# Camp coffee...



## upnut (Aug 31, 2004)

A guy at work gave me a single-serving instant coffee packet to try, just the right size for camping. Got to thinking about camp coffee, one of the best aromas on earth, with the possible exception of bacon sizzling on the camp stove. We used to have a stovetop percolator I may have to dig out, just to see if perked coffee is as good as I remember. Instant is so much easier, but.....

Any camp coffee recipes ?

Here's the packet I'm going to try:










Enjoy!
Scott B.


----------



## Lindsey (Jan 22, 2000)

No particular secret to stove top percolator coffee. Buy a can of your favorite coffee and perk it up. Let it perk until the coffee looks dark enough and have a cup. It might take a couple of pots to find the right balance of coffee, water and perking time for your particular pot. Sure does make a cabin smell good.

We keep the single serving coffee that comes packaged like tea bags in camp. Folgers, Maxwell House and others make them. http://www.kraftbrands.com/MaxwellHouseCoffee/our-brews/Convenience/Pages/Singles.aspx I think they taste better than instant coffee does. 

We take a thermos of hot water into the woods. One of us can make coffee with a single serving coffee bag. Another can make a packet of hot chocolate. A third can make a cup of tea. The empty thermos doesn't need cleaning.

Might not be economical if you are a large volume coffee drinker but handy if you are the only coffee drinker in camp.


----------



## chamookman (Sep 1, 2003)

Fresh Perked coffee on a camp stove, is one of Lifes GREATEST pleasures ! I'm fortunate enough to have an OLD perculator that that came from My parents cookbox - Many years ago. Use filters (poked over the stem) to help with clean-up. C-man


----------



## wintrrun (Jun 11, 2008)

chamookman said:


> Fresh Perked coffee on a camp stove, is one of Lifes GREATEST pleasures ! C-man


When i first saw the title on this thread I thought the same thing C-man.
There is no better way to start the day IMO with a little fresh perked camp coffee. Kinda sets the tone for the whole day.


----------



## NittanyDoug (May 30, 2006)

I picked up a nissan thermos style french press the other year. Makes great camp coffee! Take boiling water, coffee and 4 minutes. It's a much richer flavor.


----------



## Priority1 (Feb 5, 2006)

Cleaning a thermos or coffee pot is easy with hot water and a tablespoon or two of automatic DW detergent. Just let it stand until the water is slightly warm, then rinse. This works well with pots and pans also. Don't use it on your seasoned C.I. pans. I can smell and hear that old percolator going. I haven't had perked coffee in years.


----------



## kenz (Apr 13, 2010)

I don't drink coffee (never cared for the taste--I know, I know :lol: ), but I remember when I was young my dad would take a coffee pot, like the cowboy style, no percolating, fill with water and coffee grounds and bring to a boil. Take it off the fire and throw a cup or so of real cold water in it. Shocks the grounds to the bottom. Then drink away. I suppose one could filter it, if desired.


----------



## Craig M (May 17, 2000)

wintrrun hit the nail on the head.

Just like C.I., never wash out a percolator, just rinse it out. The older crew at camp would sever one's head doing such a thing! :tsk: It rakes a long time to get things seasoned just right.


----------



## Shoeman (Aug 26, 2000)

It's pretty hard to beat a coarse grind and a press


----------



## NittanyDoug (May 30, 2006)

Shoeman said:


> It's pretty hard to beat a coarse grind and a press


It makes a coffee a whole new experience.


----------



## RGROSE (Jan 16, 2005)

Starbucks just came out with an instant coffee, comes in single serving packets. Seems like they will be great for back packing


----------



## upnut (Aug 31, 2004)

Instant coffee has come a long way(my Dad called it instinct coffee)....but I'll tell you this. We found the old Comet 4-cup percolator and I've brewed a couple pots....it absolutely FILLS the kitchen with a rich coffee aroma unmatched by instant or drip methods. And tastes good too! It looks like this one, only smaller:



Looking forward to some grouse/deer-camp coffee!

Scott B.


----------



## Mitchell Ulrich (Sep 10, 2007)

That is the exact same packet found in the military MRE's!

A little taste of hunting memories no matter where your stationed.


----------



## Mister ED (Apr 3, 2006)

A little hint on using the single serving packets (or any instant coffee/tea) ... use the proper amount of water!

The biggest taste problem with instant coffee that is encountered ... people using too much water or too much coffe ... particularily since most do not measure when making ... and no two coffee cups are the same nor are the small spoons from the kitchen drawer really a teaspoon. That instant is very concentrated and a being a little off on the water or coffe will have a huge impact on taste. As an example, there are machines that will meter the usage of both water and instant coffee ... you can hardly tell the difference between fresh brewed and instant, in that case.

As for the 'fresh perked' smell ... that comes from the volitale oils in the coffee beans. In many processed coffee operations those by-product oils are skimmed off and referred to as liquid gold ($$$). On Nescafe/T.C coffee that oil is replaced into the container, upon filling the freeze dried powder. This can be smelled when a new jar (of instant) is first opened ... but dissapates LONG before you ever get though the entire container.

I would think that the diff in smell from real perked coffee to the drip coffee probably has more to do with the temp of the water going through the grounds than anything. Although the diff in temp is probably small between the old perculator and the auto drip ... my educated guess is, there is enough of a temp diff that the volitile oils are more readily evaporated into the air with the slightly higher temps of the perc method.

I spent the first part of '09 in an instant coffee plant. Needless to say I found the entire proccess pretty interesting.


----------

