Camping. The great outdoors. Waking up to the chirping of birds and rustling of leaves. You climb out of your tent and head for the coffee, but what you find is a jar of instant granules. Suddenly, you feel the effects of “roughing it.”
That doesn’t have to be you! Thankfully, a handful of great portable coffee grinders are on the market to ensure you still have great coffee on your camping adventure. Read on to learn about our favorite picks for the best portable coffee grinder!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder
Best Budget Option
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill “Skerton”
Best for Saving Space
Handground Precision Manual Coffee Grinder
Best Overall
JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder
The JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder is a dual-plated, ceramic burr coffee grinder that requires no batteries, electrical power, or annoying cords–just a little elbow grease. This portable coffee grinder has 18 – yes, 18! – grind settings, meaning you can tailor your perfect cup, then let your friend tailor theirs.
One of this grinder’s best features is it’s relatively quiet. While prepping your beans, you won’t wake the entire camp–or any in-camp kiddos.
On the flip side, this is better suited as an individual grinder than something you would want to use for the whole camp. And, if you intend to grind for espresso, block off some time and make sure your grinding arm is in good shape because you’ll be there for a while.
Pros
- 18 grind settings
- Compact
- Lightweight
Cons
- Small volume
- Hard to clean
- Can be difficult to use for those with a limited range of motion
Best Budget Option
Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill “Skerton”
If you want a portable camping coffee grinder on a budget (you are roughing it, after all!), the Hario ceramic mill is our choice. Unlike other manual grinders, the “Skerton” lets you grind your beans quickly and– more importantly–quietly.
That said, it takes a lot of effort to grind a cup’s worth of beans. Or, maybe that’s a perk–get your morning workout and coffee simultaneously! Many users actually seem to enjoy the grinding-workout ritual.
We have only found this portable camping coffee grinder to come with instructions written in Japanese; fortunately, there are several video tutorials on the internet to teach you how to use this grinder, but make sure to watch them before you’re in the middle of the woods, needing a coffee fix.
Pros
- Good quality
- Solid construction
- Relatively consistent grind
Cons
- Can be tiring/much work
- No markings for fineness or coarseness
Best for Saving Space
Handground Precision Manual Coffee Grinder
This portable camping coffee grinder prides itself on being built “from scratch,” not copying another company’s design and instead setting out to develop its own from the ground up. To achieve this, Hand Ground interviewed baristas, connoisseurs, and roasters to determine how it could alleviate the problems this demographic finds with portable grinders.
And they didn’t stop there. Hand Ground continues to evaluate and update its product in an effort to make the best portable camping coffee grinder on the market. What resulted was a side grind, a quiet, lightweight grinder with consistent performance.
However, some users have had issues with the cogs in this grinder breaking or stripping, which you don’t want to deal with on a camping trip. We suggest trying this grinder out at home for several uses before you venture into the woods with it as your only source of liquid gold.
Although this precision manual coffee grinder is compact enough to make for an easier camping experience, it’s still not really ideal if you’re backpacking. (If you are backpacking, we recommend grinding ahead of time and packing your grounds well rather than trying to grind on the trail.)
Pros
- Compact (though probably not the best option for backpacking)
- Easy to use
- Well marked
Cons
- Not fine enough for espresso grinds
- Doesn’t seem to last long without parts breaking
- It’s a little more expensive than others on the market
Porlex mini stainless steel coffee grinder
The Porlex mini stainless steel coffee grinder is a solid choice for a portable camping coffee grinder. It’s compact and durable, which makes it perfect for your next camping adventure.
Like many portable camping coffee grinders, the Prolex mini is easy to carry but doesn’t give you more than about a single cup of joe at a time.
Users find that this grinder absolutely withstands the test of time, though. You could use it every day, camping or not, and have a quality manual grinder for a long time.
Pros
- Ceramic pieces last longer than metal
- Can grind perfectly for espresso
- Compact–can’t get much smaller!
- Stainless steel makes it feel durable
Cons
- Pricier than other options
- The crank needs gentle treatment
- Not for pot or multi-cup grinders
Kuissential EvenGrind Coffee Grinder
The EvenGrind Coffee Grinder from Kuissential is a no-nonsense grinder that does the trick. As with other portable camping coffee grinders, you’re only going to get about a cup of fantastic coffee from a full grind, but that may not be a bad thing, depending on your needs.
