turn out just like her.
I was so excited that you had a percolator…and then you didn’t use it. A percolator makes wonderful coffee and there is no reason to exclude this method. The coffee pot is multipurpose (as you showed by making Cowboy coffee in it), but it can be used to steam or boil vegetables, boil water for tea, or to put in your naive energy bottle to warm your feet in your sleeping bag, or you can even bake muffins or scones in it. So, in addition to making great coffee, it can do all those other things too just like a Billy Pot. And, just like a Billy pot, it can nest many items in your pack. Let’s hear it for a percolator.
Giving Miranda access to unlimited coffee and then asking for comments on how to brew coffee seems like a great idea on how to boost the algorithms for this channel. Keep up the good work :)
I approve of your pasta water coffee, a true ultralight/ minimalist move that makes a former Marine sniper proud. It's about as alpha as it gets. I've also have done this in -20 degree weather to save gas. I recommend it. Don't ever change Miranda.
world citizen G yes but coffee is so strong it overpowers the salt. You don’t have to add salt in the water for pasta it just lowers the waters boiling point expediting the entire process.
Okay - I’ll fess up: I really like cowboy coffee!! In fact, when I was a Boy Scout, we’d add egg shells to the mix to help clarify the brew! And oh, BTW, how’d you feel after all that coffee!! - Dad
You let the cowboy coffee boil to long. It should boil for about 1-2 minutes max. When it does come to a boil turn the heat down slightly to keep from boiling over. If it's to strong add a tad more water. After a certain point of boiling the bitterness starts to leach from the grinds. Which is why you should not boil for to long. It takes practice but once you have cowboy coffee down you will never want to drink coffee another way
BackCountry Runaway Thank you for the tip! I’ve seen it where you let the water boil first and then add the coffee. Which method do you recommend? Thanks!
Bingo! She over-extracted the coffee by boiling it too long. Real nasty. The coffee rocket also seemed like its process over-extracts the coffee since it took so long, but not so much to be unacceptable.
I just don't see why you'd let it boil at all after bringing it to a boil. You don't continue to boil in a french press, why would you boil it for any more than a second or two?
My first thought was that this would be a pointless video to watch, but Miranda is delightful and I think I'll give Alpine Start instant coffee a test after watching this...so thanks!
I've never seen Cowboy coffee made that way, It's so simple, add desired amount of grounds to a cup, pour in boiling water and add just a few broken egg shells wait until cool enough to drink and don't drink the bottom.
Hah! Good video to show people different coffee making methods while camping. I've seen videos where some people went into a lot of detail about a particular brewing method, but this presents most of them nicely and I think many people can see the pros and cons quickly. Plus, I enjoy Miranda's approach to demonstrating these things. Oh, and her honesty, because most of us can't tell the difference between brewing methods by taste, but we know the taste of good coffee!
If you're gonna go for something like the "cowboy coffee", go for Turkish coffee in a proper Turkish coffee pot. The idea is the same. You simply have to pour cold water over finely ground coffee in the pot and bring it to a boil. But the shape of the Turkish coffee pot is meant to keep most of the grounds in the pot. Moreover, it's much smaller and lighter than the pot you're using.
I’ve never seen cowboy coffee made that way! I’ve always put the coffee grounds in the metal basket filter on the top and just water goes in the actual percolator. If you bring a filter for the grounds, it makes clean up a little easier as well!
Ok...it's confirmed, Miranda is not a Cowboy...lol. All together now can you say "filter holder". Instant is how I roll. I load up a 4oz nalgene bottle with my favorite coffee and the use the lid as my measuring device. No clumsy contraptions to take and no left over little packets to worry about trash wise. And I'm sure you can contest with instant, you're already rolling your way into breakfast while everyone else is still constructing their coffee for the morning. Great video, Thank You for the smile...🙃
One tip for instant coffee: you can heat the water you plan to dissolve the granules in to whatever temperature you wish to drink it. Where as the process of brewing a regular cup of coffee requires heat to release the soluble compounds from the solid coffee grounds into the water, instant coffee is basically crystalised versions of already brewed coffee therefore it only needs to be dissolved.
That’s a good point and it’s a great advantage. I don’t like brutally hot coffee, so I don’t need it to be boiled to that degree. I know people who like to use instant in Coldwater. I’m a big fan of the Starbucks via, although easy for travelling with, the packaging is wasteful.
