What's the Best Coffee to Take Camping?

Coffee Bags are the Best Choice for Camping

What's the best coffee to take camping with you? Brewing a good cup of coffee while roughing it in the wild can be a challenge. Find our why coffee bags are the best option for a camping holiday. All the logistics of camping coffee are covered: ease, speed, brewing methods, disposing of waste, quality, clean-up. Brewing coffee under the open sky, now so easy!

Things to Consider When Camping with Coffee

Before we delve into the benefits of coffee bags, let's consider the challenges of brewing coffee while camping:

1. Portability: When you're packing for a camping trip, space is at a premium. Bulky coffee equipment like manual grinders and pour-over setups can take up valuable room in your backpack or car.
2. Convenience: Camping is all about simplifying your routine and immersing yourself in nature. Complicated brewing methods can detract from the experience and add unnecessary stress to your morning ritual.
3. Clean-up: Traditional brewing methods often require multiple components and produce a fair amount of waste. Cleaning up after brewing can be a hassle when you're far from civilization.
4. Quality: Ensure a memorable camping coffee experience by selecting high-quality beans and coffee bags for rich and flavourful brews under the open sky.
5. Quantity: How many people are you heading on your camping holiday with? How long are you going for? Both of these questions affect how much coffee you’re going to need. Especially when you’re off in the wild and can’t Pack strategically by estimating your coffee consumption accurately and considering the number of coffee bags needed for your camping trip to avoid running out of your favourite beverage. The great thing about coffee bags is that they’re extremely compact so you don’t need to worry about running out of space. Stuff them in between socks and in coat pockets!

Top Methods for Brewing Camping Coffee with a Coffee Bag

Coffee bags offer a simple and efficient solution to the challenges of brewing coffee while camping. Here are some top methods for using coffee bags in the great outdoors:

1. Boiling Water Method: Simply heat water over a campfire or portable stove, pour it over the coffee bag in your cup or mug, and steep for a few minutes. It's quick, easy, and requires minimal equipment.
2. Cold Brew Method: For a refreshing cold brew coffee, place a coffee bag in a water bottle or container filled with cold water. Let it steep for several hours or overnight, then remove the bag and enjoy your smooth and flavourful brew.
3. DIY Pour-Over: If you prefer the taste of pour-over coffee, you can still achieve it with coffee bags. Suspend the bag over your cup using a stick or utensil, then slowly pour hot water over it in a circular motion. It's a makeshift pour-over setup that delivers great results without the need for specialized equipment.

Tips for Brewing the Best Camping Coffee with a Coffee Bag

To ensure you get the most out of your camping coffee experience with coffee bags, consider these tips:

1. Choose Quality Coffee: Opt for high-quality coffee bags made with freshly roasted beans for the best flavour profile. Find these at New Kings Coffee.
2. Adjust Steeping Time: Experiment with steeping times to achieve your desired strength and flavour. Longer steeping times will result in a stronger brew.
3. Pack Extra Bags: Always pack more coffee bags than you think you'll need. You never know when you'll want an extra cup or if a fellow camper will want to join you for a coffee break.
4. Dispose of Bags Properly: Practice Leave No Trace principles by properly disposing of used coffee bags. Pack them out with your other trash to minimise your impact on the environment.

Use in a Cafetière

If you’ve used a coffee bag before and you don’t think the bag alone has produced a strong enough coffee, try adding a French Press into the equation. The extra pressure extracts more flavour. Moreover, using a coffee bag in a cafetière is easier than using regular ground coffee. This is a mess-free method for when you want more than just one mug. Follow the instructions below or watch our short video on how to make the perfect cup.

Instructions:

1. Select your coffee of choice. See our wide range of flavours and intensities here
2. Open sachet and add the bag to your cafetière
3. Add hot water and infuse for 3-5 minutes, depending on your preferred strength
4. Give the bag a stir, squeeze and remove
5. Relax and enjoy - it's that easy and mess free

Use in an AeroPress

Using a coffee bag in an AeroPress is a convenient and mess-free way to enjoy a flavourful cup of coffee while camping. The AeroPress provides extra pressure to the bag and so extracts a more intense flavour. Using a coffee bag, instead of loose grounds, means the AeroPress is easily cleaned. It’s a win-win situation.

