Cowboy Coffee

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JB101

Full Member
Feb 18, 2020
136
72
Watford
I do like a good cup of Coffee now and then (Tea is my preffered drink) ,at home I use a perculator,
as I find that French Press Coffee is to insipid for my taste.
I've looked up on You tube 'Cowboy Coffee' & had a go but usually the grinds are irritating.
However I've found an ideal method to alleviate them & that is to 'boil' the brew and then use a french press to remove the grinds.
The press is from an old Bodum unit I found at a charity shop/boot sale and is all stainless steel which is great & fits the Stanley mug a treat (also various Titanium mugs that I have as well)
IMG_4126.jpegIMG_4127.jpeg
 

billycoen

Settler
Jan 26, 2021
704
522
north wales
I usually let the coffee boil for a few minutes,take off the boil and pour a small amount of cold water over the coffee,leave for a minute and voila,no grounds.
 

JB101

Full Member
Feb 18, 2020
136
72
Watford
I usually let the coffee boil for a few minutes,take off the boil and pour a small amount of cold water over the coffee,leave for a minute and voila,no grounds.
Yes that certainly helps ,using the press or tea strainer means I can get all the coffee out :)
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,981
7,757
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Sorry, but the words 'good cup of coffee' and 'boil for a few minutes' should never be used in the same conversation :)

Just add the hot water to the grounds (98C :)), stir once, leave settle for a minute or two, then wipe over the surface with a clean cold spoon. OK, you still get the odd bit of ground coffee but it doesn't bother me too much.
 

JB101

Full Member
Feb 18, 2020
136
72
Watford
Sorry, but the words 'good cup of coffee' and 'boil for a few minutes' should never be used in the same conversation :)

Just add the hot water to the grounds (98C :)), stir once, leave settle for a minute or two, then wipe over the surface with a clean cold spoon. OK, you still get the odd bit of ground coffee but it doesn't bother me too much.
It's all a matter of ones preferences :)
As mentioned previously my normal coffee is percolated (60/40 coffee/chicory) for 8-12 mins.
Hot water over grounds & left for a few mins-not for me :)
 
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oldtimer

Full Member
Sep 27, 2005
3,185
1,801
82
Oxfordshire and Pyrenees-Orientales, France
Have you tried Turkish coffee?

I learned to make it in Greece back in the 1960's. It makes a strong coffe and works best sweet.

Put One heaped teaspoon of very finely ground coffee and one teaspoon of sugar with about 150cc of cold water into a small pot, bring to boil, remove from heat and stir hard. Return to heat and repeat twice. Then pour slowly into cup. The grounds will settle and you should have a nice froth.

i bought the special pot, called an ibric, in Greece, but improvising is easy.

i prefer filter myself, black with no sugar.
 
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Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
We use a vacuum coffee pot.
You can boil that for as long as you like, then when you stop the heat, it sooks the coffee back down through the grounds into the pot below....no grounds in your coffee and as strong as you like.
Ours is the Bodum pebo one, like this...https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304144090654?hash=item46d066861e:g:QYwAAOSwKn1hNRj8
but it can't be beyond mortal wit to make something similar for camping. The little moka pots pretty much do the same kind of thing though you do sometimes end up with sludge at the bottom.
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Nobody ever said that "cowboy coffee" was going to come bean-free.
You always toss the grits and dregs into the campfire. That produces a spike of sparks, ashes and profanity from your associates.

I've got into the habit of opening a pair of the Keurig coffee pod things and using that in a big Lagostina press. Add boiling water, stir thoroughly and rest for a couple of minutes. Too hot for me to drink anyway. Aromatic and a really nice flavor.

Dark roasts have better taste and less bitter caffeine than the lighter ones.
 
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Van-Wild

Full Member
Feb 17, 2018
1,400
1,221
44
UK
Perfect vessel for fresh brewed coffee on the go? Look no further.....


Hands down brews the cleanest cup of Joe you'll ever have outside of your home.

FWIW I am a bit of a coffee snob and I change my brewing method to suit the coffee that I am drinking. But for most purposes, the following guide is recommended: (I'm an online qualified Barista don't you know )

18g of coffee to 300g of water. Fresh filtered water and freshly ground beans, none of that stale, too finely ground dry coffee nonsense!

Best water temp range for an immediately drinkable coffee is 90c - 92c.

For a French press, as per the OPs method and with the Espro, a course grind is best. Fine ground beans will extract the coffee too harshly and too intensely. A course grind will allow a more slower, even extraction, with a more rounded flavour.

Once the water is poured into the French press over the coffee. Give everything a slow stir with a long spoon and leave to settle. A 'bloom' will form on the surface. Then place the filter on and leave for exactly 4 minutes. Then verrrrry sloooowly push down the press. Do not force the press, it will over pressure cause the grinds to be forced through the filter, leaving you with gritty coffee.

Pour at a gentle angle into your pre-warmed coffee cup. A true affictionardo has their coffee straight black. I prefer mine with raw honey and cream..... but if I'm trying a new bean, I'll drink it straight black.

Well done if you'd make it this far.... like I said, I'm a bit of a coffee snob! .

(In the woods I use the Scandinavian Kokekaffe method. Similar to cowboy coffee but more of a ritual!)

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
 
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Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
7,981
7,757
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Mmm... interesting; I was always told the water had to be above 96C to get the caramels (roasted sugars) and some of the flavoured oils out and create a nice crema without leaving it stand too long. After all, an Espresso is made with steam (or at least hot water vapour). Yeh, I know, some people say a crema is unnecessary, but I like the subtle flavour of it.

But, whatever way you make it, a good cup of coffee (to your taste) by the camp fire makes the day!

I drink my Italian blend coffee strong and black with no sugar - easiest thing in the world to make with minimum fuss but, as long as I'm not backpacking, I use a SS coffee press.
 

Redhand Jack

Tenderfoot
Jan 25, 2021
62
57
Devon
When I went out for a ranch breakfast in Texas the guy said they put eggshells in the pot to help keep the grits down - tasted bloody awful to me back then but I might try it again some day
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Just wait. The grounds will settle down for those people with some patience.
A Lagostina press is a good source of instruction.
I see it happen in my mug every morning. Just sip the top. I haven't washed my favorite mug in a month. It has a patina of coffee dried on the inside. I refuse to mess with success.

I use really greasy dark roast beans. The press gets rinsed out but that's it. No, it is not "dirty". It had coffee in it and I will do the same tomorrow.
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
I use really greasy dark roast beans. The press gets rinsed out but that's it. No, it is not "dirty". It had coffee in it and I will do the same tomorrow.
Those oils will get rancid after a while no matter what so some cleaning every now & then might be a good idea.
 
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Suffolkrafter

Settler
Dec 25, 2019
525
464
Suffolk
I swear by the slug of cold water to sink the grounds, then decant into a foldable cup.
However I'm confused about the boiling vs not boiling thing. I always thought you should never boil coffee - and yet in the middle East and Greece, etc., coffee is always boiled, as I understand it.
 

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