Experience Great Camping Coffee with a Moka Pot

When it comes to camping, there's nothing quite like waking up with the taste of freshly brewed coffee. Originally designed in 1933, the Moka Pot has stood the test of time as one of the most popular coffee brewing methods. The Moka Pot is at its essence a percolating brewer, forcing hot water up through coffee grounds and into the collecting chamber. The resulting coffee is bold, strong, and full of flavor, which can be a decent substitute for espresso without the high pressures usually needed. So, with the Moka Pot’s durable design, ease of use, and zero waste properties, it’s one of the best ways to brew coffee outdoors. Plus, since you control the brewing process, you can tailor the strength and intensity of your coffee to suit your taste preferences. The Moka Pot is also very aesthetic and looks great in camping pictures!

Tips for Brewing the Perfect Moka Pot Coffee Outdoors

1) Use good quality beans and water

The Moka Pot uses a unique brewing method that forces hot water through the ground coffee, extracting the best flavors and aromas. As coffee experts will always say, your coffee can only be as good as the beans and water that you choose, so try and pick the best beans that you find within your means. Now that micro-roasters are so popular it is usually quite easy to find great beans in small towns, often ones that have been roasted that day! If I am car/trailer camping and have the extra space I will bring my own water or a water filter (like a Brita) to filter the campsite’s water and help improve the taste.

2) Grind your beans right before brewing

If you can bring a small hand grinder camping that’s great! Grinding your beans right before you brew coffee limits the beans’ exposure to air, letting all of those delicious volatile compounds float away. There are many compact hand grinders that you can bring or store in your camping kit year-round, such as this one from Amazon. With a Moka Pot, you want to grind your coffee a coarser than you would for making espresso (which is closer to a powder), you want it to be akin to the grind size used for French press coffee or pour-over (more like a sandy texture). The reason for this is that the Moka Pot uses a metal filter and if you grind your coffee too fine, the small bean particles will slip through the filter and up into the reservoir and into your coffee cup. If you don’t have a grinder that’s okay! Just grind your beans as close to your trip as possible and keep your ground coffee in an airtight container.

3) Measure out your scoops before you leave

There’s a lot I will do to have a good cup of coffee camping, but bringing my scale isn’t one of them. If that’s your thing that’s awesome! I try to pack as light as I can so I suggest using your scale at home and a scoop you will bring camping and measure out how many grams each scoop is. That way when you are making coffee at camp you can use your scoop to calculate the amount of coffee needed with no scale! The suggested ratio of coffee grounds to water is 1:12, and depending on the size Moka Pot you have, you could just standardize the amount you need to make one full-size pot. That way you know for example: I always use 6 scoops of beans and fill the water to the maximum level of the water chamber.

4) Regulate your temperature

The hardest thing about using a Moka Pot is definitely temperature control. When you are camping you might not have the most adjustable stoves but with a little practice, it will get easier! Ideally, you are filling your Moka Pot water chamber with boiling water, you can start with cold water, but this increases the extraction time and allows for bitter flavors to make into the final brew. So, you are putting already boiling water into the coffee pot, so it won’t take very long for the coffee to start percolating so you might not want to crank it to maximum heat. I would suggest a medium-high, which allows the water to start percolating without going crazy. Once you start seeing the water boiling into the upper chamber, reduce the heat until you see a nice easy stream pouring out, this allows the water to spend a bit of time with the coffee, gather those good flavors, and not just blast right through it.

Step by step guide to using a Moka Pot

1) Start by filling the bottom chamber of the Moka Pot with water up to the pressure release valve. Ideally, the chamber is filled with boiling water to minimize brew time and prevent excessive bitterness, but you can start with cold water, just know your coffee might not taste as good.

2) Add coarsely ground coffee to the grounds container, ensuring you don't tamp it down. Again, some people will add a paper filter here to prevent any grounds from entering the top chamber, but this is optional.

(Note: This coffee is ground a bit too fine for the Moka Pot Oops!)

3) Screw on the top chamber tightly, making sure it is secure. Careful don’t burn your hands the bottom chamber will be hot if you use boiling water!

4) Place the Moka Pot on a camping stove or fire and heat it until the water starts to boil. As the water boils, it will create pressure, forcing the hot water up through the coffee and into the top chamber. Turn down the flame here to medium or until you see a steady outflow of coffee.

5) Once you hear a gurgling/hissing sound, remove the Moka Pot from the heat and let it sit for a minute before pouring the coffee into your mug. Enjoy!

Brewing Moka Pot coffee may take a bit of practice, but once you've mastered the technique, you'll always have amazing coffee. So, the next time you're heading out on a camping adventure, remember to pack your Moka Pot and enjoy the best coffee the great outdoors has to offer. Below is one of the many video tutorials you can find on YouTube :)