One of the most wonderful sensations, when you are on an adventure in nature, is waking up surrounded by amazing hills, dense forests, and the sounds of birds while enjoying a fresh coffee.
However, many of the hikers usually carry in their backpacks a can of instant coffee that does not satisfy that instant of pleasure as it should be.
Thinking about it and based on my experience in mountain trips, we have prepared a review and some surprises about the best camping coffee maker, which will give you a delicious cup of coffee when you are outdoors.
Camping coffee machines vary greatly in size and complexity. In addition, some manufacturers incorporate more durable elements in their manufacturing materials and even develop more complex technologies to take you to have an experience of delight in the taste. Anyway don’t worry, you will always find a cheaper alternative whose quality satisfies you.
The most compact and easy to pack camping coffee machines usually drip coffee machines, there are both folding and non-folding. They are light and easy to assemble, the only thing that the preparation time of the drink will be a little longer.
Conversely, the less folding or portable models are the least tedious to use. Again the choice will depend on your tastes and needs.
Top 4 Best Camping Coffee Maker Picks
- #1 AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
- #2 Primula Coffee Brew Buddy
- #3 Planetary Design Table Top French Press
- #4 Farberware Classic Yosemite 8-Cup Percolator
Most camping coffee machines do not require a special water container. They only need very hot water. If you have a coffee machine that works with propane, you will require a bottle of that specific fuel. To do this you must carefully review the manufacturer’s instruction manual.
Moreover, a French camping press is designed to brew coffee by pouring high-temperature water directly into the device, pre-filled with the coffee granules on the bottom. Therefore, it is not intended to be placed over a campfire since they would damage the part and void its warranty.
If you are looking for the best travel coffee maker, you are in the right place. There are many products available on the market. However, you can simply purchase a product without carefully understanding what to look for in the backpacking coffee maker. Read on!
Best Camping Coffee Maker
If you are like us, adventurers of camping trips, you will agree that both the aroma and the taste of a good morning coffee is essential to obtain the necessary energy and start an exploratory day in the surroundings. However, for this, you need the best camping coffee maker or a travel coffee maker. So, here is the list of best backpacking coffee makers. Continue reading!
1. AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
- Professional-Grade Coffee Right at Home: A household name amongst baristas and coffee enthusiasts worldwide, the...
- Goodbye, French Press: No more bitterness or grit. The rapid brewing of the AeroPress Original eliminates bitterness and...
- Travel with Your Coffee Gear: The AeroPress Original is lightweight, compact, portable, and durable. The included...
AeroPress Coffee Maker is one of the best products available on the market. It is a new product, which brews coffee in ideal conditions such as total immersion, proper temperature, and rapid filtering.
The result you see will be incredibly delicious coffee with different flavors. Also, there is no bitterness after you have brewed the coffee. The acidity level is likewise very low. So, this is a product you can carry in your backpack and enjoy hot coffee at the campsite.
Not only you can use this product in camping, boating, backpacking but you can also use it in your kitchen. This is the best travel coffee maker because it is lightweight, durable, and compact. This coffee maker is a zippered nylon tote bag thus it is an easy-to-travel product with a bag of coffee and coffee maker. You can pack over 300 replacement filters.
- 1-3 cups brewing in less than a minute
- Fast brewing
- Maintains high temperature
- Keeps the coffee hot for hours
- None
2. Primula Coffee Brew Buddy
- The coffee brew buddy provides a convenient single serve cup of coffee.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Fits most cups or mugs.
Another best product on our list is Primula Coffee Brew Buddy. It has an incredible and ergonomic design, which means you can place it in your backpack. It can drip down into the cup as well as act as a teabag. Thus, it is the best travel coffee maker you can find on the market.
The product lets the coffee contact with the hot water for a longer period of time. This way, you can get the most balanced flavor. We have personally used this best camping coffee maker and the coffee it brews is not only high in quality but also hot enough to drink after a few hours while exploring the wild.
It is not only simple to use but at the same time, it is a compact coffee maker. It is made of high-quality material, which makes it sturdy in the harsh conditions. It is important to know that using this product, you can easily pour hot water from your pot into your small basket.
Keep in mind that this coffee maker can keep a small amount of water at a time. However, if you refill it, it will overflow quickly onto the top and likely make a mess. Besides these downsides, this coffee maker is an easy and quick way to make a delicious cup of coffee. It is light enough for backpacking.
