I also use the GSI at home and the office. I also stick a paper filter inside the GSI filter, easy cleanup and it slows down the drip giving a stronger coffee with fewer grounds.
For cowboy coffee, you could directly put the grounds into the cup and pour over hot water ; let it sit for a few minutes after stirring to let the grounds fall down. That's also how we do regular coffee in Poland :)
We've been struggling - and you saved us!! To enjoy the coffee while backpacking is so important. We have tried different ways but nothing nearly as good as the Aero press. Tnx a million for showing us that option!
There is no topic more controversial than the best way to make trail coffee. Yet you still didn't touch on my preferred method. I tried every method of trail coffee out there and my simple cheap way is still my favorite. And for the record, those Starbucks via's suck. I ordered empty tea bags off Amazon and filled them with a pre-measured amount of my favorite coffee. You make the coffee just like you're making a cup of tea. Simple, cheap.
Very true! Everyone has their preferred method, although I must admit I've never tried the empty tea bag idea. That's smart! Also, I find the Alpine Starts to be excellent. Those Starbucks Vias are not nearly as good.
@@grendle81 you said you were buying tea bags and filling them, not getting them from someone else. That said, that's a very wasteful way to get your coffee
Great video! Lots of good options...I use the more traditional cowboy coffee pot for my cowboy coffee... let it sit 3 minutes and add a 1/2 cup of cold water through the spout and pour you self a cuppa. Yumm and not so many grounds in the teeth
On the instant coffee. Try adding the crystals to a splash of cold water to dehydrate. The boiling water can actually burn the delicate freeze dried crystals.
I love my GSI Java Drip but here's a tip. If you didn't use enough coffee and it looks pale or weak, don't add more coffee. Just unhook the filter from the sides of your mug and immerse it into the coffee and stir it around gently for 5-10 seconds. Let it steep for another 30 seconds or so and then carefully pull the filter back out. As long as you weren't heavy handed with the stirring, you won't get any grounds in your cup of coffee. I also like the fact that the GSI fits in the bottom of the butane canister so it stays protected and out of the way inside the backpack
@@soof3993 For a single overnight, I just dump the grinds into the garbage bag and put the Java Drip back in the food bag. For multiple nights, I now actually bring a #2 coffee filter specifically because clean up can be a PITA. So the filter goes into the drip and then I just pull the filter out and dump it into my garbage bag
The Bialetti espresso maker is our go to for a stout cuppa joe..never fails us Also have a GSI espresso maker that is also a contender. Just recently purchased the new Jetboil silicone coffee press which I have yet to try..fingers crossed. We are coffee aficionados and require a great cup of coffee first thing in the morning to get the blood flowing. PS..you must try Kicking Horse coffees out of Windermere BC...AMAZING coffee, ethically sourced.
OH I'm familiar with Kicking Horse. They make excellent coffee! I love them! As for the various espresso makers, I have yet to try them. But they're on my list!
Cowboy coffee is good but you usually make it in a big pot for a big group and gravity drop the grounds which takes a little practice. I just bought an aero press for backpacking so it was nice to see it in the review.
With the pour over method, try pouring just a little hot water on the grounds and letting them sit for a minute before slowly adding the rest of the water. It helps the grounds "bloom" and will lead to a stronger brew. I also like the Folgers tea bag style coffee. But then you have to pack out the tea bags.
Totally with you until you said “Folgers,” lol. The key to great coffee - anywhere - it’s how fresh it is. Coffee loses about 80 percent of its flavor within a few weeks of roasting. Grocery store coffee often sits in warehouses for months before being distributed.
Cowboy coffee is a great way to make a lot of coffee for a group (or the proper caffeine addicts among us). Most other methods are either too inefficient or too bulky in their equipment demands. A viable alternative is to make cowboy coffee and then filter it through your GSI pour overfilter into someones cup. I find the tapping doesnt do much to settle the grinds, but small (inch or two) controlled drops onto a flat surface really helps. Just make sure to put a lid on the pot.
