Cowboy Coffee thoughts

[sweeper]

I start by drinking Cowboy coffee. I was a young Pvt and the Battalion Cmdr's driver and we had just gotten a new Cmd Sergeant Major, it was his first trip to the field with us and he told me "Frenchie go to the Mess Hall and get me a big coffee can." That night without a cloud in the Colorado sky we fired up a can of Cowboy Coffee, Strong and Black and that's still the way I take it.

BUT, I do take a Percolator with me to the woods now and using a lot of the advice above I start it on a blow torch stove until it starts to perk and then transfer it to an ESbit stove with a 1/4 of a Tab of fuel. The small piece of fuel burns hot enough to keep the perk but low enough not to burn the coffee and when the tab goes out the coffees done. No need to watch it, time it, just relax or pack.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Sunday morning paper.. Article about a Grand Lake fish shore lunch with recipes for blueberry pie and camp coffee.

Boil water over fire in a pot of course. add coffee grounds, 1 whole egg and dash of salt. Place spout of pot toward fire so the egg and grounds are pushed away from the spout area. Wait several minutes for the egg to attract the grounds and for coffee to percolate. Pour carefully.

(paper doesn't say what to do with egg after)

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/08/10/shore-lunch-offers-true-taste-of-the-maine-outdoors/

 

[sweeper]

I've heard about this method and may(?) have tried it back in the 80's, but caring an additional egg per day for coffee seems like a lot of extra packing when I'm trying to break that habit.

Perk it

Let it settle

Pour

Let it settle

Drink

Brush teeth, or not and have little coffee treats all morning long

 

[ppine]

The way to learn about cowboy coffee is to hang around with people that work cattle for a living. My Dad had a ranch in Arizona for 30 years. It was an old time cow/calf operation that required a lot of horseback time. We were next to the old Hashknife Outfit that Zane Grey wrote about. I also had saddle mules for many years and learned the ways of the packstring from some good hands in Colorado, Wyoming and over by Mammoth Lakes, California.

I just canoed the Willametter R for a week in OR. Some brought french presses, filters and other stuff. I brought an old enamel blue pot I have used for 30 years with no internal parts. You can smash the roasted beans with a rock in a hankerchief if that is all you have. People have made coffee this way for hundreds of years. A couple of handfuls of smashed beans in the pot with cold water. If it is river water or lake water you are going to want to reach a boil for at least a minute or so. It does not seem to hurt the coffee. Many people like to put a couple of egg shells in the pot to neutralize the acid inherent in the beans.

After taking the pot off the heat to cool everyone seems to have missed the "secret step." Add a few ounces of clean cold water to the pot by gently pouring it in. That will settle grounds better than anything else. A few people like the Black Feather Canoe Co. take a more aggressive approach. They swing the pot by the bail in a big fast cirlce to settle the grounds with centrifugal force. Either way you are going to have some great coffee. I have made coffee at home this way for more than 10 years at a stretch because it reminds me of great times around campfires and bunkhouses. The old ways are the best ways.

 

[Iskweo]

I have used the egg shell trick too, as well as a bit of cold water to settle the grounds. I must confess to liking my percolator though. Almost as much for the sound of it perking as for the coffee it makes. You cant beat fresh ground coffee though, even is it is only smashed with an axe head to grind it up. ( Another good reason to bring an axe...HA!)

I have a whole shelf of coffee pots but my favourite is......the blue enamel one.

Christy

 

[ppine]

Christy is welcome at my campfire anytime.

 

[Odyssey]

My life with coffee was uncomplicated for years. I was the only one under this roof who drank it. Instant, drip, and French press all worked for me. Then I worked for a warm and affectionate elderly Italian couple, who were determined to change my "manga cake" ways. They shared everything with me, their life stories, passion for life, and most of all food. Every morning started with a shot of something strong, followed by an espresso. I tried to refuse the pastry, but mama wouldn't hear of it. Lunch was a bottle of homemade wine with pasta, soup or pizza made from scratch. I found foodie heaven in their cucina. That was years ago, and I've loved everything Italian ever since. And espresso.
My wife regularly rejected coffee until we were on vacation just a few years ago. She loved the look of the cafe au lait, and so thought she'd try it. Naturally I assumed I'd be sipping the creamy concoction shortly after her usual response of "yuck!", but no. As I reached across for yet another of my wife's coffee rejects she said "hands off my coffee." She became an instant coffee snob, and has been complicating my caffeine fuelled life ever since. We were given an espresso machine for Christmas soon after. Our Sunday morning ritual involves me making breakfast, and cups of hot strong coffee.
From now on I'll need to include her in camp coffee routines. I bought a percolator a couple years ago, but haven't mastered it. There's a fair bit of disagreement on the internet regarding the perfect percolated coffee. I won't buy a newfangled espresso thingy for camping. I'd like to conquer the cowboy method to give us the early morning caffeine fix we love, when the cool damp mist is blanketing the lake, and we're still rubbing the sleep from our eyes. Nothing like a good cup of coffee. A shot of something stronger and a pastry would be nice too. Aaah, la dolce vita, mi amore.

