Age Old Question: Best Cup of Coffee on the Trail?

[Dalton Cooper]

Hey all! I’m a quite good frontcountry cook and after buying a dehydrator recently, I’ve started eating a lot better in the backcountry too. That said, food-wise the only thing I haven’t really figured out is a good solution for backcountry coffee.

Instant coffee is so easy but I’ve found is either on the pricey side (like Starbucks) or tastes like diesel fuel. Since I’m kinda a coffee snob (not proud about it), the world of instant coffee is a mystery to me.

As much as I love french press and drip coffee, I hate clean-up, even in my apartment. Aeropress is appealing for weekend trips but the bulk and clean-up is somewhat discouraging to me. I have also been told by old-school backpackers (read: my dad, grandfather, and my best friend’s dad) that cowboy coffee is the way to go.

What’re some things that work for y’all and strike a good balance between economical, tasty, and convenient? Should I just suck it up and shell out for Starbucks instant coffee or is there another option I’ve completely overlooked?

[Bruce Tolley]

Here is my recipe (I think I adapted it from one Mike Clelland posted or had in one of his books.)

Go to a coffee shop that sells whole beans and buy your favorite coffee, ground for a French Press

Use two table spoons of coffee for each 5 to 6 ounces of water

Bring cold water to a boil. Turn off your stove. Slowly pour the coffee into the water. Let the coffee bloom just like your french press at home for 1 or 2 minutes depending on how much flavor you like.

Stir down the bloom. Hold a gold filter like the MSR MugMate above your favorite cup and pour your lovely concoction through the filter, thereby separating the grinds from your brew. Enjoy

For creamer I use Nestle Nido whole milk.

After the coffee grinds dry a bit, pack into a zip lock bag and pack them out.

 

[James Marco]

Much of the flavour of coffee is because of esters, organic acids, and other trace elements. Chlorinated water or high-mineral content water can change the taste. So, if you like fresh coffee (ground just before making a cup, using distilled water for coffee water, use glass pots, and so on) then you will never like the flat taste of instant.

I gave up on good coffee, simply making mocha or Marco’s Mud (oatmeal, cocoa, instant coffee in a 11oz aluminum cup.) I usually make 3 cups at a bit more than 10oz per cup, with the final 2 being mocha. Over the past 20 years or so, this has worked acceptably, I won’t say well. But, I am out camping, usually hiking, and have other things to do.

 

[JCH]

What James said!  Given that we learn to like certain tastes…beer, brussel sprouts, sauerkraut, etc…and we make coffee everyday using the same water, I’m betting that we have also learned to like that particular coffee flavor.  Change the water, change the flavor, why isn’t this coffee as good as what I make at home?

Expecting a good cup of coffee in the woods is like expecting not to get sweaty on a 20+ mile summer hiking day. Ain’t gonna happen.  I find Starbucks to be “good enough” and I’ve made peace with that. In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that ANY cup of coffee in the woods is a good cup of coffee…we are in the woods!

[Tom K]

Any method of making a really good cup of coffee in the backcountry is going to produce some degree of “mess”.  If that is not acceptable, then Starbucks Via is probably the best of a bad set of options, at least IME, which is admittedly personal.  My approach to cowboy coffee is the opposite of the coarse ground option mentioned above;  I have found a finer grind yields a more efficient extraction, due to the increased surface area of the coffee particles exposed directly to the hot water, thereby reducing the amount of coffee required.  The finer grind also packs down more efficiently, requiring less volume in your food bag.  For an ~12 oz cup of coffee, I add 2 heaping tablespoons of coffee ground to cone filter fineness(one step above espresso grind) to my cup, then heat the water until streams of bubbles begin to rise from the bottom of the pot and pour it slowly over the coffee.  Then I give the liquid a stir, cover, and wait about three minutes before uncovering, stirring again to sink the grounds, and sitting back to savor a cup of something very close to what I enjoy at home using a cone filter.  Of course, the flavor will vary with the water source, but I have found that there is some magical element in High Sierra stream water that seems to consistently yield an exceptional cup.  ;0)  When drinking coffee brewed this way, one must be careful to sip a bit more carefully as they get toward the bottom of the cup to avoid sucking up the “mud”.  This can be avoided by brewing in the pot, adding the coffee after the water reaches the proper temperature instead of as the first step, and then pouring the finished coffee into a filter held over a cup.  Either way, there will be cleanup, but for real coffee afficionados the result is well worth the effort.

