Our Process
After researching the market's best camping coffee makers, we hunkered down and drank obscene quantities of coffee to test each of the devices in our review. During that time, we also inspected every aspect of our brewers noting which traveled the best, which were easiest to use, and which provided the best taste whether we were measuring or not.
Taste
We performed several head-to-head blind taste tests with self-professed coffee lovers, noting their preferences in detail. We taste-tested each brewer by using both precise, dialed-in recipes and haphazardly-made coffee sans recipe, to mimic your average bleary-eyed camper. This helped reveal which devices were the most versatile, intuitive, and user-friendly.
The Coffee We Used
To ensure the coffee itself was not an issue with tasting, we selected top quality beans from roasters who know their stuff. Over our various cycles of testing we have used Black Velvet in Mammoth Lakes, CA, Deeper Roots Coffee based in Cincinnati, OH, Copper Door Coffee from Denver, CO, and, most recently, Sweet Bloom Coffee based in Lakewood, Colorado. By starting with high-quality beans and freshly ground coffee, we could focus on evaluating the subtle differences in taste based on the brew methods and remove the variable of stale or otherwise bad beans.
Ease of Use
To test this metric, we noted how easy and intuitive each device was to use and perfect, as well as how quickly and efficiently we could clean each brewer. Did the brewer require special filters? Did we have to time the brewing process? Were there lots of small pieces to keep track of? We also paid attention to the weight of each model and how easy or difficult they were to pack up and transport.
Group Cooking
To evaluate each brewer for group cooking, we assessed how many cups of coffee each brewer could make. Then we considered how effectively and efficiently we could repeat the process. Brewers that required thorough cleaning and produced only small amounts tended to score poorly on this metric, no surprise.
Portability
We took each brewer along with us on camping and backpacking trips, trying them in different situations and environments to determine which were the best adventure companions, whether solo or in a group. We lent the brewers to people planning trips who wanted a convenient way to make their morning coffee and noted their observations.
Weight
We checked and noted each of the manufacturer's listed weights. Then immediately after receiving each brewer, we weighed each of these brewers on a high-quality kitchen scale.
After drinking enough coffee to blast off into space, we compiled all of our research to present you with detailed comparisons. We hope this helps you find the perfect coffee companion for your next adventure, wherever you might find yourself. Salud!
