Looking for the Best Camp Coffee?
The single most important thing for fueling our Open Road 4Two Adventures is a great cup of coffee. Whether we find ourselves off-grid overlanding, deep in the woods connecting with nature, or on an epic through hike, we need our coffee fix!
Well, Randy and I want to share with you our top recommendations for making a great cup of camp coffee. We rated each product on ease of use, gear efficiency, value, and the flavor of the coffee produced.
The first method we used to brew our coffee was a simple camping percolator we picked up from our local Wal-Mart. While there are probably much better percolators than the one we had, we found ours to be very messy. Water tends to boil out of the lid and it's very difficult to prevent the coffee grounds from escaping from the brewing basket. While it was definitely better than having no coffee in the morning, we knew after using this system for a few months we needed to find a better system.
Our first recommendation is the Eureka! Camp Café 12 Cup Portable Camping Coffee Maker. The Eureka Coffee maker is a pour-over system that features a 2.5-liter boiling pot, 1.8-liter coffee carafe with lid, and a pour-over filter. What's great about this unit is the pieces nest together for easy storage and transport. It ranges in price from $80.00 to $165.00, depending on which retailer you purchase from.
The Eureka scores extra points for efficiency as the 2.5-liter pot can also be used as a cooking vessel for making soups, stews, and boiling pasta!
With its wider surface area at the bottom of the pot, FluxRing technology makes it possible to reduce boiling times and improve fuel efficiency. The Eureka makes a full 60 ounces in approximately 6 minutes.
As for a bold and rich flavor, it delivers! We both prefer a dark roast and the coffee flavor produced was rich and full bodied!
Our second recommendation is the Stanley Adventure All-In-One, Boil & Brew French Press. This all-in-one 32 oz. unit is streamlined, multifunctional, cost effective at $24.95, and packs light for gear efficiency. Since it is smaller than the Eureka it doesn't need as much storage space, so it is a better option for backpackers or for when we venture out on shorter day trips and want to pack lighter. The Stanley French Press is a convenient boil and brew system. Once your water has reached an ideal temperature, add your coffee grounds to the water and let it steep for 3 to 5 minutes (depending on richness of flavor) and then press.
The coffee profile produced by the Stanley Adventure All-In-One was also full bodied and rich in flavor. The only ding it receives, in our opinion, is the smaller amount of coffee you can make at one time.
It's hard for us to say which method is the best because they both produce a great cup of coffee. However, if we have to choose one, we'd have to go with the Eureka system because it has eliminated the need to carry an additional pot in our kitchen box and we like the rich and bold flavor we get from it. With that said, the Stanley French Press is significantly less expensive and still produces a great cup of coffee! Both systems get an Open Road 4 Two Thumbs UP!
For the video edition, please watch our YouTube video highlighting our recommendations for the best camp coffee!
Who we are: We are OpenRoad4Two, a husband-and-wife adventure team, dedicated to hitting the OPN RD. and exploring this beautiful land we live in. We encourage you to follow along with us on our journeys, YouTube, and Instagram. We are dedicated to supporting and assisting our fellow adventurers along the way. We love hearing from you, so please connect with us! Send us a question, a suggestion, a tip, or just a simple hello! Until then, we’ll see you on the OPEN ROAD!!