Great video. A few more options you left out: 1) mini stove top espresso (google it to see the set up). I have taken these car camping and would take in a canoe, but probably not back packing. They work well, and you can get bigger options for car camping with multiple people. They are not true espresso though. If you want a decent espresso when camping the only option is... 2) a stove top Kamira - a specific Italian designed stove top espresso maker that pulls shots under pressure. It is fantastic and I use this at home daily. It replaced a fancy electric espresso machine as it makes better espresso... if you want to go all out and make lattes and cappuccino at the campsite you can compliment it with a stove top milk steamer. The minimalist options I use when camping and climbing are: 3) Turkish coffee, which is similar to cowboy but super fine ground coffee that is stronger and drunk from smaller cups and 4) My go to pure minimalist: Dump medium to fine ground coffee in the bottom of your cup, pour over hot water that just came off the boil (not boiling), give a stir if you want and then wait 4-5 min without stirring and tap the side of the cup with a spoon or something. This will make most of the grounds sink to the bottom of the cup. Then drink away until it gets too sludgy. You may need to spit out a few grounds that float, but much better than instant. Not boiling the coffee reduces the bitterness and makes decent black, unsweetened coffee
You forgot the best coffee maker for camping. The moka pot. It’s fairly small. It doesn’t require an additional kettle for hot water. Brews much quicker than a percolator. Clean up is much easier than a percolator. It’s easy to get consistent results.
I use the AeroPress for making coffee in the front country/at home and I love it. This summer I used instant coffee from a brand called Voilà and I really enjoyed that. AeroPress has a smaller version called the AeroPress Go, which I'm interested in testing on backpacking trips. It does come with a cup, stirrer, and scoop, but if I were to bring it backpacking with me, I would leave all the accessories at home because I already have a 16 oz Nalgene that I use as a mug and the spoon I eat with that I can use to scoop and stir. I would also grind the coffee at home.
Omg I am laughing so hard. I freaking love this video. "Bring your own coffee" 🤣 when I backpack, I take instead but when I car camp, I take a percolator. You need to turn it down and percolate it slower at lower heat so it doesn't get all those grounds everywhere. I don't add cold water. Just let it sit and pour coffee like normal. There is only a few grounds at the bottom.
I love cowboy coffee. You don't really have to do the cold water thing. Just wait a minute or two for it to settle then just gently pour it. Great content! This channel is a new favorite.
I don't backpack so space is not an issue for me. When I camp I take my GSI 14 cup percolator, a Stanley thermos for the extra coffee and my Bialetti Mukka Express. Once I was talking to the guy in the tent next to me and he said how much he would love to have cappuccino. I said you're in luck and I got out my mukka express and made him a cappuccino. What a treat to have in the middle of nowhere in the woods!.
Car camping: Buy the GSI Outdoors 3 or 6 cup stainless steel perculator. Makes awesome coffee in about 2 minutes. Make sure to buy the disc coffee filters thoughm only major disadvantage is weight. Backpacking, through hiking etc: you need something really light. Buy the GSI Outdoors ultralight coffee filter and some #1 cone filters. Weighs like 1 or 2 oz and witht he right pour-over technique makes great coffee.
@@lindasue8719 for car camping I use the Perc for making coffee. For backpacking i use a pour over technique with the ultra light filter and a titanium cup.
I've been anticipating this video since Miranda mentioned it on Instagram! Coffee is non-negotiable on the trail for sure, and I think I'd still stick with instant to avoid having to pack out grounds.
Coffee is non-negotiable for me, therefore I don’t take instant. 😜 I love my Java Drip, but I do take small filters along as well - the mesh allows the water to flow just a little too quickly.
For cowboy coffee, I would recommend coarse ground coffee. I use it all the time in the outdoors and it sinks faster to the bottom. In Sweden, it's called "Kokkaffe" .
I would like to add: coarse coffee from a home grinder. When I’ve gone to the coffee shops and asked for coarse grind it looks pretty much like all the other grinds!! When I did it at home, there were a lot of quite large chunks in it. Thank you for mentioning that. I’ve been wondering why I couldn’t repeat my earliest successful attempts with cowboy coffee.
We love using the aeropress for our outdoor backpacking trips. We’ve created a small, compact way to pack it and it produces an amazing cup of brewed carefully! Great video y’all!