The internal parts of this grinder are ceramic rather than metal, which makes them both easier to clean and less prone to going wonky, as metal can tend to bend in a grinder outfitted with metal parts, and ceramic is not as malleable to itself.
However, some cons to consider are that the collection jar for grounds on this grinder is glass, making it a bit trickier to pack and transport. Also, this isn’t likely a portable grinder that you’ll be able to use single-handedly; most users find that it takes two hands to do the grinding (one to hold, one to turn the crank).
Pros
- Easy to clean compared to metal grinders
- Small business
- More even grinding, compared to a metal-blade grinder
Cons
- Glass jar, so breakage is a concern for camping
- Bulkier than others
- Takes two hands to grind well
Portable Camping Coffee Grinder Buyer’s Guide
Grind Options
- Easy to clean compared to metal grinders
- Small business
- More even grinding, compared to a metal-blade grinder
When purchasing a portable camping coffee grinder, you first need to consider the coarseness of the grind you want. If you’re not particular and just want a good cup of coffee in the morning, that’s one thing, but if you need your daily professional-grade espresso to make it through a day-long hike (or other camping discomforts), pay attention to a device’s grind options and make sure, via trial and error, that there’s one you can stomach in the wild.
Consistency
Consistency is another feature to consider when choosing a portable camping coffee grinder. Maybe you try a grinder once and find the consistency of the grind to be perfect! But then, when you take the grinder on the road, your second, fifth, and seventeenth grinds are different or not up to your desires.
Some portable camping coffee grinder users will still be able to enjoy their morning brew, accepting that their grind isn’t as uniform as they would like. However, others will find their hard grinding work to be for naught and their resulting beverage to be fodder for the forest and unfit to drink.
If you fall in the latter group, make sure you run your grinder through several practice rounds before hitting the road.
Effort
Is grinding coffee beans first thing in the morning your idea of rest and relaxation? For some campers, the answer is yes! But for others, the struggle becomes, “How much do I want good coffee? Am I willing to work for it?”
Figure out which group calls to you, and then decide on a portable camping coffee grinder that does what you need it to do with the effort you’re willing to expend.
Production Volume
Are you trying to make freshly ground coffee for your entire campsite or just for you and maybe a partner? These are things to consider when you’re looking at purchasing a portable camping coffee grinder. On one hand, you don’t want to lug around a big grinder if you just want one or two satisfying cups in the morning, but at the same time, you don’t want to spend your morning cranking out grounds for everyone in your camping party to get a good pour.
Durability
What kind of durability do you need in a portable camping coffee grinder? Are you camping at a site that you can drive into? Hike into? Or maybe you’re camping in parts unknown. These are all factors to consider when choosing a portable camping coffee grinder, as they will help you determine how robust your grinder should be to survive its out-of-base-camp time.
Price
How often do you intend to use your portable camping coffee grinder? If you plan to take it camping a couple of times a year, it’s probably not worth spending big bucks on a manual grinder unless you intend to use it at home, too.
However, if you do have “great coffee” on your must-have list for camping, and especially if you find a grinder you’ll use at home–whether it be for use during power outages, for quality purposes, or just because you like the arm workout–don’t be afraid to spend a little more for your portable grinder. It’ll be worth it for you.
Grind On
If you’re here, looking at the best portable camping coffee grinders, you are clearly a connoisseur, or at least someone who (rightfully) puts “enjoy great coffee” on your camping to-do list. What better way to enjoy a delicious, handcrafted brew than in the midst of nature?
If you have been on the fence about grinding your own beans on the trail, jump off. One of nature’s most basic, beautiful pleasures is a cup of coffee from freshly ground beans. You have every right to indulge, even when camping.
Learn more about getting your morning coffee on while camping in our “How to Make Camp Coffee” article!
- About the Author
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Ronda Lindsay is a professional writer and editor who has worked in government communications for nearly two decades.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, she fostered her love of nature and the outdoors by exploring the Pacific Northwest’s many natural playgrounds before moving to the Washington, DC, area to see what the eastern side of the country had to offer. She’s also spent plenty of time camping, hiking, and floating around central Texas, where she now lives.
With a bachelor’s in English and a master’s in professional writing, Ronda loves to learn and write about the latest trends in outdoor adventuring and share that information with Beyond the Tent readers.