Four coffee brewing methods that mean you can start your day with one of life’s greatest pleasures even when far from a café. By Justin Sprecher

Being in the bush doesn’t mean you can’t have a great cup of coffee. Here are four brew methods to class up your coffee game on your next trip.

Buying ground coffee at the store or grinding at home is the easiest. However, freshly ground coffee yields the best results. If you want to fully embody a backcountry barista, consider packing a hand grinder.

1. Filter Coffee aka Pour Over Coffee

There are many filter coffee devices that can be used in the backcountry. While some are novel, you can’t go wrong with the Hario V60 01 Plastic Dripper. This is the standard for filter coffee at high-end cafes. It weighs 78g and, while it’s the most complicated method to pull off in a hut, it’s certainly the most impressive.

Grind size: Medium (sand grains), filter grind in-store

Ratio: Two tablespoons of coffee per 180ml water

Method: Wet the filter while it’s in the dripper. Add coffee grounds. Pour a small amount of hot water onto the grounds and wait 30–45 seconds.

Next, pour the remaining water over the grounds in a circular motion. Aim to pour the water consistently over a period of 1 to 1.5 minutes. Wait two minutes for the coffee to finish dripping into your mug.

2. Aeropress

Aeropress is about as close to espresso-style coffee as can be achieved in the backcountry. The plunger system uses pressure to force water through coffee grounds that are compressed into a puck that only requires a small paper disc filter. The Aeropress itself is heavier than other devices but is a simple, no-fuss option for an espresso-style cup of coffee.

Grind size: Fine (table salt), espresso grind in-store

Ratio: 2 tablespoons coffee per 100ml water

Method: Pour hot water over grounds. Stir. Wait 2min. Plunge.

3. Cowboy Coffee

Cowboy coffee, or unfiltered coffee, often gets dismissed with an enthusiastic ‘no!’. But hear me out. This method is similar to ‘coffee cupping’, which is the method used to score coffee by buyers and coffee reviewers in the highest echelons of the coffee industry. No special gear is required.

Grind size: Extra coarse (cracked peppercorns)

Ratio: 1.5 tablespoons to 180ml of water

Method: Pour hot water over the grounds. After 5min a crust will form on the top. Use a spoon to gently scrape the crust away and discard. Slowly pour the coffee into a second cup, doing your best to avoid pouring grounds along with it.

4. Plunger

Most of us are familiar with plunger coffee. Both Jetboil and MSR stove systems sell a plunger attachment. There are also numerous insulated mugs with built-in plungers like the 272g GSI Javapress. No filters are required but it can be messy to clean up. 

Grind size: Coarse (sea-salt sized), plunger grind in-store

Ratio: 2 tablespoons coffee per 180ml water

Method: Pour hot water over grounds. Wait 4–5min. Plunge.