- Easy to use
- Simple design
- Affordable
- Store a small amount of water at a time
3. Planetary Design Table Top French Press
- The French Press by Planetary Design is stylish, functional and durable--perfect for every day use!
- Planetary Design's new patented Brü-Stop ultra-fine mesh press screen technology provides a flavorful, clean brew that...
- The double-walled, vacuum-insulated, 18/8 restaurant-grade stainless steel provides superior insulation and durability...
Another best camping or travel coffee maker on our list is Planetary Design French Press. It has an easy-to-use design and the material from which it is made is quite sturdy. This makes it a durable product and ideal for camping. You can make 6 cups of good coffee in less than 5 minutes after you have boiled water.
The design of the product is simple and well-thought-out. It has a sleek style, a large handle, and a push plunger, which you can easily push. When it comes to cleaning and maintenance, this is the best product.
We have personally tested this product and the coffee it made was delicious. It does not make any mess or produce bitterness after brewing. So, this is a product that you can make coffee and serve up to six people at a time. This is why many people call this product a group camping coffee maker.
- Stylish and Compact Design
- Durable and Easy-to-use
- Affordable
- Some users have reported bitterness
4. Farberware Classic Yosemite 8-Cup Percolator
- Classic coffee maker: Make delicious coffee morning or evening with The Original 8-Cup Farberware Stovetop Percolator
- Durable and convenient: Heavy-duty stainless steel coffee maker is polished to a mirror finish. The sturdy, clear glass...
- No mess: Features a permanent filter basket, so there’s no need to deal with messy coffee filters
The best thing about this product is that it is highly affordable and made of stainless steel material. These aspects of the product make it ideal for campers and impressed them the most. You can make 1 cup of coffee in less than one minute. However, you need to let the coffee maker percolate long enough.
Another best feature of this product is that it can make a lot of coffee at one time. Also, the design is simple and stylish, which looks good sitting around the campsite. When we tested this product, we found that it has average speed and took around 15 minutes to make 8 cups of coffee.
Likewise, it is easier to clean and requires cleaning and rinsing of multiple parts. The glass knob on the lid is also well-designed and allows you to see the percolating of the coffee. Although it is made of glass, it looks quite durable.
- Durable material
- Keeps coffee hot
- 8 cups of coffee
- Easy-to-travel coffee maker
- Extremely Affordable
- None
Buying Guide for the Best Camping Coffee Maker
The first step for you to have a perfect cup of coffee is to get the right device. In this regard, you can find in the market a wide range of excellent portable camping coffee machines, ranging from coffee machines and traditional jars to those made with espresso technology. So, how can you know which is the best product for you? Let us tell you!
Ease of Use or Comfort
Ease of use is one of the most relevant considerations when choosing between camping coffee makers. They must not only be portable, but they do not have so many parts to install since otherwise, they will make your experience of tasting rich cups of coffee frustrating.
Therefore, a recommended type of part is that which is aerodynamic, easy to assemble, to use outdoors, and easy to clean and maintain, even with the limited resources of the camping environment where you spend the night.
Speed of the travel Coffee Maker
You are freezing in the morning and want to combat the morning cold with a coffee. First, you must unpack your coffee maker and grind the coffee beans, in case you want a more refined flavor.
Although the whole process takes time, this does not mean that you want to wait too long for your drink to be ready. This is why it is necessary that you not only check the speed offered by the backpacking coffer maker but in the process of making it, the number of cups to make and even the concentration of the mixture.
Drinking Style or Type of Coffee
Coffee is one of those things where enthusiasts have their own personal preferences. The good news is that no matter your drinking style, today there are portable camping coffee makers that will please you exactly in the preparation of the type of coffee you like, even though you are in the desert.
You can find them designed to work by the dripping system, pouring, with the possibility of progressing the body, flavor, power and even to prepare infiltrated coffee and espresso.
Size of the Travel Coffee Maker
Since we are talking about the best camping coffee maker, it is clear that you must start by making sure to check the dimensions, the weight of the equipment and the capacity of the packaging well.
These size qualities will largely determine the comfort of your back due to the equipment you carry in your traveling backpack. In this sense, always opt for compact, transportable, resistant, but light machines that adapt to your camping kitchen.
