(part 2 of my ongoing coffee series)
The French press is probably the way I make coffee at camp most frequently. And surveying my friends’ campsites it seems to be the most popular with them as well.
This press, which I’ve had for more than twenty years now, is a uni-tasker but it’s nowhere near as heavy as the Moka pot. I know that there are a few manufacturers offering press accessories to pots & cups if you want to avoid uni-taskers in your kit.
When pack space is an issue, I pack the coffee grounds inside the press, but then you have to be super diligent about drying the inside of the pot before packing up.
Where the Moka pot is an active process, the French press is the complete opposite.
Heat your water in a separate pot. It should be just below boiling. I bring the water to a boil and let it cool for a minute while I prep the press.
Two tablespoons of course ground coffee per 8 oz. of water. If you use regular ground coffee in a French press, you’ll have a lot of fines in the coffee, which will result in coffee mud at the bottom of your cup.
While most people consider camping “roughing it”, I use this as an excuse to buy fancy whole bean coffee and have it ground specifically for the French press. (This trip was a nice Ethiopian coffee. They were out of the Kenyan that is my favorite)
Pour the water over the grounds. With a pour-over you pour a bit of water and let the coffee bloom (absorb the water), but with French press this is totally unnecessary.
The reason blooming is unnecessary is because when you put the press in, you plunge the coffee a few times to ensure all the grounds are fully saturated.
After plunging the filter a few times, pull it up to the top of the water and
Wait.
Four minutes if you have a timer, or until the grounds start to settle to the bottom on their own if you don’t.
Slowly and smoothly press the filter down and enjoy.
Given that the water has been cooling in the morning air for a bit, I find it to be the perfect drinking temperature when poured out of the press.
The French press coffee isn’t quite as good as the Moka pot, in my opinion, but it’s worlds better than the freeze dried mess my parents camped with when I was a wee lad.
Modern Anachronist 