Donald's Question:
I have been charged with making"campsite coffee" for our next hike. Instant is out of the question. I've heard rumblings about boiling the coffee grounds and then adding extremely cold water to settle the grounds—but I don't know the proportions. We (there are four guys) are attempting to impress our girlfriends with a special meal. HELP US!!!!

— Donald

Karen's Answer:
Donald,

At your service: Anything to help romance bloom in the wild outdoors.

	Karen Berger Karen is a hiker's hiker. She has finished the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails — making her one of the few who've completed hiking's"triple crown." Meet Karen Previous Answers Hiking Forums

Really, the easiest way to make real coffee is to simply make real coffee. Get one of those filter baskets—the kind that uses a metal mesh rather than a paper filter (less trash to worry about)—pregrind your favorite beans, then simply boil water and run it though the grounds into a water bottle set aside for that purpose. There are also coffee bags available, which work like tea bags. They tend produce a decent, if sometime weak, cup of coffee, but they are convenient.

However, you guys are trying to IMPRESS so why go the easy route?

First things first. Are your fair lasses going to be wowed with up-to-the-minute gadgetry and elegant savoir faire? Or are they more interested in macho-types who whack down trees with a single swipe of their Swiss Army knives?

If the former, get thee to an outfitter, where the indefatigable folks who come up with yet more ways for us poor backpackers to turn ounces into pounds have found the solution to all your gourmet problems. A portable espresso makers? At your service. A back-country stainless steel lightweight percolator? Certainly, sir: Would you like it to serve two or four?

But if you suspect your girl-friend secretly craves for you to turn into a backwoods he-man, good ole cowboy coffee is the only way to go. Build up the fire (in a suitable minimum impact sort of way, in an area that won't be adversely affected, and always using pre-existing fire-rings, of course—macho ain't what it used to be). Throw on the pot, boil the water, throw in the grounds—heck I don't know how many. When I do it, I just throw them in till the water looks suitably thick or until I run out of grounds, whichever comes first. (Hint: the real amount is pretty close to what you'd use in making regular coffee, which, according to my copy of Joy of Cooking, is two tablespoons of coffee for every six ounces of water. Joy of Cooking, however, does not describe the cowboy coffee method. If this makes you nervous—your reputation being on the line and all—test drive it at home.)

Let it sit for a bit, then pour in a dollop of ice cold water and tap on the pot, supposedly to settle the grounds. Wait a couple of minutes, then pour your girlfriends the first cups—they'll get fewer grounds. Lean back against a tree and think how manly you are. Accept compliments.

Have fun and bon appetit!