Reader Poll: What’s the Best Camp Coffee?

It’s pretty much a golden age for camp coffee. We’ve used just about everything here at AJ gear/camping food HQ. Our latest find is Steeped, like a tea bag for coffee that tastes far better than expected. Kinda ideal for backpacking. But we also love Starbucks Via packets. Then again, Maxim instant is just as good. And cheaper. Equator coffee, in Northern California, is making instant coffee too now, and jeez, it’s like bringing a barista into camp.

Single-use pour-over packets are everywhere now, as well. Copper Cow makes great coffee. Kuju does too. Libra Pourtables are awesome. There are probably 15 other new brands we haven’t even tried yet. These setups are a bit on the finicky side, but you get a great brew. If you have your own backcountry friendly pour-over cone (we love the Sea to Summit X-Brew), you don’t need to deal with the extra trash of a paper single-use pour-over bag either.

Current favorite: French press with MSR’s superb Windburner cooking pot setup.

Wanna nerd out and bring an Aeropress into the backcountry? We’ve done that too. Even bringing a hand-cranked burr grinder that fits in the Aeropress’s syringe-like body. There’s nothing quite like fresh-ground coffee at camp, but there’s also nothing like just dumping a packet of instant in some boiling water and being done with it. Heck, we’re not above a little cowboy coffee too, in a pinch, like when forgetting the Aeropress but bringing ground coffee. If it worked for our grandparents, it’s good enough for us. Kinda.

Camp coffee can be a touchy subject when out there with friends. Some people will drink pretty much any hot, vaguely brown beverage in the morning, others will carefully weigh to the gram the amount of coffee they pack for a cafe-like pour-over tentside.

What about you? What’s your camp coffee jam?

As an incentive for conversation, we’re giving away a copy of Adventure Journal to one commenter chosen at random. You can choose any issue we have in stock, and if you’re already a subscriber we can extend your sub by an issue, send you an issue you don’t have, or give one to a friend. Just include your email when you post your comment so we can get in touch.