Cowboy Coffee
How to make cowboy coffee over a campfire or stove: about 2 tablespoons of coarse coffee per 8 oz of water, a short steep off the boil, and how to settle the grounds.
Contents
- Method
- The short version
- How does cowboy coffee work?
- How much coffee should I use?
- What grind size should I use?
- How do you make cowboy coffee, step by step?
- Should you boil the coffee?
- How do you get the grounds to settle?
- Cowboy coffee vs other camp coffee
- Cowboy coffee vs other methods
- Words in this guide
- Questions & answers
How do you make cowboy coffee?
Bring water to the boil in a pot, take it off the heat and let it cool for about 30 seconds. Stir in coarse coffee, about 2 tablespoons per 8 oz of water, and let it steep for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway. Add a splash of cold water to help the grounds sink, then pour slowly, leaving the grounds behind in the pot.
At a glance
- Ratio
- About 2 tbsp per 8 oz (240 ml)
- Grind
- Coarse (sea salt)
- Water
- Off the boil, about 90–96°C
- Brew time
- 4:30
- approximately
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Origin
- United States
Method
Boil the water
Bring the water to the boil in a pot over the fire or stove.
Let it cool briefly30 s
Take it off the heat and let it sit for about 30 seconds, so it's just off the boil.
Add the coffee
Stir in coarse coffee, about 2 tablespoons per 8 oz (240 ml) of water.
Steep4:30
Let it steep for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Settle the grounds
Add a splash of cold water to help the grounds sink to the bottom, and wait a moment.
Pour slowly
Pour or ladle slowly into mugs, leaving the grounds and the last of the coffee in the pot.
Cowboy coffee is the simplest coffee there is: coffee, water and a pot, no filter. It’s the coffee of campfires, cattle drives and camping trips, and it still works anywhere you can boil water. You steep coarse coffee in water just off the boil, let the grounds sink, and pour the coffee off the top. Done well, it’s strong, full-bodied and surprisingly good. Done badly, it’s bitter and gritty. Here’s how to do it well.
The short version
- Boil the water, then take it off the heat for about 30 seconds.
- About 2 tablespoons of coarse coffee per 8 oz (240 ml) of water.
- Steep 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
- A splash of cold water helps the grounds sink.
- Pour slowly, leaving the grounds in the pot.
How does cowboy coffee work?
It’s immersion brewing in its plainest form: coarse coffee steeps in hot water in an open pot, like a French press without the plunger. Instead of a filter, you rely on gravity: given a minute or two, the grounds sink to the bottom, and you pour the coffee off the top.
How much coffee should I use?
About 2 tablespoons of coarse coffee per 8 oz (240 ml) of water. Guides range from 1 to 2.5 tablespoons, so start at 2 and adjust.
| Water | Coffee |
|---|---|
| 8 oz (240 ml), one mug | About 2 tablespoons |
| 16 oz (480 ml) | About 4 tablespoons |
| 32 oz (about 1 litre) | About 8 tablespoons |
What grind size should I use?
Coarse. Coarse grounds are heavier, so they sink faster, and they’re less likely to over-extract and turn bitter during the steep.
How do you make cowboy coffee, step by step?
- Boil the water in a pot.
- Take it off the heat for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the coffee, about 2 tablespoons per 8 oz.
- Steep 4 to 5 minutes, stirring once halfway.
- Add a splash of cold water to help the grounds sink.
- Pour slowly into mugs, leaving the grounds behind.
Brew mode on this page times the steep for you.
Should you boil the coffee?
The old way was to boil the coffee and water together. You can, but boiling coffee tastes harsher and more bitter. Most guides now boil the water first, take it off the heat, then add the coffee, so it steeps at about 90–96°C instead of a rolling boil. At altitude, water boils cooler, around 90°C (194°F) at 10,000 feet according to one guide, so keep to the same ratio and steep rather than stretching the time.
How do you get the grounds to settle?
- A splash of cold water after steeping is the classic trick. Colipse Coffee suggests roughly a quarter cup, which pulls the grounds down within 30 to 60 seconds.
- A crushed eggshell is another old method, though you then need to ladle carefully.
- A coarse grind settles faster than a fine one.
- Wait a minute before pouring, and pour slowly, leaving the last of the coffee in the pot.
Cowboy coffee vs other camp coffee
| Cowboy coffee | Stovetop percolator | French press | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Any pot | A percolator | A press |
| Filter | None, gravity | Metal basket | Metal mesh |
| Grind | Coarse | Coarse | Coarse |
| Cup | Strong, full, a little gritty | Strong, hot | Full, cleaner |
General guidance only. Take care with boiling water and open flames, use a pot with a sound handle, and let the pot cool before packing it away.
Cowboy coffee vs other methods
- Stovetop percolator: the classic camping pot.
- French press: the same steeping, with a filter.
- Swedish kokkaffe: Scandinavia’s boiled coffee.
- Turkish coffee: a powder-fine unfiltered coffee.
Explore every boiled method in the boiled chapter.
Words in this guide
- Agitation
- Agitation is any movement of the coffee and water during brewing, such as stirring, swirling or a turbulent pour.
- Immersion vs percolation
- Immersion brewing steeps all the coffee in all the water at once, as a French press does.
- Steeping
- Steeping is leaving ground coffee to sit in water so its flavour dissolves out, as in a French press or cold brew.
- Metal filter
- A metal filter is a fine stainless-steel mesh that holds back coffee grounds, as used in a French press plunger and some reusable pour-over filters.
Questions & answers
How much coffee for cowboy coffee?
About 2 tablespoons of coarse coffee per 8 oz (240 ml) of water. Some people who like it strong go up to about 2.5 tablespoons.
Do you boil the coffee in cowboy coffee?
You can, but it tastes harsher. Most guides now boil the water, take it off the heat, then add the coffee, so it steeps just off the boil instead of boiling.
How do you get the grounds to sink?
Add a splash of cold water after steeping and let it sit for a moment. Some people use a crushed eggshell. A coarse grind helps too, because heavier grounds settle faster.
What grind is best for cowboy coffee?
Coarse. It settles to the bottom more easily and is less likely to over-extract than a fine grind.
Is cowboy coffee the same as Turkish coffee?
No. Both leave the grounds in the pot, but Turkish coffee uses a powder-fine grind and is served with the fine grounds settling in the cup. Cowboy coffee uses a coarse grind and is poured off the grounds.
Sources
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.