[nunatak]

For me ‘good’ backcountry coffee needs to check other boxes than the snobby espresso I make Sunday morning at home.

1. Lightweight, ie no extra brewing supplies, no cup
2. No clean up, minimal waste
3. Fast and convenient, ie exact dosage, no careful pouring, no stacked balancing act
4. Acceptable taste

Therefore, 2 packs of Via per day.

[MJ H]

That’s pretty much my reasoning and choice also.  Except when cold, I like two packets in the morning and one with lunch.

[James Marco]

I have tried m”turkish” coffee, filterd and non-filtered. It is always a bit muddy. I agree, everything tastes better outside. But, coffee is still just coffee. It MUST be present, but it is very difficult to complain about since I travel between lakes, streams, and springs, with dark and bitter tannic water and clear “pristine pure” water bubbling out of the ground, and smelly sulfur water. Every day it is a bit different and unique out camping…

 

[BlackHatGuy]

Not a fan of Starbucks Via, I much prefer Mount Hagen organic instant. I don’t think it’s all that much more expensive than Via, if at all. Recommend checking it out.

[Roger Caffin]

The words ‘instant’ and ‘coffee’ should never appear next to each other.

Cheers

[Steve Collins]

My new favorite when it comes to backcountry coffee is Voila.  Yes it’s pricey. But it’s less mess than a pour over and less hassle than an aeropress – both of which I still use when canoe camping, but not backpacking

https://voila.coffee/

[Brad P]

It does come down to your willingness to deal with grounds, since LNT says you should pack them out.  Backpacking mag recently had some recipes to try for interesting flavored coffees. They’d be more for weekends than a long trip.

I guess I’m lucky to not be a coffee snob.  I mean, you’re accepting meals that you’d never eat at home. Instant coffee is far better than those meals.

[Kelly G]

I’m no expert at coffee, but I do love a cup on the trail. I appreciate the simplicity of instant coffee, and don’t find the other methods or equipment worth carrying. I’ve learned to appreciate the flavor of instant because I associate it with backpacking. I never have it at home.
Kelly

[Link .]

. THE BEAUTIFUL CUP: BACKCOUNTRY COFFEE FOR THE ULTRALIGHT BACKPACKER .

. COFFEE DISCUSSIONS OVER THE YEARS AT BPL .

[Roger Caffin]

grounds, since LNT says you should pack them out.
Frankly, I find that a ridiculous assertion. Coffee grounds are organic, the ground-up remains of coffee beans. In the wild the coffee beans would look after themselves on the ground, and either grow into trees or disintegrate. Scattered grounds will simply form part of the soil in a few weeks.

You (generic) don’t mind cut and formed trails, you don’t mind building huts at day stages, you don’t mind cleared campsites and steel fire rings, but you worry about a microscopic amount of scattered organic nut dust? Spare me.

And yes, I am a very strong supporter of LNT.

Cheers

[Steve Collins]

I know this is off topic, but must agree with Roger on this topic. As not only a follower but also a LNT trainer, I scatter my grounds.

[Dalton Cooper]

Hmmmm, so these might be the wrong takeaways but I’m thinking two things:

1. Stick with better-quality instant coffee for backpacking (especially lighter-weight trips) since the weight and cleanup of grounds isn’t really worth it and most things taste good on-trail anyways.
2. I shouldn’t have taken food from my canoe-tripping days for granted. It’s amazing what you can cook and brew when weight doesn’t matter.

[Steve Collins]

@dcooper – agree!

[Bruce Tolley]

@ Steve and Roger

LNT is an ethic, not a moral code, so you are free to follow your own judgment.

I am perfectly OK hauling my dried coffee grinds out and believe by doing so I am leaving less impact.