 

[Odyssey]

We enjoyed a family houseful last Sunday. Like in most homes dessert followed dinner, and coffee followed dessert. My wife had prepared a selection of delicious Indian curries, followed by our future daughter-in-law's peach crumble creation. (Welcome to the family sweetheart.) When coffee was mentioned all eyes turned to me. Me? Okay, I guess it was my turn to contribute. I boiled the water, blitz milled the beans, tossed both into the press pot and plunged. It's not at all complicated or finicky.
Good coffee isn't that hard to make, is it?
Later as our son and fiancé were heading for the door (it takes a long time to leave our family affairs, much lingering, much future planning, many last second hugs and kisses) I asked the beautiful and elegant creature my son will marry "You love coffee, right?" She closed her pretty eyes and went "Mmmm. Yes." She's a delight, and we're so lucky to have her in our world. This sophisticated young lady has transformed our goofy geeky boy into an urbane young man with manners. (How the hell did that happen?) They're a little fussy about their food and fashion. I asked her "So, have you ever heard of cowboy coffee?" I described the process, and waited for her response. She looked thoughtful (She's also very intelligent. How did my son get so lucky?) before she made a face, looking like she'd just sucked on a lemon. My son diplomatically looked away. Okay, maybe cowboy coffee is too rustic for the jet set. Oh dear. We may have a princess joining our pauper family. This could be fun though. I love her to pieces, but I think I'll serve cowboy coffee at our next family dinner party. If I make it just right, I could start an urban trend. I can see it now, a Cowboy Cafe on every street corner from Toronto to Tokyo, Seattle to San Marino. Shabby Chic twig furniture and enamelware everywhere. But, if she makes another pouty face and wrinkles her cute little nose, well, I'll know my coffee experiment has failed. For now.
Welcome to the family sweetheart. Let's explore the foodie world of coffee as a family; you looking across from your finest china cup and saucer with your dainty pinky raised, me looking across from my simple tin cup with both hands hugging it's warmth. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be doing this in front of a small smouldering fire, far from the city lights, with only the starry skies to light our world. We'll all have a family tripper's dinner party. And we'll make the coffee together. Good coffee isn't that hard to make, is it?

 

[oldie moldy]

Hmmm.... Brad, I wonder if it wouldn't be better to hold off on gastronomic experiments until the vows have been exchanged? You don't want to spook her right off the bat, she sounds like a keeper!
It may be that cowboy coffee doesn't translate into the dinning room all that well. I know some of the foods I've scarffed down camping would never be deemed acceptable at home.

Congratulations all round!

OM

 

[Robin]

My wife dosn't drink coffee so she buys whatever is on sale for me, and I have tasted so many coffees thru the years, I'm easy to please. Except flavored or for some reason Dunkin Donuts, I like them all, McDonald's and Tim Hortons are pretty dependable for my tastes.

Anyway, last week I tried pulling the boiling water off the fire and let it sit for a minute, then added the grounds, although the coffee tasted fine, the grounds seemed to stay suspended longer than if I dropped the grounds in while still on the boil and then removed the pot from the fire. The coffee still tasted fine, I just couldn't post as many selfies in my TR with all those brown specks on my teeth!

Not bad...........

 

[yellowcanoe]

Robin, did you try the old quarter cup of cold water trick to settle the grounds?

 

[Robin]

Well, no, next time. But about the only demand I have for my coffee is that it's HOT, and I got this thing about dropping cold water into my hot coffee, but I'll give it a try.
I carry that blue metal cup just so I can keep the coffee toasty hot by setting it next to the fire, so a quick reheat should work.

 

[tump_lion]

i boil up a pot, pour off enough for my oatmeal and mix it...then dump my coffee, dark roast, medium grind, into the balance of the pot -- so just off-boil -- i stir it around with a stick, let it sit for a bit and give it a thump on the ground to persuade the grit to the bottom...usually works pretty well...once and a while the first pour is gritty, so i dump it back in, stir thump and pour again...

