The Best Travel Coffee Maker

Which travel coffee makers are the best ones out there? Well, if you’re a coffeeholic like myself, you need your cup of freshly brewed joe in the morning. And it really needs to be freshly brewed, otherwise it doesn’t work.

During travels it can feel like a treasure hunt when you venture out to find a good cup of coffee, and if you’re camping it may not even be an option.

So why not make your own?

There are plenty of ways to do it, and with a travel coffee maker it is both easy and quick to brew it yourself. Luckily they don’t cost a fortune, and some of them really make a great cup of coffee.

We’ve reviewed a bunch of travel coffee makers over time, and below are our 8 favorite picks:

Coffee Maker for Your Portable Stovetop

What we like: Why exactly did we pick this as our favorite, you ask? Well, for once it works with most types of heat sources (except induction, since it’s aluminum). You can even put it in a camp fire, although it isn’t recommended since the handle is made of plastic. It makes you nice and strong cup of coffee as well, and that’s what it’s all about. It really gets you up and going in the morning, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to use. Since it’s mainly made from Aluminum, it will most likely last you more than a decade too.

All you need to know: The Bialetti Moka Express is a coffee brewer suitable for most heat sources, except induction because it’s made from aluminum.

It is an Italian brand and made in Italy as well, so you’ll get an authentic coffee brewer that works just the way Italians like it. The moka pot works by filling up the lower container with water, and then you’ll add your coffee grounds to the small container in the middle. When the water is boiling, it will build up a pressure that forces it through the coffee grounds, a metal filter, and into the upper container. The upper container collects the freshly brewed coffee, which is then ready to serve.

The coffee is stronger than drip coffee and French press coffee, but it’s also smooth and therefore a pleasure to drink. It can even be used for coffee specialties such as cappuccino or caffe latte.

The Bialetti Moka Express comes in many sizes, which makes you able to make anything from 3 to 12 cups of coffee. You should expect a brewing time of approximately 4-5 minutes, depending on the size you purchase. There’s not a lot of preparation with this brewer, you just fill it with water and coffee ground, and then let it do the work for you.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: Moka
• Coffee taste: Strong, rich, bold
• Capacity: 3 to 12 cups
• Estimated brewing time: 4-5 minutes

Durable French Press Coffee Maker for Your RV

What we like: We had to mark this as our favorite too. It is beautiful, stylish, durable, and most importantly: It makes great coffee. All it takes is some boiled water, which can be boiled just the way you want it. If everything you got is a camp fire, so be it. Warm up the water in a pot and let it boil, before cooling it down just a few degrees. Then you simply add water to your coffee grounds, and let it sit for a couple of minutes – and voila! You get a nice, robust and rich cup of coffee!

All you need to know: The Coffee Gator French press is perfect for travelling, because it’s durable and easy to use. Store it in your RV, and make use of it any time you got access to hot water.

It has an insulated jug which keeps your coffee warm for longer, and it makes 34 ounces of coffee at a time, which gets you between 8 or 10 cups of coffee, depending on the size of your cups.

The brewer has a two-piece metal mesh filter, which ensures that your coffee is filtered efficiently.

French press coffee has a richer and more robust taste, but it’s also balanced and not as strong as other types of coffee. It is somewhat similar to drip coffee, but a less refined taste. We consider it one of the easiest ways to make fresh coffee.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: French press
• Coffee taste: Robust, rich, balanced
• Capacity: 34 ounces
• Estimated brewing time: 4-5 minutes

Coffee Brewed in a Mug – Perfect for Backpackers

What we like: Now this is a great choice for those of you who travel on your own. The Coffee Gator All-In-One travel brewer works really well for those who need their coffee on the go, but still wants a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee. You simply apply the filter, add your coffee grounds, and pour hot water. It just takes a few seconds! And one of the best things are: The slower you pour the water, the stronger your coffee gets. So you can either make your coffee mild or strong, depending on your personal taste.

The mug holds a good 20 ounces of coffee, and it is even insulated and keeps your coffee hot for more than 6 hours.

All you need to know: The Coffee Gator All-In-One pour over mug is suitable for those travelling on their own. It can also be used as a to-go much on your daily commute, if you don’t have time to enjoy your coffee at home. It could work well on camping trips as well, because all you need is some hot water and you’ll be ready to brew a fresh cup of coffee in no time.

The double-layered mug provides you great insulation, so your coffee stays warm for longer. You’ll also avoid the risk of burning your hands, which is a good thing!

There’s also a to-go lid included, which opens and closes whenever you want a sip of coffee. The mug is available in many different colors.

