When we think of brewing coffee at home (which we at The Roasterie think about all the time), we imagine the usual process we’re accustomed to; grinding the beans, putting the grounds in the filter, pouring in the water, and pressing the brew button. But there are actually a variety of ways to make a good cup of coffee, including what’s called Cowboy coffee. Cowboy coffee is a traditional drink made by cowboys on the trail. It’s brewed by heating coarse grounds with water and then pouring it into a cup after the grounds have settled. Let’s talk about the rich history of this outlaw drink.
What is Cowboy Coffee?
In general, all coffee brewing is essentially the process of turning coffee beans into a beverage. While we are accustomed to our favorite brewing methods and preferences, there are varied methods one may use to create a great cup of coffee. One such method is known as “cowboy coffee”. And while the name may inspire visions of adventurers on the wild frontier living in buckskin tents, the method is used by people all over the world. Cowboy coffee serves a variety of purposes and situations, from backwoods camping to trying something new with friends. It can be tempting to think of this drink as a last-resort type of method, but if done well, the results are a surprisingly gourmet, great coffee that is easy to drink and easy to make. According to a Sprudge interview with Vaughn Robison, a commercial art director and cowboy, people love this drink for its rich history. “I think the cultural draw is largely something that comes from either die-hard cowboys looking to preserve archaic, cultural touchpoints of a utility-based way of life, or those who live outside the Western lifestyle but also see it as a dying craft to be preserved,” says Robinson in the interview. “The second group, who have a tendency to romanticize and lust after the Western way of life, is also largely responsible for the fetishization of the method and its resurgence in popular coffee culture.”
How to Make Cowboy Coffee
Cowboy coffee is essentially French press coffee without a filter. Typically, this drink is made over an open flame, out on the trail, or at a campsite, where a coffee maker (or electricity for that matter) isn’t readily available. This simple method of brewing cowboy coffee makes a great tasting cup of coffee that is bold and flavorful. Before you hit the trail, measure how much water fits in your mug and your chosen coffee pot. This will keep you from overfilling your cup once it’s ready and let you know the amount of coffee you will need. Here’s how you make this outlaw drink:
- Bring the desired amount of water to a boil in a pot
- Once it’s boiling, remove the pot from your fire and let it sit for 30 seconds (this is so that it drops to 200° Fahrenheit, which is considered the best temperature to brew coffee)*
- Add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee for every 8 ounces of hot water
- Stir
- Let sit for 2 minutes
- Stir
- Let sit for an additional 2 minutes
- After 4 minutes of brewing, pour ½ cup cold water on the grounds (which will be on top of the pot at this point) to help them sink to the bottom**
- Slowly pour the coffee into a cup, so that the coffee grounds stay at the bottom of the pot and don’t transfer into your mug
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
*The temperature is very important to this process! Boiling coffee actually takes the acid out of the drink, so some people prefer this version of making a cup of joe to the traditional method. **Some cowboys use crushed eggshells to help the grounds sink to the bottom faster. And eggshells help reduce the acid levels due to their alkalinity as well. Other methods to separate the grounds and coffee include using a (clean) sock as a makeshift coffee filter.
Time To Hit The Trail
Cowboy coffee has a long and storied history in America, from cowboys on the trail, to campers in the wild, to friends in a living room. Today, it’s a drink that elicits nostalgia and a sense of homey comfort wherever it’s consumed. While it certainly isn’t the most common way to brew coffee, it is nonetheless a celebrated part of coffee’s history. If you haven’t already, give it a try sometime—you’ll be surprised by the results!
FAQs
Here's how you can make cowboy coffee that would rival what you brew at home: Add water to your pot and bring it to a boil. Once the water's boiling, remove the pot from your fire and let it sit for 30 seconds. This will lower the water temperature to 200°F — the perfect temperature for brewing coffee.
What is the best grind for cowboy coffee? ›
Coarse grind is for what we call "cowboy" coffee. This is when the coffee is put into a pot of boiling water, usually over a campfire.
What is cowboy coffee in the USA? ›
Cowboy coffee is a traditional drink made by cowboys on the trail. It's brewed by heating coarse grounds with water and then pouring it into a cup after the grounds have settled.
Why did cowboys put egg shells in coffee? ›
As legend goes, a 150 year-old cowboy tradition would have cowboys and cowgirls toss eggshells into coffee as it heated, to make smoother. Why? It is said that the alkaline in the shells absorbs the acidity in the coffee.
Is cowboy coffee healthy? ›
A: The way you brew your coffee can change its health effects. Unfiltered coffee (also called boiled coffee or cowboy coffee) raises cholesterol, including undesirable LDL cholesterol (American Journal of Epidemiology, Feb.
What is cowboy slang for coffee? ›
Arbuckle's – Slang for coffee, taken from a popular brand of the time. “I need a cup of Arbuckle's.”
How long to let cowboy coffee boil? ›
The cowboy coffee recipe was basically this: Put water in the pot, add coffee grounds when it's warm, bring it to a boil, and keep it there for two to three minutes. Let it rest for a minute, add a little cold water (to help the grounds fall to the bottom), and serve.
Why is my cowboy coffee bitter? ›
Cowboy coffee can be super bitter because of over extraction of the coffee.
Do you filter cowboy coffee? ›
There are many things that a cowboy can do without. Coffee is not one of them. There are several variations on technique, but most methods call for boiling water, adding grounds, and re-boiling, before repeating the process. Since no filter is used, various field recipes—see below—are employed to make the grounds sink.
What is sludgy cowboy coffee? ›
Yet, cowboy coffee remains a staple of camping culture more than a century after early Wild West explorers deemed it a ritual. Made by boiling water over a fire, then adding coffee grounds and letting them settle at the bottom, this is certainly one of the most rustic and social methods of coffee making.
And given the history of the drink, it's easy to see why: Originally devised by chuckwagon cooks to keep teams of cowboys energized and hydrated during their long days (and sometimes nights) of hard physical labor, cowboy coffee requires no special equipment apart from what a cook on the open range would already have ...
Did cowboys drink Folgers coffee? ›
Coffee continued to reign supreme in the States and only became more popular when in 1864, John and Charles Arbuckle began pre-roasting coffee and selling it by the pound to the ranchers and cowboys that had moved out west. This was quickly followed by names such as Folgers and Maxwell House.
What coffee beans did cowboys use? ›
Arbuckles' Ariosa Blend became so popular in the Old West that most cowboys didn't even know that there was any other. Arbuckles' Coffee was prominent in such infamous cow towns as Dodge City and Tombstone. To many of the older cowboys, Arbuckles' Ariosa Blend is still known as the Original Cowboy Coffee.
Did cowboys drink coffee at night? ›
They worked late at night, switching between shifts, and needed the jolt of energy that coffee provided. Trail boss George Duffield wrote that during one storm, his men were in the saddle for 60 hours straight, but “hasty rations” of bread and coffee is what helped and kept them going on the road.
What did cowboys put in their coffee? ›
The secret ingredient in cowboy coffee is salt! Yes, salt! Adding a pinch of salt to your pot of coffee will enrich the taste of your coffee. Road Fact: It has been said that some cowboys would use crushed eggshells to help the coffee grounds sink to the bottom of the pot faster.
Why do cowboys drink coffee at night? ›
They worked late at night, switching between shifts, and needed the jolt of energy that coffee provided. Trail boss George Duffield wrote that during one storm, his men were in the saddle for 60 hours straight, but “hasty rations” of bread and coffee is what helped and kept them going on the road.
