Camping Basics - great coffee on a campout
Coffee made in a Percolator
The percolator is about 200 years old. It was invented in Europe in the early 1800s. It received it's first US patent in 1865, and the modern form of the percolator was patented in 1899 in Illinois USA.
Campout at Camp McKee September 2012
In my opinion, the percolator makes the best cup of coffee. If you want to know how to make it on a campout, you must first figure out how to do it by stove top. If you take the following steps, you can't go wrong.
I should mention that the whole process takes about 30 minutes. There isn't a button you can push that will allow you to walk away to get ready for your day. You have to be present for most of the following steps.
Coffee Percolator
Step 1
Fill your coffee pot with cold water. It is important not to fill it to the top with water. When the water starts to boil, it will boil over onto your stove top (or campfire) if you filled the water too high.
Step 2
Open up your cage that will hold the coffee and prepare to fill it. I have never used a filter with my percolator. There will be a few grounds in the bottom of the pot after the coffee is finished, but not very many.
Step 3
Fill your cup with ground coffee. I prefer 2 1/2 scoops (tablespoon). If you put too much ground coffee in your percolator, the taste will be too strong.
This is a half scoop
Step 4
Put the percolator in the coffee pot and turn to high heat. Then sit down. The percolator will take up to 10 minutes to start perking. This will mean that you'll need to stay in the kitchen. You won't be able to set a timer to know when to return when it starts perking. You have to listen to it.
Step 5
When the perking starts, set your timer for 8 minutes and turn your heat to medium. Some of the water will escape by steam while it is perking. That is normal. Just make sure you don't go more or less than 8 minutes in perking time. It will scorch the coffee if you go longer, and will taste weak if you go less.
Step 6
Turn off your stove top and remove from heat at the end of 8 minutes.
Step 7
Insulate the coffee pot while the water drips out of the cage inside your percolator. I usually give this step 10 minutes. I use my old tea cozy that I still use when I make tea.
Step 8
Remove percolator and cage from coffee pot and put aside. It is easier to put it on a saucer so the coffee won't stain whatever you put it on. I use a small paper towel to take out the cake in order to not burn myself. You may still think this is too hot, so you may need to use something better if it is too hot.
Step 9
Pour most of the coffee in a thermos. This will keep your coffee hot for many hours. I have made coffee in the morning, and by 7 PM when I poured a cup from my thermos, it was still hot. It will start getting colder immediately if you leave it in the pot until you want your next cup.
Step 10
Pour the rest of what is in the coffee pot into your cup and enjoy. I always wash out the inside of the pot after this step. As I mentioned already, there will be some coffee grounds in the bottom of the pot, and if you don't clean it out after you use it, it will be more difficult to clean it out before the next time you use it.
How a percolator works:
