Essential Gear (Pt. 2)

Coffee. I forgot to add coffee to my "short list" of essentials.

If I'm going to spend the night outdoors I'm going to wake up wanting a nice hot cup (or two) of cowboy coffee. With that under my belt I can tackle most of the hurdles in front of me.

Historically there have been a number of alternatives to coffee such as chickory but I'll make sure to take a large enough supply of beans or ground coffee to last the duration of my trip.

Here's how I make my cowboy coffee when travelling with either the Swedish Army Trangia or a German Army Mess Kit.

Bring water to a boil in the largest of the containers, add ground coffee (completely unscientific measurements,) remove container from heat and allow to steep for four or five minutes near the heat, wet a handkerchief and wring it out, pour coffee, grounds and all, through the handkerchief and into the smaller container, and add Muscovado if you like your coffee sweeter. Dip your cup into the smaller container or drink straight from the smaller container but be advised it will be quite hot if it's metallic.

Cowboy coffee isn't quite as good as that from my expensive semi-automatic espresso maker but it sure does the trick when I wake up covered in dew and surrounded by the sights and sounds of the woods.

Think I'll go brew some up now...

Thanks for reading,


B