You should expect somewhere between 2 or 3 minutes for this brewer to make coffee, and it is availabe in multiple colors.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: Pour over / drip coffee
• Coffee taste: Rich, smooth, well balanced
• Capacity: 20 ounces
• Estimated brewing time: 2-3 minutes

Beautiful Pour Over Coffee Maker with Permanent Filter

What we like: This is one of our favorites for those travelling in packs (or alone!). The Bodum pour over coffee maker is not only suitable for travelling, it is also suitable for those seeking an easy-to-use coffee brewer, which doesn’t take a lot of space and makes you able to brew a great tasting coffee in no time. Simply apply the filter on top of the carafe, fill in your coffee grounds, and pour hot water over it. Once it stops dripping into the carafe, your coffee is ready to serve.

What a perfect way to start every day!

All you need to know: The Bodum coffee brewer isn’t necessarily made for travelling, but it is definitely made for those beautiful mornings, which are best spent with friends and family around.

While it isn’t necessarily made for travelling or camping of any kind, it is easy to bring along and store in an RV. Just add hot water, and you’re ready to make yourself a nice and smooth cup of coffee.

It is available in 3 sizes varying from 17 ounces up to 51 ounces, so your entire family could be served from just one carafe. It is also dishwasher safe, and it takes just a few minutes to brew the coffee.

The filter is made from stainless steel, and doesn’t require any paper filters. You can make a very rich cup of coffee if you pour the water slowly over the grounds, but you can also make it a bit milder if you pour it as quickly as possible.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: Pour over / drip coffee
• Coffee taste: Rich, smooth, well balanced
• Capacity: 17 – 51 ounces
• Estimated brewing time: 2-3 minutes

Affordable and Durable Pour Over Coffee Cone Dripper

What we like: If you for some reason aren’t interested in buying a complete coffee brewing set, this coffee brewer is a great alternative. Here you’ll get the opportunity to brew your coffee directly into your mug or your own thermo, so you’ll “cut off” the middleman, which is why it’s a good choice for camping, the RV life, and similar. It has been made completely from steel, so it’s a permanent filter that doesn’t break under normal cicumstances. All in all, we think this is a great buy.

All you need to know: This coffee brewer lets you pour over some hot water, and then it is filtered through the metal mesh and ending up directly into your own cup, a jug, or similar. It’s one of the simplest solutions out there, which is why so many people love it.

The coffee brewer from YITELE comes with a scoop and a brush, so you’re all set and don’t have to buy anything extra. Just bring your favorite coffee mug, and you’re good to go.

After use is is easy to clean. You can even wash it in the dishwasher, if you want. Brewing time would take less than 3 minutes, so you’ll quickly get a freshly brewed cup of joe in the morning.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: Pour over / drip coffee
• Coffee taste: Rich, smooth, well balanced
• Estimated brewing time: 2-3 minutes

Quick Coffee and Espresso Maker On-The-Go

What we like: The AeroPress is a genious way to brew a cup of coffee while travelling. You can bring it in your backpack, in your suitcase, or store it in your RV. Since it’s made of plastic (in the USA!) it won’t break easily, and it’s as lightweight as it gets. With this little device you get to choose the strength of your coffee by how long you let it rest in the cylinder, before pressing it into the mug. What more could you possibly ask for?

All you need to know: The AeroPress is a unique travel coffee brewer, where brewing your coffee has been rethought in order to make it as easy and non-messy as it gets.

The way it works is you put a filter in the bottom cap, make sure it’s wet before adding your coffee grounds, then you add hot water, stir it a little to mix with the coffee grounds, and then you add the plunger from the top and press it down slowly. The plunger creates a pressure that will push the coffee through the filter, in order to keep the coffee grounds from spilling into your mug. In a few minutes you’ll have a fresh cup of coffee, and all you have to do afterwards is to rinse off the AeroPress with a bit of water. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

The AeroPress travel brewer comes with a plunger, a cylinder for brewing, a filter cap, a funnel to easily add water and coffee grounds without spilling, a filter holder, a scoop for your coffee grounds, and a stirrer to mix it all properly.

By how this coffee is brewed, it will make you a nice and strong cup of coffee, that is both rich on taste yet also smooth, because of how it’s filtered at the end. It brews approximately 220 milliliters of coffee at a time, which gives you 1 or 2 cups of coffee.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: Press coffee
• Coffee taste: Rich, smooth
• Capacity: 220 milliliters
• Estimated brewing time: 1-2 minutes

Percolator Coffee Pot – Good Old Classic

What we like: The percolator is a great travel companion, because it works with all kinds of heat sources, and quickly makes a strong yet delicious cup of coffee. It is very easy to use as well, so you don’t have to be a scientist in order to make a great cup of joe with this little brewer. It is particularly suitable for those enjoying the camping life, but you can basically bring it wherever you want as long as there’s a heat source you can heat it on.

All you need to know: The Coletti Bozeman is a travel friendly coffee brewer, which works on its own and doesn’t require hot water to brew coffee. You fill it with water and your favorite medium/coarse ground coffee, place it on a heat source (could be a stovetop or a woodburning stove), and then you wait for it to start boiling.

