How to make Moka Pot Coffee outside
Revitalise your coffee ritual by taking it outside. Much like the meditative art of tea making, our coffee habit becomes rituals in our daily lives.
With home office and lockdown, our daily routines are even more important, especially at the start of your day. Your morning routine is how you set yourself up for greatness.
I find myself slipping into the habit of rolling out of bed and into a yoga pose before sitting in front of my screen for hours. My day becomes all about doing, and I forget about being.
Without the commute to work, it takes a conscious effort to make time for myself to just be.
Making coffee has become my me-time, and I find a quiet joy in taking my special time out-of-doors. That is, making my normal cup of coffee outside.
Preparing my Moka pot coffee at a favourite spot of mine.
It’s astonishing how changing your environment can enhance your experience. When I first took the practice of making coffee outside, I found a new joy in its preparation.
Manually grinding the beans is always how I start, and in nature, I become acutely aware of the coffee bean smell wafting up my nose.
Preparing the brewing method demands care to ensure it goes smoothly. Being responsible for your own source of heat is such a feeling of freedom and independence.
And finally, pouring that freshly brewed, steaming coffee into your cup to sip with a view of your choice is the cherry on top.
Soaking up the Swiss Alps while our coffee is brewing.
Taking my coffee outside doesn’t just allow me to look at my ritual with new eyes, but allows me to take a pause in nature. For this reason, I love stopping to make coffee or cooking food when hiking.
It grants me the opportunity to stop and smell the mountains.
It’s too easy to trudge ahead in life without stopping to admire the beauty of where you are.
I have included a recipe below for my current brewing method when I hit the hills. I hope you can enjoy it too.
Moka pot coffee equipment
Coffee equipment:
Moka pot
Camping stove
Cup
Coffee
Coffee grinder
Water
The coffee equipment I take with me into the mountains (except the bag of beans and the grinder).
How to make Moka pot coffee outside
Step 1: Grind the coffee into a fine grind. When on a long hike, I grind the coffee at home and take the grounds with me in a ziplock bag.
Step 2: Fill the base with water to the desired amount.
Step 3: Add the coffee grounds to the filter tank and close your Moka pot.
Note: the amount of coffee grounds and water depends on how much coffee you’re making. The healthy ratio is 1:7 (coffee to water ratio).
Step 4: Prepare and light your stove. I have a gas fuel kitchen that requires the gas canister and the stovetop, which I light with a firestarter. Be safe and use a sheltered area if it is windy.
Step 5: Place your Moka pot on top and open the lid to cut the heat and keep an eye on your coffee.
Tip: Once the honey-coloured coffee starts flowing out the funnel, gently lower the heat to get an even stream and avoid spluttering.
Step 6: Pour the coffee and enjoy! Make sure the stove is off.
Soninke Combrinck
I write about connecting with nature as I chase my own adventures around the world.