Price of the Backpacking Coffee Maker
Although most of the manufacturers of these camping machines are within an affordable price range, you could find a variation of the cost, due to the more sophisticated characteristics of other equipment that has been manufactured with more durable and good quality materials.
However, this does not mean that you cannot find coffee makers that meet your requirements and that are within your budget. That is why to offer you some suggestions we prepared a list of these camping devices where the prices are affordable for the products with the highest technology. We will review the products later in the article.
Quality of the Camping Coffee Maker
When you are searching among the different models of camping coffee machines, you should always opt for high-quality, robust coffee machines that resist frequent transportation and are exposed to rugged terrain and unforgiving weather elements.
This is why the manufacturing materials are relevant at the time of the choice. So, you must consider the following points seriously before buying the best camping coffee maker.
- Prefer stainless steel over the glass.
- Opt for camping gear that has a sturdy handle and ergonomically designed ones that are easy to handle.
- Choose those that offer a guarantee in case of defects by the manufacturer.
These points are important because when you go camping, you need a product that is durable and made of strong material.
Camping Coffee Maker Design
Camping coffee makers can come in various styles, many of which can contribute to the way the drink is made.
- Most camping coffeemakers have a classic kettle design for even heat diffusion.
- A cone design is intended to optimize the saturation of ground coffee when preparing the drink using the drip-pour method.
- Flat models can saturate your drink due to the accumulation of water on the edges.
- The design will also affect how easy it is to pack and transport the device to your camping.
- The larger models are designed to serve large groups of hikers.
- The best camping coffee maker is one that offers an easy to assemble and disassemble design. With a wide base for stability and with a spout to facilitate serving the coffee.
Again, these points are important when it comes to buying the best camping coffee maker. You can’t simply ignore them – or otherwise, you will end up buying a low-quality product and thus ruin your whole camping adventure.
Portability and Water Capacity
If you are looking to buy any of the camping coffee makers, it is important to evaluate how easy it is to pack and carry each device with you. Remember that most of us enjoy hiking, mountaineering, and the most diverse outdoor activities, so the piece must be ultralight and compact, even if you have to sacrifice some flavor.
The water capacity of a camping coffee maker will determine the amount of coffee you can prepare at one time. So pay attention to the deposit of the equipment so that it can satisfy your needs.
This capacity is usually expressed in ounces or milliliters. Keep in mind that when you prepare to make coffee, part of the water will evaporate or get trapped in the piece, so the drink you will get will be in less quantity than the water you added.
Power and Temperature
The power of camping coffee maker is the next factor that you should take into account if you want to enjoy a coffee that is free from excessive bitterness.
Here not everything will depend on the number of ground beans of the coffee, but also on the camping coffee maker which should give you complete control over the process of making the drink.
Another factor that influences is the temperature of the water and the time that you let the coffee begin to come out. The ideal temperature for preparing this drink is between 195 degrees and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, so make sure it does not reach boiled water before joining it with coffee.
Number of Coffee Cups
This point refers to how many cups of coffee you can make in each of the camping coffee machine models in a single infusion. Some references are:
1 generously sized multi – personal coffee pot can produce 4 to 10 cups at a time. Some of the best camping coffee makers allow you to make 3, 4, or 8 cups of coffee, while mega-size coffeemakers can produce more than 20 cups per occasion.
If you want a coffee maker for solo backpacking trips, opt for one designed to serve 1 to 2 people.
Cleaning and Maintenance
To keep your camping coffee machines in good condition, you should choose devices that are easy to disassemble, rinse and reassemble.
Concerning this, a good alternative is that you use the machine models that use some type of paper filter, they are easy to clean.
Other parts will be a little more complicated since you will have to disassemble them to remove the wet residues and others with pressing a plunger. In any case, nothing that breaks your head or makes you sweat excessively.
Conclusion
If you are fond of camping and often go in the wild to explore nature, you pack up and add every essential material that will help you stay in the camp for the desired time. One such accessory is a travel coffee maker or backpacking coffee maker.
Although there are many products available on the market, we have chosen for you the best camping coffee makers based on the buying criteria explained in detail. Good Luck!
Sources:
- Camp cooking: How to make a great cup of coffee
- 10 clever camping coffee makers: so you never need to drink instant when outdoors!
- 6 Great Ways To Make Camping Coffee
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