Purchased a Travel AreoPress at the beginning of the summer and have used on three backpacking trips so far. It is a well thought out design that packs easily. It is a 3 cup vice 4 cup brewer, but that’s all I need. I also use it several times a week at home. Brews an outstanding cup ‘o joe!
I used the KUJU pour over filter bag, technical term, and it was pretty good. I read the instructions wrong when I bought it and used a bigger cup so it was a little weak for my liking but it’s easy and lightweight. About the cowboy coffee, I heard about some people putting egg shells in it to keep the grounds at the bottom, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Love the Aeropress! My travel coffee kit consists of the following: Porlex Mini hand grinder, Jetboil, and Aeropress - I have tried instant specialty coffee - it's ok, but not my thing. I do have the French Press adaptor for my Jetboil - but have yet to try it out. Pro tip: Get a metal filter for about $10 for your Aeropress and then you don't have to carry the paper filters - as well as - you should try the inverted method for the Aeropress - highly recommended. But I'm also a crazy coffee nerd. Thanks!
The orange thing with the black screen: I have 2. One for me one for my son. It will tilt so I just set It down on the cup with the coffee in it and pour the water on in. Pick it up by the legs after a little while. That way I don't get burnt again! Still luv it. It's a keeper!
You should 100% try Korean Instant Coffee. It is soooo good! It comes in similar packets as Starbuck VIA and also depends on which kind you get has the sugar and cream in the packets. My favorite is the Yellow or White packet of the Maxim brand.
im a huge coffee enthusiast, the GSI coffee rocket to me is my favorite to use while on trail, or on tour. You need to "bloom" first, so your first pour on the coffee rocket needs to just fully wet the beans, wait about 30-45 seconds, then do a complete pour. GSI coffee rocket for the win, for sure.
If you also want to up the ante on the grinder, I've been using a Timemore C2 grinder on the go since I dislike using the ceramic grinders (this uses metal burrs). Somewhat portable without going crazy on the price (certainly not as cheap as the GSI), but at least I don't have to spend hundreds on the Timemore Nano grinder (it's even more portable but more expensive). Then I just use an Aeropress GO since it's super compact.
I love my Aeropress for everyday use. I definitely wouldn’t take it backpacking though, personally. The instafuel is really tasty, but you do have to drink it fairly quickly, otherwise it builds up this stuff that sticks to your mug. I kind of prefer it though personally over instant coffee as too strong of black coffee upsets my stomach these days.
We use an Aeropress as our daily coffee maker at home and have used it many times car camping. But I prefer a Melita pour over for camping, and if I’m really saving space I have a plastic disc that has a mesh bag you put your grounds in, and it steeps in your cup. But all coffee tastes better when camping!
You could also carry along some sort of reusable teabag, such as a Coffee Sock, and throw it in a bottle or cup of water. The cons to this system are the steep time (actually not so bad if you want to brew some tea for lunch or a break while hiking) and the cleaning/refilling. Then there's Turkish coffee. Turkish is the only hot coffee I ever drink, but I don't know if I would want to brew it on the trail. there is minimal equipment required though.
Great job! As far as the cowboy coffee, yes, you have to watch it so it doesn’t boil over. It’s a lot of raising the pot or lowering the heat once it starts boiling. I add the coffee to the pot once it’s started heating up. Adding to cold is ok too. I’d only boil for about a minute, not 4. And if you add the cold water through the spout, that would also clear any grounds that may have boiled up into it. Hope that helps, and again, great job!
For backpacking, you just can't beat a quality instant coffee. I like it creamy and whole milk powder, like Nido, is great. For car camping, I just use a basic pour over.
The cowboy coffee is a bit different where i live. We call it the crook coffee (because that's how the inmates and low lives used to make it), but we put the grounds in the mug and just pour boiled water over them, stir, let sit and drink. To get rid of the grounds we just leave a tiny bit of liquid in there and swirl it around and then do a MAD DUMP. Boom, ground...less mug ready for rinsing.
I really enjoy your videos keep them up. I would recommend a different method on the aero press, which is my favorite method. Black rifle coffee company has some good videos on using it, and some accessories that help...no disposable filters. That said, its still a bit heavy and you have the grounds to deal with.
