The percolator is the perfect brewer for camping.
This system has faded into the shadows in recent years because of its delicate brewing process that makes it easy to over-extract coffee.
However, when you master the percolator brewer, you can make delicious coffee whether you're at home, by a lake, or on a mountain peak.
With a lightweight percolator, a portable gas stove, and some decent coffee, you can brew quality coffee while you're camping. In this brew guide, you'll learn how to make campsite coffee with a percolator.
Camping Coffee Percolator Brewing Specs
- Brew Time: 10–15 minutes
- Coffee/Water Ratio: 1:12
- Grind: Medium-coarse
- Water Temperature: 208ºF (98ºC)
- Recommended Coffee: Cafely's DaLat, Saigon OG
Camping Percolator Brewing Summary
- Prepare your camping gas stove.
- Preheat the percolator.
- Measure and grind your coffee.
- Add the ground coffee to the percolator.
- Brew the coffee for around 10 minutes.
- Allow the brew to settle.
- Serve and enjoy your brew — black or white.
What You Need to Brew Coffee With a Camping Percolator
You don't need much to brew coffee with a camping percolator. Most of the ingredients and equipment likely already have a spot in your camping backpack.
Here's what you need to brew camp-side coffee with a percolator:
Tools Needed
- Camping Percolator — These coffee brewers are available in a variety of sizes. Most are made from lightweight materials like titanium, aluminum, or stainless steel.
- Gas Stove — A portable camping gas stove is needed to brew percolator coffee outside. You can also use an alcohol burner but it's harder to produce an even extraction.
- Coffee Grinder — The best coffee is made with freshly ground whole-bean coffee. Use a coffee grinder before or while camping to grind your coffee beans.
- Coffee Measure — Use a coffee scoop to accurately measure the coffee while camping.
- Camping Cup — A ceramic or stainless steel camping cup is best for serving percolator coffee outdoors.
- Backpacking Water Filter (Optional) — If you plan on using a natural water source from your campground, you may need a backpacking water filter (depending on water quality).
Ingredients
- High-Quality Coffee — Opt for a high-quality whole-bean coffee and grind it before brewing.
- Water — Use fresh, filtered water or clean water from a safe outdoor source.
- Milk (Optional) — Add a dash of milk or a powdered alternative to create a creamy campsite brew.
- Sugar (Optional) — Add a teaspoon of sugar to your coffee to provide energy for hiking, fishing, or swimming while camping.
Coffee Recommendations
You can use any type of coffee in a percolator as long as it's high-quality and freshly ground. However, 100% arabica coffee and blends of arabica and robusta tend to work better than 100% robusta coffee — these beans can produce an overly dark and bitter cup when brewed with a percolator.
If you enjoy a sweet, smooth, bold brew with a mild caffeine hit, opt for a 100% whole-bean arabica such as our DaLat coffee.
If you prefer a slightly darker brew with a strong caffeine hit, try our arabica, robusta, and peaberry blend Saigon OG.
Step-by-Step Brew Guide: Camping Percolator
The percolator is a simple coffee brewer, but it requires a bit of finesse and fine-tuning to create great-tasting coffee time and time again. Percolators are prone to over-extraction.
Follow the steps below to make sure you produce the best possible camp coffee with your percolator:
1. Prepare Your Gas Stove
First, you’ll need to set up your gas stove. Attach your stove to your gas bottle and ensure it’s running properly. If it’s cold out, you may need to shake the gas bottle and wrap it in an insulative material to ensure the flow rate is smooth.
2. Prepare and Preheat Your Percolator
Fill the water reservoir of your camping percolator. Place it on your gas stove and heat the water gently until it's hot but not boiling. By preheating the water before adding the coffee you have more control over the extraction when it comes time to brew the coffee.
3. Measure and Grind Your Coffee
Measure and grind your coffee beans properly. The percolator requires a medium-coarse grind (similar in texture to sea salt or kosher salt). Use a lightweight coffee grinder that’ll fit in your pack or grind the coffee at home before you head out if you plan to hike a long distance to your campsite.
The amount of coffee (and water) you’ll need depends on the size of the percolator you have and the number of servings you wish to brew.
Use the table below to work out how much coffee you need to grind:
|
Percolator Size |
Servings |
Coffee |
Water |
|
3 Cups — 12 oz (350 mL) |
1 serving |
17 g (2–3 tbsp) |
7.5 oz (220 mL) |
|
4 Cups — 17 oz (500 mg) |
2 servings |
27 g (4–5 tbsp) |
12 oz (350 mL) |
|
8 Cups — 34 oz (1000 mL) |
4 servings |
54 g (8–10 tbsp) |
22 oz (650 mL) |
4. Add the Coffee to Your Percolator
Add your ground coffee to the filter basket in your percolator, being careful not to burn yourself — the brewer will be hot after pre-heating.
