Moka Pot: The Best Camp Coffee
When we decided to do the epic 2020 road trip in our home built camper van one of my first thoughts was- what about coffee? I knew I would not be going to a coffee shop every day of the trip but I didn’t want to miss out on my steamy hot mug of happiness everyday.
So we tried GSI’s rocket drip coffee maker– the price was decent and it was compact. I considered this a win at the time. Once on our trip though, I saw its flaws. Despite the fact that it was July, Montana and Northern California cost mornings were cold. Boiling my water, then adding it to the rocket, it was Luke warm by the time I was drinking it. And it was… drip coffee. Surprise, surprise.
The other option at the time was freeze dried beans. Not quite what I was looking for. Before I knew it though, we were off to school things and that was no longer on my mind.
One Year Later…
Until summer 2021 when I decided to make Kale and Kampfires a reality (name spelling change back then). After doing a ton of research on camp coffee I found the moka pot.
The mock pot is compact, though not as small as the rocket drip maker. It makes coffee from the bottom up instead of top down and is all enclosed. It makes a more intense flavored coffee. Somewhere between an espresso and a drip coffee. It was mind boggling and I ended up using it as my go-to coffee machine for the summer.
Here’s how I’ve found to make the best coffee in the moka pot.
Filling the Moka Pot with Water
The moka pot has three parts within its body. The first part is the bottom where you add the water. You want to add the freshest water possible, naturally. Think about it: the majority of what you are drinking is water. If that tastes bad- so will the drink.
Now, you want to add water to just below that dot that’s both inside and outside of the lower portion. Then…
Add the Ground Coffee Beans
This is like the traditional coffee, 2 tablespoon per 6 oz. of water; however, you don’t want to go out and get just regular pre-ground coffee beans from the store. These need to be ground to about espresso size.
If you go to most coffee shops and buy coffee beans, they will ground it for you.
Put the Lid on and Let the Good Times Roll
Now seal this bad boy up and put it on your camp fire- no matter if it’s an actual fire with a grill on top or a stove.
I like to leave the lid up until I see the coffee come up. After that- Close it! Towards the end it gets spirty- and will burn you.
Give it a about three minutes (if you’re using a camp stove) from when the coffee starts coming out the top and then take off the burner- this may change if you’re using open fire.
Then pour it into your cup, add your other items and enjoy.
Bonus Tip
I like it as close to a latte as possible so I warm up my milk (going to get a thermometer soon- 140 is the perfect milk temp) and then use a subminimal nanofoamer milk frother to aerate it. I mean, for camp coffee, you can’t get much better.
Final Thoughts
As someone who gets excited about coffee shops- this coffee excites me just as much. Especially overlooking God’s beautiful creation. It’s a moment of peace before the day begins.
