How to: Campsite Coffee and Freezing Surplus Beans

More than acceptable camping kettle

With Labor Day coming up, I know a lot of you may be camping. So I figured now was as good of time as ever to go over how I prefer to make coffee in the great outdoors. Just because you are away from electricity/your tools to control independent variables in brewing does not mean you must succumb to instant coffee! 

My method is semi-derived from April Coffee Roaster's Aeropress Method but with some modifications I preferred, better for brewing two cups for yourself and a camping partner while enjoying the brisk morning air next to the crackle of a fire. I included a photo of the kettle I use to show that I recommend NOT buying a nice stainless steel kettle to make coffee on an open fire. It is going to get covered with ash and soot, and the handle most likely melted if it has any plastic on it. This kettle was $5 from a thrift store.

1. Give yourself at least a liter of purified water, or at least water that does not obviously smell like sulfur or having a greenish tint from the nearby swamp. 
2. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute to kill any bacteria. 
3. Dose 25 grams of coffee in to your hand grinder. On a Porlex grinder I used the 12 setting (12 clicks from all the way closed)
4. Rinse Aeropress with paper filter with hot water.
5. Dose your coffee, pour in 140 grams of water, and then stir for 10 seconds. The timer should read about 20 seconds by now - quickly insert the plunger at a slight angle, and then in a small motion push the plunger back up-right. This allows the vacuum in the Aeropress to be created while losing minimal liquid from the brewer. 
6. At 50 seconds, remove the plunger and stir for 20 seconds. Replace plunger using same method. 
7. After 20 seconds of resting (time should read 1:30), begin pressing down on plunger for a total of 20 seconds at constant pressure until you hear the hissing sound. This means all available brewing liquid has been expunged. 
8. Divide the "concentrate" between both cups. Each cup should have 55-60 grams of concentrate Aeropress coffee in it. 
9. Dilute each cup with 120 grams of water. You can use hot or cold water for this dilution. Alternatively you can add 120 grams of ice instead of water to make a flash-chilled ice coffee. 

Next, I wanted to give a brief overview on the idea of freezing coffee beans as requested from a few members. For the first few years of my coffee career this was a huge no-no. I never really understood the science behind it but I was an amateur and trusted the "professionals". Now I believe it is an extremely helpful tool to store coffee beans that I am excited about trying but that I will not be able to get to because of a surplus of open bags at the moment. 

First rule, never freeze a bag of already opened coffee. The vent on any bag is one-way, meaning it lets air/gases escape but does not let anything in. Once the bag is opened, you are allowing outside oxygen to mix with the oils that naturally occur from roasting. Once this is frozen and unfrozen, the humidity from the air will attack the beans by dulling the flavors and allow other food in the freezer to flavor the coffee beans. No raw chicken flavored coffee please. 

Next, do not re-freeze coffee ever. This has to do with the bean's temperature range rapidly fluctuating too often and can change the coffee's acidic compounds. 

I personally seal the actual bag of coffee inside another sealed plastic bag for extra protection just in case the bag is torn or a poor air-vent design. If you do or do not do this, it is important to freeze and un-freeze the coffee the same way. If you do double seal, take the entire double-sealed coffee bag out of freezer and let it thaw for at least 12 hours before opening. Coffee beans take a long time to change temperature and will brew completely wonky if still cold. 

I hope all of this material is helpful and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or possible holes in my descriptions.

- Dylan