Disperse the grounds evenly and place the lid on the percolator.
5. Brew the Coffee
Place the percolator back on the gas stove and open the valve until medium heat is achieved. Heat the percolator until you hear it begin to boil, and then turn the heat down as low as it’ll go.
Continue to heat the brewer on your camping stove for around 10 minutes. The longer you leave the percolator on the heat, the more cycles it will achieve. Too many percolation cycles and you’ll over-extract the coffee; too few and you’ll under-extract the coffee.
6. Remove the Filter Basket
Take the percolator off of your stove and switch off the gas to extinguish the flame. Open the lid and carefully remove the filter basket. Discard the spent grounds responsibly (leave no trace).
7. Pour and Serve Your Coffee
Wait for three to five minutes for your brew to settle — this will ensure any fine grounds settle to the bottom of the percolator. Once settled, gently pour the coffee into your camping mug.
Add a touch of sugar and milk (or powdered milk) if desired and enjoy your brew amongst the beauty of nature.
Tips for Brewing Percolator Coffee While Camping
The percolator is a “fussy” brewing system. It's easy to over-extract, under-extract, and even scorch your coffee when using a percolator while camping. Mastering this brewing method takes time, and unfortunately, a certain amount of trial and error.
With that said, you can produce great-tasting coffee while camping and improve convenience by following a few tips:
1. Pre-Grind Your Coffee
Depending on where and how you go camping, weight and space may be at a premium. Unless you head out camping at a site with close access to your vehicle, chances are, you’ll be hiking, or at least, walking a short distance to your spot.
Although the best percolator coffee is made with coffee that’s ground just before brewing, packing a coffee grinder in your brew kit can take up precious weight and space.
Grinding your coffee at home before you go has a few benefits — it saves on weight and space, you’ll be able to pre-weigh your coffee accurately, and you may be able to produce a more consistent grind.
If you want to save room in your pack but don’t want to skimp on quality coffee while camping, grind your coffee in bulk before leaving on your trip. It’s worth weighing and packaging portions of ground coffee separately. This way, you can pour the portion directly into your percolator and brew it without bringing a coffee measure or weighing scale.
2. Use Fresh, Filtered Water
Coffee is the most important part of making a quality brew while camping. Water comes in a close second.
If you want to produce a clean brew, make sure to use fresh, filtered water. If you’re on the trails hiking, you may not have access to water from a store or filtered water from your tap at home.
If you have to use a natural water source, make sure it's clean and safe to drink. Consider using a backpacking filter to remove any sediment or potentially harmful bacteria.
You should also double-boil the water. The first boil should be done in a kettle for five to ten minutes (rolling boil). The second “boil” will occur when you brew your coffee.
3. Make Sure Your Gas Stove is up to the Task
Not all portable gas stoves are up to the task of precision percolator brewing. Camping stoves can be difficult to control, making retaining a steady temperature difficult.
The best camping gas stove will have a sensitive flow valve, allowing precise flame control. This allows you to control the heat from low to high temperatures — similar to your stovetop at home.
Even heating is important when brewing coffee with a percolator. Make sure your stove head is large enough to heat the entire bottom of your percolator and that you're able to accurately adjust the temperature output.
4. Adjust Your Extraction Time
The strength of the coffee you make with a camping percolator is determined by how many times the hot water cycles through the grounds.
Cycle the percolator too long, and you’ll over-extract the coffee, creating a bitter, burnt-tasting brew. Removing the percolator from the heat too soon will under-extract the coffee, leading to a weak, watery brew.
The exact time you should leave your percolator cycling depends on your taste, gas stove, and percolator size. Ten minutes is a good base time to start with. If you find your coffee is too bitter, shorten the brewing time. If you find your coffee too weak, increase the brewing time.
Once you’ve used your percolator enough, you’ll notice audible changes as the coffee cycles through the coffee grounds. When the percolator first starts brewing, the “bubbling” noise will be loud and violent. Toward the end of the brewing process, you’ll notice the bubbling slowing down and becoming more subtle — this is when you should switch off the gas.
5. Adjust the Coffee-to-Water Ratio
The best coffee-to-water ratio for a percolator is 1:12. However, you may want to adjust this to your taste, the type of bean you're using, and how long you plan on cycling the percolator overheat.
