Campfire Coffee

There's nothing like a good cup of coffee to go with a campfire. Of course, campfire coffee in my experience has usually been pretty strong, sometimes too strong, but always good. My son Jim and I were talking about coffee pots and coffee making systems the other day. He had discovered a system he felt offered advantages superior to using a French Press, and he claimed it made better coffee.

Our discussion got me to thinking about a coffee pot I had years ago. It was Swedish-made, and I bought it in Solvang, a Danish community in the hills near Santa Barbara. The pot was metal, coated with porcelain. It had a ring that sat on the top of the pot, and a cloth bag was fastened around the bottom of the ring. The ideas was that you put the coffee grinds in the cloth bag and suspended the bag inside the pot by placing the ring on top. Boiling water was poured over the grinds, which were then allowed to steep a minute or two. The coffee was excellent. I wish I still had that pot, it would be great for camping.

The pot I like to use camping now is a small, porcelain coffee pot, but without the brewing ring my old Swedish pot had. With this pot, I put the amount of coffee grinds in I think I'll need for the brew strength I want at the time, fill the pot with water less about a half cup than the amount of coffee I want to end up with, then set it on the fire to come to a boil. You have to keep an eye on the pot with this approach. It'll boil over if you don't, and boiling coffee isn't the way to make the best brew anyway. When the coffee just starts to bubble up, I set the pot off the heat and toss in that remaining half cup of cold water to settle the grinds. Like with my Swedish pot, the coffee is great, usually quite strong, and rich with flavor. Of course, it's a good idea to keep those grinds in the bottom of the pot in mind when you pour the remaining cups. In fact, it's likely you'll end up with a few grinds in the bottom of your cup no matter what. No problem, just toss the dregs on the campfire in true John Wayne style. Ever see a western movie when the cowboy actually drank the coffee?

I also use a little pot and camp stove system that boils water in two minutes. The stove uses propane, and it's a very handy outfit. But, to me it just doesn't have the romantic feel of my little porcelain enamel coffee pot. After all, it's not always just about utility, camping equipment should have the right feel to it. That's why you use a campfire in the first place. It's just part of the whole experience, like a great cup of coffee in the outdoors should be. Like reading a good book while sitting in front of a fire is.

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