Ok, you convinced me to get this aeropress lol. I got the java kit for my jetboil but I wondered what the aeropress was like. Apparently I'm a coffee snob and having good camp coffee is my top priority lol
For the pour over option you can also get a stronger coffee by going with a finer grind as smaller grains slow down the flow of water and add brewing time, larger grounds allow for faster water flow.
Not sure why this works, but try not stirring your cowboy coffee. Just boil it to desired strength, take it off the heat and in a minute or two most of the grounds will sink to the bottom. Enjoy your videos- learning a lot!
Straight in the booking pot, that's how we Israeli travelers do it with Turkish coffee. The trick is to poor it gently to little outdoors espresso cups.
Haha don't know what I was trying to say about the pot...um student will little sleep here. Anyway covid bommer, my friend and I planed to hike the high Tatras in the summer...that wont happen.
Cowboy coffee hack: A tea infuser (the spring/clamshell type are durable and work great) is perfect; just pour the coffee through it on the way to the mug, eliminating the grinds. The handle keeps you from burning yourself. If you were a tad industrious, you can disassemble it and attach to a stick. Alternatively, you can just put the grinds in the infuser and boil it in the water (which is simpler and nearly as effective).
The option I chose is a titanium freench press from Bestargot. It´s basically a 750 ml titanium pot with a stainless steel mesh plunger. It makes good coffee, reduces waste and is dual use as the pot can be used as such. I also use this french press at home.
Jed's in New Zealand makes tea bag style (not instant) with ground beans. Just make it the same as you would a cup of tea. Tastes fantastic, comes in differing strengths from 2-5 and no mess or extra equipment. Also, they're super light and biodegradable. Bet you can order them online if you're not in the states.
I always find with above the treeline camping water temp becomes a huge issue so Aeropress becomes the only option for me then as pour-over just gets too cold too quick at even just a few 1000 feet, and I use light roast beans ground a bit finer than normal so you can use water straight off the boil to brew without over-extraction issues, then you get a really good hot cup of coffee even in the winter I find, I hate coffee which has cooled down too fast.
....I've always used the instant coffee single serve packets since it can be for hot or cold coffee....If it's a warmer day, I just pour it into my water bottle for the cold coffee option...
For cowboy coffee i have a /igloo hydroflask like thermos and add hotwater coffee grounds, close lid turn upside down and let grounds settle for five minutes then drink. No grounds consumed.
Add too much coffee? What's he talking about? If it still pours it's not too strong! Learned that in the Army! What everyone calls Cowboy coffee I call Army coffee. I love percolator coffee, recently found a small Coleman brand percolator! It's old, but it's the same size and nearly the same weight as the pot I already bring so I can't wait to use it. Lately I've switched to the Aeropress and it's really handy, makes great coffee! For ultimate backwoods coffee snobbery I have a small hand cranked grinder but it doesn't always go.
Instant coffee is usually just dehydrated coffee, so adding boiling water would ruin the taste. First you have to dissolve the powder in warm (circa 60 Celsius / 140 Fahrenheit) water (around half or two thirds of a cup), then add hot, but not boiling water to bring up the temperature. If you like your coffee really hot, then just use less water in the beginning. When I make them, I usually like to use just a bit less than the factory recommended amount of water. It's just a sip less, but makes the taste richer. They are also convenient, as it is offered in prepackaged single servings, some with added sugar or cream or both. You can also find cappuccino, or hot cocoa, which you should prepare in the same manner to get the proper taste. With the pour-over method, it is a good idea to wet the ground coffee beforehand. Just measure it out in a separate bag, add some water, just enough so all of it is wet. Also, if the coffee ends up too weak, just put the filter directly into the coffee for a couple of minutes, just like you would with a tea bag. With cowboy style coffee, you have to first warm the water. Also, never fill your pot full, as you will have to boil the coffee, so leave some room for it to bubble and roll over. Use around one fourth of a cup of ground coffee for a liter of water. The coarser the grind, the longer you will have to boil it. Caffeine is more soluble in boiling water, so just bringing it to boil will only result in weak and bad tasting coffee. After putting the coffee into the warm water, don't stir it, just put it directly to boil. If it starts to boil, but the bubbles can't break through the top layer, just scoop out the hot spot with a spoon to prevent it from boiling over. After bringing it to boil, keep it boiling from one to three minutes, depending on the grounds you used and your preference. Then pull it off of the fire and let it settle for a minute. After that, you will have to add cold water to push the still floating grinds to the bottom. Around half or two thirds of the amount of coffee that you have put in is enough, but it also depends on the circumference of the pot you are using. Always pour the cold water onto the inner sidewalls of your pot, while going around the circumference. It is also a good idea to use a wet paper towel to wipe the inner sidewall to get rid of the grounds that got stuck there, while boiling. Then you will only have to pour the coffee, but make sure you are pivoting your pot from the bottom corner/edge and pour in a small stream. That Aero Press looks like an over-complicated french press. An actual espresso needs at least 7 bars of pressure, which I highly doubt that contraption can achieve. Ps: An Americano is an espresso with added hot water. It's literally watering down the strong taste of an espresso for those, who are not used to it.