As soon as the water starts boiling, it starts moving upwards through the brewing chamber. The water continues to cycle through the brewer until you decide it’s done, because unlike electric brewers it goes on until you decide it’s done. So you can either have a mild cup of coffee, or let it sit for a little longer if you want it stronger.

One thing most people like about this brewer, is its ability to make a VERY hot cup of coffee. Just like moka pots, the water is boiling hot when the coffee is brewing. We also found the coffee tasting smooth and robust, but sometimes with a hint of bitterness as well. You can probably avoid the bitterness if you avoid letting the water boil for too long, because it might start soaking up those bitter aromas from the coffee grounds over time.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: Percolated coffee
• Coffee taste: Smooth, robust, (sometimes) a hint of bitterness
• Capacity: 9-12 cups
• Estimated brewing time: 2-3 minutes

Portable French Press Coffee Maker

What we like: The KOHIPRESS is a modern and stylish travel coffee brewer, that makes you able to brew a lovely cup of hot coffee on the go. Just add in your coffee grounds and hot water, which can be found on gas stations, or you can boil it over a camp fire or on a camping stove. Let the coffee rest for a short while, and press the plunger to the bottom. Done! You got yourself a nice cup of coffee in no time, and without even breaking a sweat. It comes with a leak-proof lid that you can open to take a sip, and then close it until you want to take your next sip. Once you’re done, you can eject the coffee grounds and rinse it in hot water. Easy and simple.

All you need to know: The KOHIPRESS is a portable coffee brewer suitable for travelling and camping. It also works well as a to-go cup, and it has insulated walls to keep your coffee hot for longer periods of time.

The brewer is made from a outer cylinder and a plunger, whereas the plunger works as a mug on its own. The plunger has a filter in its bottom, so when you press it downwards, it filters your coffee and makes sure the coffee grounds stays in a separate chamber until emptied.

KOHIPRESS is made from stainless steel and plastic, and according to Pressopump, which is the brand behind the brewer, it is completely leak proof once it’s sealed. The lid has a to-go-style opening, so you can open it once you want a sip of coffee, and then close it back up and keep the seal completely tight to avoid spilling your coffee.

While this is basically a portable French press, you’ll get a nice and robust cup of coffee with a rich and balanced taste as well. It makes up to 12 ounces of freshly brewed coffee at once.

Specifications:

• Coffee type: French press
• Coffee taste: Robust, rich, balanced
• Capacity: 12 ounces
• Estimated brewing time: 3-4 minutes

All You Need to Know About Campsite Coffee

No matter where you go and how you live, it is always possible to make a great cup of coffee. First of all you need a proper travel coffee maker, and this article got you covered on that issue.

There are a few more things that are nice to know, and besides the actual coffee maker a few additional tools will definitely come in handy. Here’s a walk-through of how to make the best cup of coffee while travelling and being off the grid:

1. Opt for whole beans instead of ground coffee

Whole beans ensure that most of the aromas are properly sealed until the point of consumption, whereas ground coffee may not have the same amount of taste.

One of the biggest advantages of buying whole beans is that you can grind them exactly the way you want. Maybe you’d want a coarse grind one day in order to make French press coffee, but the next day you want a finer grind for your AeroPress / slow pour coffee.

That’s all possible with whole beans and a proper compact burr coffee grinder.

TIP: Make sure your whole beans are fresh when you buy them. Local coffee shops are most likely the place to go, if you want to make sure the whole beans are actually roasted recently. The packaged date doesn’t usually tell you anything about when they were roasted, and the flavors will peak just a few days after they were roasted.

A mason jar is also a great way to store the beans, in order to extend their freshness for longer.

2. Heat your water to 200° F / 93° C

Unless your coffee is brewing in a moka pot or percolator, you should ensure the temperature of the water is between 195 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit, or 90 to 95 degrees Celsius.

By ensuring the right temperature, your coffee grounds will have the right amount of aromas extracted and give your coffee the best flavor possible.

You can measure the water temperature with a ThermoPro TP03 Digital Instant Read Thermometer or similar. The easiest method is to heat up the water to a few degrees higher than the desired temperature, and then let it slowly decrease to approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Experiment with the amount of grinds

The most widely recommended amount of coffee grinds for one cup is 2 tablespoons, or the equivalent of 7 grams.

To measure this amount of coffee accurately, you’ll need a kitchen scale that’s able to somewhat precisely measure out 7 grams. Most digital scales are able to do so.

While above is the general guideline, you can indeed try experimenting with the amount that suits your liking.

Do you want a stronger cup of coffee with a more intense flavor? Add a few extra grams of coffee grinds to your brewer.

Want a less intense flavor? Reduce the amount with 1-2 grams.

Some of the travel coffee makers make it super easy though, because the amount of coffee needed is fixed according to a 1-2 cups portion size.