Coffee in the mountains, and how to make it during a hike
Waking up first thing in the morning and making yourself a coffee doesn’t sound particularly extraordinary or exceptional… And in fact, for many of us, it is simply part of our daily routine. Now try picturing the same scenario, but instead of waking up at home, you open your eyes and you are surrounded by nature…
Yes, you’ve guessed it, with coffee, we can always take our trusted energy charger with us easily, wherever we go, even at high altitudes. Join us as we find out about the many ways of making coffee in the mountains.
How to make coffee in the mountains
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine waking up surrounded by birds chirping, a fresh mountain breeze, the scent of morning dew and the rustling of trees. Got it? Now, try adding the aroma of coffee to all these sounds and noises.
As we have mentioned, there are various ways of making coffee and they mainly depend on the time you have available and the capacity of your hiking backpack. For example: if you are going on a one-day hike, you will certainly have enough space for a small camping stove, but if you plan to be away for several days and will need to take lots of equipment with you, your backpack may already be full enough.
Now let’s see which method best suits your mountain trip.
The moka pot
The most popular way of making coffee, and the best one if you are able to carry a small stove with you, is to use a moka pot. With this method you can savour coffee that is as good as the one you make at home, right here, surrounded by nature.
The percolator
If camping or hiking has always been your family’s passion, when rummaging through the old camping equipment in your basement you may have come across this odd, very retro coffee pot: the percolator. For hikers, it is the most popular coffee maker and, in all its simplicity, it provides a delicious cup of steaming coffee.
The process consists of pouring boiling water through the ground coffee in the pot. The water then starts boiling and filters through a tube, which in turn reaches a metal basket containing the coffee powder.
This method requires some manual dexterity, but it is not too difficult and practice makes perfect.
The latest method: the Aeropress
One of the latest camping coffee trends is the Aeropress: although it is by no means a new invention, only in recent years has it made its way into the hearts of outdoor enthusiasts.
Its popularity is due to it being compact and easy to use, but also because the process is pretty quick. You boil the water, then add the desired amount of coffee and stir for a few seconds.
To finish, press down the plunger above the cup for about 30 seconds. Remember, however, that this method will not make you espresso coffee but very strong filter coffee.
These are the main methods to choose from if you dream of sipping a delicious cup of coffee in the midst of unspoilt nature: have you chosen your favourite one yet?