No one uses Folgers singles? Like a tea bag, you can make your coffee as strong or as light as you like. Two drinkers use two bags. Bags can be dried and burned in the campfire. Packaging melts so you're not carrying anything out.
Have tried the cowboy coffee method. To my surprise, this method makes the smoothest cup of coffee ever, but it also loses the bitterness that makes up the coffee experience. So, if smooth & mild is your *cup of tea* (weak joke), then try cowboy coffee.
We call cowboy coffee "black coffee" 1. Boil a bouch of water 2. Add bunch of extra fine coffee grinds. 3. DO NOT STIR, LET THE BOILING WATER STIR IT. 4. every time it's about to over flow, raise it from the fire and let it decay. 5. Boil the coffee until the coffee doesn't foam up any more Do not drink right away, pur it into a cup and let it cool, the grinds will sink by them selves.
Cowboy coffee is all right, you just have to grind it very coarse so there won't be so many small grinds in your cup. Same for pour over or French press. Pre-ground coffee is always way too finely ground.
So, I think we need more info. Maybe that other coffee wasn't good because it was Columbian, or maybe you like Columbian and it was Arabica. And what about the JoGo? (or whatever it's called) I have a travel press that my son picked up at Walmart years ago, I think it was Outdoor Products? And then he found me another larger one that has the name 'bobbie' on the bottom, great if you like a press! It is heavier than the Aeropress but I drop things...
Your videos are always fun and educational! Great subject for all of us hiking and backpacking coffee lovers!
Thank you so much!
I also use the GSI at home and the office. I also stick a paper filter inside the GSI filter, easy cleanup and it slows down the drip giving a stronger coffee with fewer grounds.
For cowboy coffee, you could directly put the grounds into the cup and pour over hot water ; let it sit for a few minutes after stirring to let the grounds fall down. That's also how we do regular coffee in Poland :)
Very true. Letting the grounds sink is key. I was slightly impatient here! I love'd the coffee in Poland FYI!
Well your not doing cowboy coffee.
Pour through a bandana for a ground free cup of cowboy coffee
Bandana filter! Love it!
We've been struggling - and you saved us!! To enjoy the coffee while backpacking is so important. We have tried different ways but nothing nearly as good as the Aero press. Tnx a million for showing us that option!
There is no topic more controversial than the best way to make trail coffee. Yet you still didn't touch on my preferred method.
I tried every method of trail coffee out there and my simple cheap way is still my favorite. And for the record, those Starbucks via's suck.
I ordered empty tea bags off Amazon and filled them with a pre-measured amount of my favorite coffee. You make the coffee just like you're making a cup of tea. Simple, cheap.
Very true! Everyone has their preferred method, although I must admit I've never tried the empty tea bag idea. That's smart! Also, I find the Alpine Starts to be excellent. Those Starbucks Vias are not nearly as good.
Big issue with this is staling since preground loses flavor so fast. I'd rather have specialty freeze dried
@@veganpotterthevegan they're individually packaged pretty well. Little mylar pouches, nitrogen filled. He's now making a single serve pour over.