My go-to for the balance of easy to use, lightweight, and still surprisingly delicious tasting are the Kuju pour-over packets! Pros are they make surprisingly good coffee, are reasonably light weight, and are actually very easy to use - yes, there is still trash to throw away, but the process of tossing the wrapper and filter with grounds in your trash ziplock is much easier than washing out a whole pot or French press, or having to clean out and dispose of the grounds from a reusable pour-over device. Weight-wise they are pretty light, and as far as flavor goes, if you care enough to bring your own grinder, you get nearly as good a result with the nitrogen packed coffee in the filters, minus the weight of having to carry an actual coffee grinder. On the flip side of that, it’s definitely the best option I’d say for 1-3 day trips, since much past that, and your weight and size savings will definitely favor just bringing your own pour-over funnel/filter. On the flavor side, the design of the fine mesh and tall, narrow filter encourages you to pour the water very slowly, so it sort of forces you to follow the correct process to make a decent pour-over without even trying! 😁 On the con side, they’re fairly expensive ($2.50 per cup for their regular light/medium/dark roasts, and $3.50 per cup for their single origins, which IMO are the best), and although the filter (and grounds) itself is biodegradable, the packaging it comes in is not 😕. As far as the cost goes, I backpack just often enough to feel like it’s totally justifiable to spend a couple extra bucks to enjoy a decent cup of coffee on my backpacking trip (it’s still cheaper than a latte at Starbucks), and is totally part of the experience. Waste-wise, I’ll acknowledge that the packaging isn’t great, but I personally feel like my choice to dehydrate my own backpacking meals, vs buying the prepackaged stuff, balances that out well enough. As a final note, I personally don’t really like the light/medium/dark roast packets they sell, and totally think the Single Origin ones are worth the extra buck. So if you decide to give it a try, start with one of those first! 😁
I use the Aeropress when camping from my motorcycle, but I steep the coffee with the press upside down. Specifically, after putting the grinds in the Aeropress (which will be sitting on the plunger) I pour just enough hot water to wet the grounds, then after 30 seconds I pour the hot water in to the top, stir it with a plastic spoon (I don't take the stirrer or funnel that comes with the Aeropress), and then let it steep for about 3 minutes. After I put in the paper filter, I flip it right side up sitting on top of my cup, and when I press I just essentially let the weight of my hands press the coffee, rather than forcefully expelling it. I find this creates a more flavor-filled or "complex" cup of coffee.
When car camping, I use a stainless steel coffee press that I bought at REI years ago. I fill it about 3/4 full, which fills my 12-ounce mug twice. When backpacking, I use instant coffee. I usually get the singles from Starbucks, and use 2 packets for a 12-ounce mug.
Robert Timms Coffee Bags for the win... nothing else comes close for percolated rich taste, and all in the size of a teabag !.... different styles and strengths and even incudes decaf.
I've made instant coffee packets and whitener packets myself. Instant coffee isn't awesome no matter what brand bit it's coffee and it's easily packed. I cut up a mylar bag and seal the pieces with a hair straightener. 1 packet of coffee, one whitener and coffee is available at anytime with minimal weight and all that's needed is the canteen cup. Car camping it's percolator all the way. Best there is!
The best go with ground coffee for me is just to put two spoons of it into the mug, pour the water. Wait. Drink. Whatever's left on the bottom, spin around, turn upside down to let it go. Use a single paper tissue to clean the mug. Sorted. Thank you for sharing the video :) Have a good time camping!
In Sweden we have special coffee for "cowboy coffee", called kokkaffe - since this is the traditional way of making it here. It is much coarser ground, unsure if that is all though. So that might be a good one for next time. Although aeropress has been my favorite on my travels since 2015.
haha i just watched the pasta coffee video and said...what the?!..haha. yes Aeropress all the way 4 me, and FYI they have just brought out a new "camping" Aeropress, which has its own plastic mug and it all packs down really well :))
Who ever hated on you for using pasta water for coffee, obviously has never spent a significant amount of time outdoors. I applaud you, keep up the good work. This Army veteran will keep watching. 👍
I drink too much coffee, and my favorite to go coffee is this instant coffee/creamer from a brand called G7. It's an Asian type coffeee but it's really good and strong.
