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person with red jacket holding a blue enamelware mug of freshly brewed campfire coffee

How to Make Campfire Coffee in a Percolator

Learn how to make campfire coffee in a percolator pot over a campfire. Plus the best percolator pots for the job.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Camping Recipes, Drinks
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 1kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Build your fire*, and then separate hot coals from the actual flame, lining them up in a wide circle to efficiently heat the water.
  • Add the water to your coffee pot and assemble the basket.
  • Add coffee grounds to the basket* and place the lid over your coffee pot.
  • Place your coffee pot directly above the hot coals. Bring it to just under a boil.
  • Once your coffee pot has come up to temperature, it's best to move it away from direct flame, after which you will let it percolate for 5-10 minutes before removing from the heat entirely. Keep it at just under the boiling point.*
  • That's it. Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

*For campfire coffee, you need to build a fire that's hot but also small. Think of it as if you were cooking food. A big fire can get way too hot way too quickly, resulting in charred, overcooked food. Campfire coffee is no different.
*Some people prefer to add a coffee filter before this step, but I don't bother. I use a coarser grind of coffee, so it's unnecessary. 
*You want to see a water temperature just below the boiling point of 212ºF. This will allow the coffee to percolate without taking on a burnt flavor. Boiled coffee tastes more like burnt bread than coffee!
Why are there grounds in my coffee?
Most often this is due to one of two reasons. One is that you might be using too fine of a grind of coffee. If this is the case, simply use a paper coffee filter in the percolator basket for the coffee grounds. It's also possible that you're letting the coffee boil over, which can be resolved by taking your coffee off the heat sooner.
How do I get the grounds out of my coffee?
You can easily get rid of most of the grounds by running your coffee back through a paper coffee filter. Transfer the finished coffee from your coffee pot into a large bowl or other container. Rinse out the pot and all of its parts; add a paper filter to the basket. You can now slowly pour your coffee back through this coffee filter to fill the pot back up. That's it. Do keep in mind that during this process, your coffee is likely to get cold, so reheating it may be necessary!

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal | Sodium: 16mg | Calcium: 9mg
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