@@grendle81 you said you were buying tea bags and filling them, not getting them from someone else. That said, that's a very wasteful way to get your coffee
@@veganpotterthevegan well I've done both. I've filled my own empty tea bags and bought some from wildland coffee. I don't see how that's wasteful.
Great video! Lots of good options...I use the more traditional cowboy coffee pot for my cowboy coffee... let it sit 3 minutes and add a 1/2 cup of cold water through the spout and pour you self a cuppa. Yumm and not so many grounds in the teeth
Nice! yeah, I definitely didn't wait long enough. I was just too excited for that caffeine!
On the instant coffee. Try adding the crystals to a splash of cold water to dehydrate. The boiling water can actually burn the delicate freeze dried crystals.
I love my GSI Java Drip but here's a tip. If you didn't use enough coffee and it looks pale or weak, don't add more coffee. Just unhook the filter from the sides of your mug and immerse it into the coffee and stir it around gently for 5-10 seconds. Let it steep for another 30 seconds or so and then carefully pull the filter back out. As long as you weren't heavy handed with the stirring, you won't get any grounds in your cup of coffee.
I also like the fact that the GSI fits in the bottom of the butane canister so it stays protected and out of the way inside the backpack
How do you clean it?
@@soof3993 For a single overnight, I just dump the grinds into the garbage bag and put the Java Drip back in the food bag. For multiple nights, I now actually bring a #2 coffee filter specifically because clean up can be a PITA. So the filter goes into the drip and then I just pull the filter out and dump it into my garbage bag
Love your videos! And I love coffee even more!
haha thanks!
I"m loving all these coffee comments! Keep em brewin!
😂 I had a good chuckle with the cowboy coffee options. Thanks for making it fun.... 😊
Instant from Cafe Bustello is how I like to roll! No fuss, no muss, decent enough coffee and cheaper than Starbucks Via!
I haven't tried that one! I do like the simplicity of the instants. Thanks for the rec!
I have the GSI Coffee grinder and I hull in my whole “Black Rife, Beyond Black” beans, with a Collapsible stainless pour over also from BRCC
The Bialetti espresso maker is our go to for a stout cuppa joe..never fails us
Also have a GSI espresso maker that is also a contender. Just recently purchased the new Jetboil silicone coffee press which I have yet to try..fingers crossed.
We are coffee aficionados and require a great cup of coffee first thing in the morning to get the blood flowing.
PS..you must try Kicking Horse coffees out of Windermere BC...AMAZING coffee, ethically sourced.
OH I'm familiar with Kicking Horse. They make excellent coffee! I love them! As for the various espresso makers, I have yet to try them. But they're on my list!
Cowboy coffee is good but you usually make it in a big pot for a big group and gravity drop the grounds which takes a little practice. I just bought an aero press for backpacking so it was nice to see it in the review.
With the pour over method, try pouring just a little hot water on the grounds and letting them sit for a minute before slowly adding the rest of the water. It helps the grounds "bloom" and will lead to a stronger brew.
I also like the Folgers tea bag style coffee. But then you have to pack out the tea bags.
That's so smart! I started doing that without even knowing it was a thing. But thank you!
Totally with you until you said “Folgers,” lol. The key to great coffee - anywhere - it’s how fresh it is. Coffee loses about 80 percent of its flavor within a few weeks of roasting. Grocery store coffee often sits in warehouses for months before being distributed.
Cowboy coffee is a great way to make a lot of coffee for a group (or the proper caffeine addicts among us). Most other methods are either too inefficient or too bulky in their equipment demands.
A viable alternative is to make cowboy coffee and then filter it through your GSI pour overfilter into someones cup.
I find the tapping doesnt do much to settle the grinds, but small (inch or two) controlled drops onto a flat surface really helps. Just make sure to put a lid on the pot.
Ok, you convinced me to get this aeropress lol. I got the java kit for my jetboil but I wondered what the aeropress was like. Apparently I'm a coffee snob and having good camp coffee is my top priority lol
For the pour over option you can also get a stronger coffee by going with a finer grind as smaller grains slow down the flow of water and add brewing time, larger grounds allow for faster water flow.