Cheers

Bruce

[Steve Collins]

Bruce – totally agree and would never fault anyone for carrying them out!

Steve

[James Marco]

Carrying out grounds is a matter of where/when you are. I don’t, usually. In the ADKs, I usually bury it. In a poplar/aspen forest “one time” camp, I scatter them. In snow covered areas, dryer areas and on mountains, I pack them out. It depends…

All of this is LNT.  As Roger says, they are just ground up beans. I use them at home as garden fertilizer, the grounds just get dumped in the mulch pile. They are not bad for the environment. As long as they are not a visible mess for the next person, all is good. Generally I switched to a bulk carry of instant, though. I simply count out the amount I need and seal the baggie, often using the same baggie half the season (through four or five trips.) This removes the individual packaging need and eliminates garbage to pack out. It might save a few grams in weight, never bothered to weigh it. Packaging is a problem and with all the individual use items, becoming worse. (At least one city has banned them…in Germany, I think.) Kcups, instant coffee, pre-measured filtered coffee pads, stand-up 1cup drip coffee, and so on…what the hell! I found and carried out 3 Kcups well into one of my trips…about 3 days in. Really??

[Roger Caffin]

they are just ground up beans. I use them at home as garden fertilizer, the grounds just get dumped in the mulch pile.
A local coffee shop has a sign advertising free used coffee grounds as a garden fertilizer. They add organic matter to the sandy soil.

Cheers

[Graham F]

FWIW I have putting my coffee grounds for over fifteen years, straight onto the soil under my lemon tree. I rub it around with my foot or a stick. The tree is thriving. You struggle to see the grounds.

Same out walking-crush the puck (I use an Italian 140 gram caffitiere in the cold) in your hands so it is all loose and scatter widely. When I leave a spot it is hard to tell I was there. On snow I would carry them out tho’, when I hit dirt, I would scatter. The earth seems to love them.

[Bruce Tolley]

Sorry gentlemen. I do not buy the argument that “if it is good for the garden, it must be good for the wilderness.” really aligns with the ethics of LNT.

To use such a rationale in support LNT is a very slippery slope. A substantial number of my backpacking nights are with middle school aged Boy Scouts who are learning from Mr Tolley even when he is not teaching. (Just to be hyperbolic) If I say my coffee grounds are just ground up beans, then why not spread our left over chili or even our left over lentil stew around the trees?

As I noted above, LNT is very contextual and we are supposed to use our brains.  Many of the posts above refer to “soil.”  At 7500 to 10,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada where I like to backpack, there is often very little soil and the bacteria and other microorganisms in such soil that decompose organic matter works VERY slowly.  I myself compost by coffee grinds at home where it never snows and the night time temperatures hardly ever fall below 32 degrees F. And the time for the grinds to decompose is days when mixed with active mulch but over a week when placed on top of bare soil.

I could see that if you are camping in a place where hardly anyone else goes and the soil is 6 to 10 inches deep, you could mix the grinds into the top soil and expect it to leave no trace because in less than a week the grinds would be decomposed.

But I can see lots of other scenarios and contexts where it would not be ridiculous to pack out the grinds. Bear country, just to name one example. After all, if you could pack them in, why not pack them out?

[Roger Caffin]

Bruce T raises a good question.

On day walks we usually take home-made wholemeal buns for morning tea and lunch. These do tend to create a few crumbs which we cheerfully dedicate to the ants. And yes, within 5 – 10 minutes the ants may be seen carrying the crumbs away very enthusiastically. I doubt there is much left an hour later.

Many of our granite alpine regions also have a good layer of soil, and many of them also have a good population of ants (sometimes a few too many!). Same considerations. We do not have vast areas of bare sheet rock in Oz to worry about.

You do get some very rocky areas in Europe where we have been walking, but again it would be rare for there to be no soil. Both granite and limestone can make good soil. So our practices are influenced by all that.

What would we do in an area of bare sheet rock with no soil? We have never had to answer that. Probably we would carry the grounds to a region of good soil and disperse them there.

Cheers

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