 

[oldie moldy]

Some thoughts; this business about using an egg shell to help settle the grounds? Don't believe I'd do it. The poultry industry uses tons of antibiotics and we're seeing some really sophisticated bugs as a result, I can well imagine the porous egg shell having a whole colony. True, the water's hot but is it hot enough?

All this convoluted stuff about getting the grounds to settle: The little rascals float because they haven't taken on enough water to sink yet. Now the odd one may be caught in surface tension by an air bubble or stuck on the side of the pot, give them a stir and if they're water-logged, down they go.

I advocate a very fine grind, it really speeds up the sinking process, the only down side is that the coffee, having aromatic oils and gases will off gas these delicious oils and gases and leave the wooden grounds. Thus the coffee becomes stale. The finer the grind the quicker this can happen. For this reason I start off with absolute freshly ground coffee when I'm going camping. So far I haven't been out long enough for the coffee to go stale.

I really do believe I'd use a spoon to measure out the coffee, if it was good today you can do the same thing tomorrow. Plus the spoon is right there handy to stir in the grounds. Now it's true the really tough guys like me use a finger to stir with, I don't mind a bit but my finger objects like hell. Thus the spoon.

I use the exact same pot Sweeper shows in #21, only I took out all the peculator plumbing and just use the pot. Replaced the glass knob on top with two s/s fender washers and bolt and a wooden knob on top. I agree with Mihun, I like the sound of the perking, it's just the time involved that I don't like.

Best Wishes, OM

 

[sweeper]

All this talk about Cowboy Coffee and today I found a nice 12 cup blue enameled coffee pot, 25% off the $9 price tag at the consignment shop. We're headed out in a couple weeks and will have to give it a try, again.

 

[HOOP]

I agree Robin that its better when the grounds start out in the cold water, and you bring it to a boil. I will disgree with some above who say don't boil it. I like it better boiled just for a few seconds. The way I make bush coffee is to let it froth for 2-3 seconds, then remove, then place on the fire and let froth again for 2-3 seconds. Then remove. The double froth will cause the grounds to settle almost immediately. A gentle stir will get the grounds stuck on the side of the pot to sink. Its the boil that makes them sink. I do not add any "contaminants" to the brew - no egg shells, no cold water, and certainly no sugar or creamer - black with coffee oil shimmering on top is delicious, bitter, strong, and piping hot (no cold water please!).

I call it bush coffee. No cowboys where I paddle, and they did not invent it anyway. Bush coffee was invented where coffee originally comes from - Africa.

 

[rpg51]

Slightly off topic - for those of you who enjoy a bit of creamer - I have noticed that half and half in a small container will last a good long time even if not refrigerated in the cool/cold shoulder seasons. Lately I've gone to carrying two small plastic one serving containers of half and half for each day of my trip. The kind you often see in the gas station coffee shops. They seem to last forever. Way better than powdered milk. I never acquired a taste for black coffee.

 

[Guest]

I too have had best results with the coffee going in and boiling for a short period of time. I fast track the settling of the grounds by a few sharp taps on the rim of the billy with the back of a knife. Within moments, the grounds settle and i'm able to pour the fresh hot black gold into my cup. The coffee seems to sit very heavy and i'm able to pour the billy dry with the grounds remaining on the bottom.

 

[Guest]

I guess I take the blasphemous route, and use instant . Honestly, I think its a holdover from my military days. Normally I cannot stand instant coffee-except when I'm camping. I use a small solo stove (wood burning) and primarily boil water for multiple uses-food, coffee, a little for cleanup. So, I guess, for me, its more about convenience too.

 

[ppine]

I want to drink coffee with Hoop.
edit-
Last month I camped for a week with a close friend that was in the military. We had several coffee snobs for the PNW in the group. My friend was always up early, as was the lady from Portland. After awhile everyone became a fan, believe it or not, of cold instant coffee in a cup of water. That was the first caffeine hit, with hot conventional coffee to follow.

This story reminds me of my brother that has traveled everywhere and stayed for years. He says "All you need really is rice and tea and everything else is just gravy."

Egg shells are intended to neutralize acid not settle the grounds. Cowboy types tend to just keep adding some fresh coffee to the old grounds for a few days. They boil their coffee. They break a lot of coffee snob rules and egg shells help.