Not sure why this works, but try not stirring your cowboy coffee. Just boil it to desired strength, take it off the heat and in a minute or two most of the grounds will sink to the bottom. Enjoy your videos- learning a lot!
Solid tip. Thanks Trish!
You can also shock it with a little cold water to get your grounds to settle
Nice one, keep the content flowinggggg! P x
You got it!
The GSI mini Expresso maker is worth looking at if you like great coffee.
Straight in the booking pot, that's how we Israeli travelers do it with Turkish coffee. The trick is to poor it gently to little outdoors espresso cups.
Nice! I love this style.
Haha don't know what I was trying to say about the pot...um student will little sleep here.
Anyway covid bommer, my friend and I planed to hike the high Tatras in the summer...that wont happen.
I love the GSI Java Drip. It allows me an opportunity to bring some grounds, a cup and it is a minimal set up.
I used this option for quite some time. I definitely enjoy it!
Cowboy coffee hack: A tea infuser (the spring/clamshell type are durable and work great) is perfect; just pour the coffee through it on the way to the mug, eliminating the grinds. The handle keeps you from burning yourself. If you were a tad industrious, you can disassemble it and attach to a stick. Alternatively, you can just put the grinds in the infuser and boil it in the water (which is simpler and nearly as effective).
The option I chose is a titanium freench press from Bestargot. It´s basically a 750 ml titanium pot with a stainless steel mesh plunger. It makes good coffee, reduces waste and is dual use as the pot can be used as such. I also use this french press at home.
Jed's in New Zealand makes tea bag style (not instant) with ground beans. Just make it the same as you would a cup of tea. Tastes fantastic, comes in differing strengths from 2-5 and no mess or extra equipment. Also, they're super light and biodegradable. Bet you can order them online if you're not in the states.
I gotta try this tea bag idea. Sounds fantastic!
Good Job...I drink Cowboy coffee quite often. By slowly drinking your coffee, the yuck has time to sink. Yummm! Thx
Time is the key for sure. I was a bit too impatient here!
I always find with above the treeline camping water temp becomes a huge issue so Aeropress becomes the only option for me then as pour-over just gets too cold too quick at even just a few 1000 feet, and I use light roast beans ground a bit finer than normal so you can use water straight off the boil to brew without over-extraction issues, then you get a really good hot cup of coffee even in the winter I find, I hate coffee which has cooled down too fast.
Just bought an aeropress for some upcoming hikes in the UK (lockdown permitting).
....I've always used the instant coffee single serve packets since it can be for hot or cold coffee....If it's a warmer day, I just pour it into my water bottle for the cold coffee option...
For cowboy coffee i have a /igloo hydroflask like thermos and add hotwater coffee grounds, close lid turn upside down and let grounds settle for five minutes then drink. No grounds consumed.
What’s the base layer that you’re wearing here? Thanks!
I believe this one is from Altra. I've had it for years and love it but couldn't tell you which model it is, sorry!
I bring a small moka pot, definitely worth a few grams of extra weight.
Add too much coffee? What's he talking about? If it still pours it's not too strong! Learned that in the Army! What everyone calls Cowboy coffee I call Army coffee. I love percolator coffee, recently found a small Coleman brand percolator! It's old, but it's the same size and nearly the same weight as the pot I already bring so I can't wait to use it. Lately I've switched to the Aeropress and it's really handy, makes great coffee! For ultimate backwoods coffee snobbery I have a small hand cranked grinder but it doesn't always go.
you need to add cold water first to cowboy coffee to get the grounds to fall, just a little works. you can wait too but ends up same temperature
The pour over is best when :you wet the grounds with boiling water wait 30 seconds before pouring the rest. Works much better!
Thanks for the tip!
Instant coffee is usually just dehydrated coffee, so adding boiling water would ruin the taste. First you have to dissolve the powder in warm (circa 60 Celsius / 140 Fahrenheit) water (around half or two thirds of a cup), then add hot, but not boiling water to bring up the temperature. If you like your coffee really hot, then just use less water in the beginning.
