If you’re like me then you enjoy two things; spending time in the bush and bushcraft coffee.
The major question that will be addressed in this post is simple. How do you make coffee in the wilderness while camping, backpacking, or practicing your bushcraft skills? The answer is simple, and it’s a lot less work than you would think.
To make coffee in the wild, you will need one key tool, a simple camping percolator. A percolator or in our case a specialty bushcraft percolator made to withstand the roughness of life in the bush, is a metal pot that is used to brew coffee when the boiling water gets cycled through coffee grounds that are held in a basket until it is brewed to your liking. You could also use a French press, but most people including myself find percolators make bolder, stronger camp coffee.
Read on to learn all there is to know about making coffee in the wilderness, including more about my personal recommendation for one of the best camp percolators I’ve used in my years of experience making bushcraft coffee, you’ll surely be an expert by the time you finish this short read.
Best Camping Percolator for Your Camping & Bushcraft Adventures
GSI Coffee Percolator (Best Camping Coffee Maker)
The GSI Glacier Stainless Coffee Percolator is the perfect percolator for when you’re trying to make coffee in the wilderness. I’ve personally been using it going on 4 years now without fail and I must say, it makes one heck of a pot of coffee.
GSI makes their percolators out of heavy-duty stainless steel material, which means you don’t have to worry about it rusting if left out in the elements. In the 4 years I’ve used this bushcraft coffee maker I’ve put it through the ringer, through all the times I’ve accidentally dropped it, stepped on it, or accidentally left it in the fire too long it’s held up better than some of the more expensive camp percolator’s I’ve tried.
The lid comes equipped with a see through knob that allows you to peek into the percolator to see if the coffee is brewed to your liking without having to lift the lid and letting the heat escape.
Perhaps the best thing about the GSI camping coffee percolator is its lightweight. You may think that from the looks of its durably that it must weigh a fair amount, but it actually weighs in at just one pound, making it the perfect weight to carry around in your backpack all day.
All things considered, if a friend came to me and asked which type of percolator they should purchase to make coffee while camping or out practicing bushcraft I would answer the GSI Glacier Bushcraft Coffee Percolator every time.
How to Make Bushcraft Coffee Using a Camping Percolator
Now that my recommendation is out of the way, lets break down just how easy it is to make coffee while you’re out camping, backpacking or practicing bushcraft.
1. Build a Fire
Well, this is a no-brainer. In order to boil your water to start the bushcraft coffee brewing process, you will first need to build a fire. I like to build a fire up with hardwood so that I have nice long-lasting coals to place my percolator on.
2. Add Water to Your Percolator
Depending on how much coffee you are trying to make, measure your water out in your percolator accordingly. Most percolators come with measuring marks on the side showing how much water is needed for x amount cups of coffee.
3. Fill The Basket
Percolator’s work by forcing water through a long stem into your brew basket once the water reaches a boil. Once you’ve filled the percolator up with water, place the brew basket back in and fill it with your desired coffee grounds. A good rule of thumb is two tablespoons of coffee per cup of water.
4. Start Brewing!
Place your percolator over the fire whether it be on a pot hook, grill or just directly on the coals and wait for it to boil. When the water reaches a boiling point, remove the percolator out of a direct flame and allow it to percolate for about 5 to 10 minutes. Like I said earlier, the GSI percolator I use has a clear knob at the top that allows me to peek inside and see how dark the coffee is getting, which allows me to make the perfect pot nearly every time.
That’s it! Wasn’t that easy? Now you’ll be making coffee in the wilderness in no time.
How to Clean Your Camping Percolator
Sometimes after a long trip out in the bush you’ll come home and find that your camping percolator is covered in soot, and sometimes it will even be a dark color due to sitting on coals and being on a direct flame. No worries, cleaning your camping percolator takes no time at all and is an easy process, here’s how to do it.
The best way to clean your camping percolator is by using vinegar. Vinegar is known for having acidic properties and is a very effective natural cleaner that has been used for years and years and makes light work of stains.
In order to clean your camping percolator using vinegar, pour a mix that is made of half water and half vinegar into your coffee percolator and heat it up. Let the mixture cool and sit overnight, in the morning it will be spotless and ready to make coffee in the wilderness once again!
Final Thoughts
That’s all there is to it! By now, you should know how to make the perfect bushcraft coffee and how to keep your outdoor coffee maker clean.
Some people might say there is no room for coffee in bushcraft and to them all I have to say is Bah humbug! Nothing beats a nice hot cup of coffee at the crack of dawn, made over a small but warm fire. It’s definitely a luxury out in the bush, but who says you need to rough it every time you go out into the wilderness? Enjoy yourself and enjoy your bushcraft coffee.
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Hey I’m Josh! I have been practicing Bushcraft for a little over 6 years now! I Started this website to review awesome bushcraft gear that I love as well as share information I have learned along the way!
