FeatherSticks · Cooking
Coffee at Camp: How to Make Cowboy Coffee and Other Camping Brews
No coffee maker, no problem: a pot, hot water and patience.
Quick facts
- Time
- 10–15 minutes including heating the water
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Best for
- Mornings, cold days, rest stops
- You need
- Pot, heat, coarse coffee, mug, bag for grounds
What you need
- Pot with a lid, ideally with a bail or handles
- Mug, preferably insulated or with a lid
- Coarse-ground coffee in a sealed container
- Spoon and a small measuring scoop
- Zip bag for the grounds
- Optional: collapsible pour-over holder, filters or a cloth filter
Step by step
-
1 Treat the water first
Wild water needs a rolling boil for 1 minute (3 minutes above about 2,000 m) or another treatment. Clean tap or bottled water can go straight in.
-
2 Grind coarse, measure
Grind the beans coarse, like sea salt. Start with 10–14 g of coffee per 200 ml cup and adjust to taste next time.
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3 Take the water off the boil
Remove the pot from the heat and wait 30–60 seconds, so the water is hot but no longer bubbling.
-
4 Add grounds, stir, steep
Stir the grounds in once, put the lid on and let the coffee steep for 3–4 minutes.
-
5 Settle the grounds
Add a splash of cold water or tap the side of the pot, then wait 1–2 minutes without stirring.
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6 Pour gently, pack out the grounds
Pour slowly and stop before the sludge. Spoon the grounds into a bag and carry them out.
Common mistakes
- Pouring untreated stream water straight into the pot and calling it safe because it is hot
- Grinding too fine for cowboy coffee, which gives a bitter, gritty cup
- Stirring again after settling, which sends the grounds back up
- Overfilling the pot so it boils over onto the stove or fire
- Tipping grounds on the ground or into a stream instead of packing them out
- Brewing inside a closed tent, where carbon monoxide and fire are real risks