The quickest way is to grind beans of your favorite coffee -Mine AA Kenyan Blue Mountain -- is with a filter. I use a gold filter (in place of paper filters) over my cup and put the right amount in and add hot water just after it has boiled and there are no more bubbles in the water. Finish with powdered milk to taste. Voila -- it is simple and easy and tasted damn good --
When I've done kokkaffe (boil-coffee in English), I've always first brough the water to a boil, then added the coffee, and put it back on the head to just brint it to a boil again, and then let it steep and sink for a few minutes on the side. Then you get a great cup.
aeropress is one of the best with modification, like leave everything but the plunger stuff and the scoop and pick up the filter from fellow, its a super robust system at home or out in back country
For YOU,whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!! For me? I'm happy with grocery store instant, some powdered creamer and a little turbinado sugar. That can be spiced with a dribble of Irish Whiskey in the evening. Yes, have a grinder and an AeroPress and I have improvised pour overs by poking tiny holes in a beer can in a pinch and I've set a little 4 cup percolator on my Svea 123. I've made Cowboy coffee in a Cowboy coffee pot! And all of it produced what I needed. Coffee!! I enjoy nice stuff ,including extra good coffee. But I DETEST dealing with coffee grounds. And often ounces of water to clean the pot or whatever are precious. Mindset matters!! I can be grateful for a strong,sweet cup of instant with creamer in the morning. Enjoy what you have.Most Backpackers have a boiling pot and a mug. Add a small,fine mesh tea strainer. . With a little practice,you will learn how much coffee and boil time for what YOU like to boil up on your pot, Then pour it through the strainer into your mug.
best instant coffee's are in Asian groceries, along with instant milk teas and other cool drinks, including Thai milk tea. For some they might be sugary though. Vincafe is a favorite of mine.
Try making cowboy coffee by boiling the water first, remove from the fire pour in the coffee grounds slowly (hot water is alkaline, coffee is acid so it will foam up) put it back on the fire, turn the fire down to simmer for about 5 mins, depending on how strong you want it. Take the pot off the fire and pour in cold water let it settle. You don't need as much coffee for cowboy coffee as you do for a pour over.
areopress is the best. For light weight, you can use those tea bags and fill with freshly ground coffee and soak it in hot water for a few minutes. Or those little paper coffee drip bag doing drip coffee.
Fun video! Not sure I'd ever use a big ole coffee pot for backpacking though, but I've had good cowboy coffee while car camping before. Have you considered the Jetboil with it's French press accessory? It easily absorbs into the kit to take up no additional space. Just a thought... loving your channel!
Thanks, Scott! That's an excellent option for backpacking and a great add-on accessory, especially for those with the Jetboil MiniMo, SUMO and SUMO TI cooking systems. Have you noticed any flavor transfer when boiling water/cooking other items, or do you use a cup exclusively for your coffee?
@@rei I use the GSI insulated mug for my coffee and teas. Typically I only boil water and make coffee in my Jetboil and haven't noticed any transfer to my dehydrated meals. I only carry the Jetboil kit in my hammock rig (usually overnights in warm weather). I admit to using high potency instant coffee when I backpack (Deathwish) and packing my Toaks pot and BRS stove instead. 🙂
Biolite is neat the way everything fits, stores in the pot - battery, burner so to speak, french press. Not light though. Makes good coffee. Instant coffee less mess though
I did the aeropress for a while, which worked fine except for how much space it took up. My favorite coffee company started making coffee bags like tea bags, and I like what I've tried of that. I have yet to try it backpacking but I think it'll work well
I use a ceramic cone from Hario to make pour over at home with Trader Joe’s already ground coffee, so get cone shaped filters on sale. Then for car camping (or cheap hotel camping while traveling) I take a cheap collapsing silicon cone, and fold the pointy end of paper cone filter one inch up so it fits where it is made for Muleta filters. I don’t care for instant coffee.
Jiva Cubes. Easiest and best coffee on the trail when you don’t want to bring any extra gear. French press/pour over if I’m car camping and want a great brew.
So I think you technically used the Aeropress upside down. I have a couple, one at the office and one at home, but I also use it upsided down like you did which really just makes it a pour-over. I believe the correct way is to put the plunger in and remove the filter holder and stand it on the table on the plunger. Pour in coffee and water and let it steep and use the stir device part way though. Then put the filter cap with a filter on and turn it over your cup and push all the water through.