When I make them, I usually like to use just a bit less than the factory recommended amount of water. It's just a sip less, but makes the taste richer. They are also convenient, as it is offered in prepackaged single servings, some with added sugar or cream or both. You can also find cappuccino, or hot cocoa, which you should prepare in the same manner to get the proper taste.
With the pour-over method, it is a good idea to wet the ground coffee beforehand. Just measure it out in a separate bag, add some water, just enough so all of it is wet. Also, if the coffee ends up too weak, just put the filter directly into the coffee for a couple of minutes, just like you would with a tea bag.
With cowboy style coffee, you have to first warm the water. Also, never fill your pot full, as you will have to boil the coffee, so leave some room for it to bubble and roll over. Use around one fourth of a cup of ground coffee for a liter of water. The coarser the grind, the longer you will have to boil it. Caffeine is more soluble in boiling water, so just bringing it to boil will only result in weak and bad tasting coffee.
After putting the coffee into the warm water, don't stir it, just put it directly to boil. If it starts to boil, but the bubbles can't break through the top layer, just scoop out the hot spot with a spoon to prevent it from boiling over. After bringing it to boil, keep it boiling from one to three minutes, depending on the grounds you used and your preference. Then pull it off of the fire and let it settle for a minute. After that, you will have to add cold water to push the still floating grinds to the bottom. Around half or two thirds of the amount of coffee that you have put in is enough, but it also depends on the circumference of the pot you are using. Always pour the cold water onto the inner sidewalls of your pot, while going around the circumference. It is also a good idea to use a wet paper towel to wipe the inner sidewall to get rid of the grounds that got stuck there, while boiling.
Then you will only have to pour the coffee, but make sure you are pivoting your pot from the bottom corner/edge and pour in a small stream.
That Aero Press looks like an over-complicated french press. An actual espresso needs at least 7 bars of pressure, which I highly doubt that contraption can achieve.
Ps: An Americano is an espresso with added hot water. It's literally watering down the strong taste of an espresso for those, who are not used to it.
No one uses Folgers singles? Like a tea bag, you can make your coffee as strong or as light as you like. Two drinkers use two bags. Bags can be dried and burned in the campfire. Packaging melts so you're not carrying anything out.
Great video....
I know how to get the grounds to settle in the bottom of the pot. It works! I'll tell you some time. ;)
Jetboil Coffee press, cowboy coffee without grounds in cup.
Have tried the cowboy coffee method. To my surprise, this method makes the smoothest cup of coffee ever, but it also loses the bitterness that makes up the coffee experience. So, if smooth & mild is your *cup of tea* (weak joke), then try cowboy coffee.
Get your water to boiling point - let sit for about 2 min off of heat - then add grains .
We call cowboy coffee "black coffee"
1. Boil a bouch of water
2. Add bunch of extra fine coffee grinds.
3. DO NOT STIR, LET THE BOILING WATER STIR IT.
4. every time it's about to over flow, raise it from the fire and let it decay.
5. Boil the coffee until the coffee doesn't foam up any more
Do not drink right away, pur it into a cup and let it cool, the grinds will sink by them selves.
Cowboy coffee is all right, you just have to grind it very coarse so there won't be so many small grinds in your cup. Same for pour over or French press. Pre-ground coffee is always way too finely ground.
No french press?
Actually coffee grounds are used in garden compost bins. You could pack along some coffee in with your TP. :)
So, I think we need more info. Maybe that other coffee wasn't good because it was Columbian, or maybe you like Columbian and it was Arabica.
And what about the JoGo? (or whatever it's called)
I have a travel press that my son picked up at Walmart years ago, I think it was Outdoor Products? And then he found me another larger one that has the name 'bobbie' on the bottom, great if you like a press! It is heavier than the Aeropress but I drop things...
Petromax makes a hand grinder
Cowboy or die!😅❤
Whenever anyone does one of these, I feel bad for all the barely drunk cups of coffee!
it breaks my heart too