If you like a weaker, thinner brew, reduce the coffee-to-water ratio. If you enjoy a stronger, “thicker” brew, increase the coffee-to-water ratio.
You may also want to adjust the ratio to suit the beans you're using. For 100% arabica, you may want to increase the amount of coffee slightly to ensure the delicate, mellow flavors of the beans are apparent in the final cup. For 100% robusta coffee, you may want to reduce the coffee-to-water ratio to “mellow out” the strong, dark, bold flavors of the beans.
6. Keep Your Percolator Clean
A clean percolator creates a clean brew. A percolator that’s clogged with coffee grounds and oils won’t cycle as effectively. Keeping your percolator clean ensures it works efficiently enough to produce an even extraction every time.
Cleaning your brewing equipment while camping can be challenging but not impossible. Consider bringing biodegradable detergent and a small sponge on your trip if you’re going for more than a few nights.
Clean your percolator after each use by heating some lake or river water over your stove and wiping it down with a biodegradable detergent and sponge. Pay close attention to the filter basket and spout — these elements are prone to clogging. Make sure to rinse the percolator well before drying it and stowing it in your pack.
FAQs: Making Coffee With a Camping Percolator
Want to learn more about brewing coffee with a percolator and other ways to make coffee while camping?
Check out the answers to the related frequently asked questions below.
1. What is a Camping Percolator?
A camping percolator is a coffee percolator that can be used on a gas camping stove. They are typically smaller than regular percolators but work in the same way. These brewers work by cycling hot water through ground coffee to create a strong, dark, clean brew.
2. Can You Use a Percolator Over a Campfire?
Although you can use some stainless steel camping percolators over hot coals on a campfire, it's not recommended. The uneven heat distribution from an open fire can create an over-extracted brew that tastes bitter and burnt. It's far better to use a portable gas stove or alcohol burner for making percolator coffee while camping.
3. Can You Use Lake Water to Brew Coffee While Camping?
Yes. You can use lake water to make coffee while camping. However, you must be cautious about the water quality. Ensure the water is free from potential pollutants and harmful bacteria.
Depending on your location and elevation, the lake water may need to be filtered before boiling. Always boil the water for five to 10 minutes before using it to brew coffee — this will kill any potentially harmful bacteria living in the water.
4. Is a French Press Good for Camping?
Yes. A French press is the perfect coffee-brewing companion for camping. Single-serve French presses are small, compact, and lightweight. They make fantastic coffee without the need for paper coffee filters (less waste) and make a good brew with pre-ground coffee — no need to bring a coffee grinder.
5. Is a Moka Pot Good for Camping?
Yes. The moka pot is an excellent choice for camping if you enjoy strong, espresso-like brews. This simple stovetop brewer works by forcing hot water up through finely ground coffee. It brews coffee quickly and efficiently when used on a portable gas stove or hiking alcohol stove.
6. Should I Grind Coffee While Camping?
Grinding coffee beans just before brewing produces the freshest brew with the most complex flavor profile. However, this does mean you’ll need to bring a coffee grinder as well as a brewing setup.
If you plan on hiking long distances during your camping trip, it may be better to pre-grind your beans before you leave so you can leave the coffee grinder at home. If you plan on camping close to your vehicle, you may as well bring the grinder and some whole beans for the best quality morning coffee.
7. What’s the Best Lightweight Way to Make Coffee While Hiking?
The best way to make coffee while hiking is to use instant coffee. Although better coffee can be made with freshly ground coffee and a manual brewing method, instant coffee provides a quick, lightweight, easy way to fuel your trip with caffeine. Instant espresso sachets are the best option for hiking. Each sachet is a single serving (no measuring needed) and can be made with a small amount of water — saving on resources.
8. How Much Caffeine is in Percolator Coffee?
The average 8 oz (240 mL) cup of percolator coffee brewed with arabica or a blend contains somewhere between 60 and 200 mg of caffeine. However, the amount of coffee in a cup of percolator coffee varies depending on several factors. The type of bean used, the extraction time, and the coffee-to-water ratio all affect the caffeine level in the resulting cup.
9. What is Cowboy Coffee?
Cowboy coffee is an unfiltered brew made by boiling ground coffee in a large pan or kettle over an open fire. The pan is rapidly cooled after brewing — this forces the coffee grounds to settle at the bottom of the pan. Once settled, the coffee is gently poured into mugs to not disturb the grounds.
10. How Can I Filter Coffee While Camping?
You can filter coffee while camping by using a pour-over setup, percolator, or French press. If you don't have a brewing setup, you can make cowboy coffee or filter your coffee with a piece of clean cloth.