Instructions:

1. Prepare Your AeroPress: Begin by assembling your AeroPress. Place a paper filter inside the filter cap and attach it securely to the bottom of the AeroPress chamber.
2. Heat Water: Heat water to the desired temperature. The optimal temperature for brewing coffee is typically between 195°F and 205°F (90°C to 96°C).
3. Place Coffee Bag in AeroPress: Remove the coffee bag from its packaging and place it directly into the AeroPress chamber, ensuring that the bag is centred and fully submerged in the chamber.
4. Add Hot Water: Pour hot water over the coffee bag and into the AeroPress chamber. Fill the chamber to your desired level, taking into account the strength of coffee you prefer.
5. Steep: Allow the coffee bag to steep in the hot water for the desired amount of time. Steeping times can vary depending on your taste preferences, but typically range from 2 to 4 minutes.
6. Press: After the steeping time is complete, insert the plunger into the AeroPress chamber and gently press down. Apply steady pressure until all the water has been pushed through the coffee bag and filter into your mug or serving vessel.
7. Remove Coffee Bag: Once the water has been fully pressed through the AeroPress, carefully remove the coffee bag from the chamber using a spoon or stirrer. Dispose of the used coffee bag and filter.
8. Enjoy: Pour the freshly brewed coffee into your mug or serving vessel and enjoy! You can customise your coffee further by adding milk, sugar, or any other preferred additives. 

Environmentally Friendly

With coffee bags, you can enjoy your caffeine fix guilt-free, knowing that you're minimising your footprint in the wild.

Coffee bags are not only convenient and practical for camping, but they're also environmentally friendly. New Kings Coffee coffee bags prioritise sustainability by using recyclable and compostable materials for their packaging. This means you won't have to worry about your environmental footprint while engaging in the wild.

Moreover, disposing of used coffee bags is easy. Unlike bulky coffee equipment or single-use plastic packaging, coffee bags can be easily recycled or composted. You won't have to carry your disused bags around with you for the rest of your camping trip – a relief, especially if you're on a hike and need to move from place to place every day. No one wants to lug a smelly sack of rubbish around with them! After use, simply dispose of the bags in designated recycling or compost bins, and you're good to go.

Why Manual Grinders Don't Work for Camping

While freshly ground coffee is undeniably delicious, manual grinders are not always practical for camping trips. Here's why:

1. Bulkiness: Manual grinders can be bulky and heavy, taking up valuable space in your backpack. When every ounce counts, opting for pre-ground coffee or coffee bags is a more practical choice.
2. Labour Intensive: Grinding coffee by hand requires time and effort, which may not be ideal when you're eager to get your caffeine fix and start exploring the great outdoors.
3. Messiness: Grinding coffee beans can create a mess, with grounds scattering and clinging to surfaces. In a camping environment, where cleanliness is often a challenge, minimizing mess is essential.

Coffee bags are the ultimate choice for brewing delicious coffee on your camping adventures. They offer convenience, portability, and simplicity without compromising on taste. So, the next time you're planning a camping trip, don't forget to pack your favourite coffee bags and prepare to savour the great outdoors one cup at a time. Happy camping and happy brewing!

Simplified Pros and Cons:

Pros

1. Portability
2. Compact and Light
3. Convenience
4. No Clean-up
5. Quality
6. Varied flavour and Output
7. Environmentally Friendly
8. Easy – just add water

 Cons

1. Dependency on Pre-packaged Coffee
2. Cost
3. Single-Serve Limitation
4. Less Control Over Strength

Overall, the pros of using coffee bags for camping, such as portability, convenience, and quality, outweigh the cons. We believe they're the best choice choice for outdoor enthusiasts looking to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee on their adventures.