How to Make Cowboy Coffee (Stove or Campfire)

Cowboy coffee is coffee brewed the simplest way possible: grounds steeped in hot water in a pot, then poured into cups once they settle. No filter, no machine, no electricity, which is why it is a campfire classic. Made with care it is a clean, full-flavored cup; made in a hurry it is bitter and gritty.

The traditional way is to boil the coffee. That is where cowboy coffee got its reputation. The better way is to bring the water to the boil, take it off the heat, and then let the coffee steep, much like a French press without the plunger.

What you need

• Coffee: good-quality beans, ground medium-coarse (like coarse sand). Fine grounds make it muddy and bitter.
• Water: about 240 ml (8 fl oz) per cup.
• A pot or camping kettle, ideally with a lid.
• Gloves or a cloth: the handle gets hot.

How much coffee

Use about 15 g of coffee per 240 ml cup, a ratio of roughly 1:16. For a 1-litre (1-quart) pot, that is about 57 g (2 oz) of coffee. Trade Coffee uses exactly that: 57 g of medium-coarse coffee for 907 ml (1 quart) of water. Use our coffee ratio calculator for other amounts.

How to make cowboy coffee on the stove

1. Boil the water. Bring the water to a full boil in the pot.
2. Take it off the heat for 30 seconds. Boiling water extracts harsh, bitter flavors, so let it drop just below the boil.
3. Add the coffee and stir. Sprinkle the grounds over the water, stir so they are all wet, and put the lid on.
4. Steep for 4 minutes. Give it another stir halfway through.
5. Settle the grounds. Let the pot stand for a minute so the grounds sink. A splash of cold water poured over the surface helps them settle faster.
6. Pour slowly. Pour gently into cups and leave the last bit, which holds most of the grounds, in the pot.

How to make cowboy coffee on a campfire

The method is the same; only the heat is harder to control.

1. Make the fire safely. Use an existing fire ring where there is one, keep it small and away from tents and brush, and check local fire restrictions first.
2. Heat the water in the pot on a grate over the fire, or at the edge of the coals, until it boils.
3. Move the pot off the heat, wait about 30 seconds, then add the coffee, stir, and cover.
4. Steep 4 minutes, stirring once halfway, then settle the grounds with a splash of cold water.
5. Pour slowly and put the fire fully out before you leave.

At high altitude, water boils at a lower temperature, so you can add the coffee straight away when it boils.

Boiled cowboy coffee and eggshells

Many campfire recipes boil the coffee for two to four minutes, and some add crushed eggshells to help the grounds settle. Trade Coffee tested the traditional boiled method and found it bitter and astringent, with drying mouthfeel and the coffee’s fruit flavors lost. Their tasters found that eggshells didn’t improve the flavor of good coffee either. If you like the old-school taste, try it, but for a better cup, steep rather than boil.

Make it cleaner with a filter bag

For a cup with almost no grounds, put the coffee in a cloth or paper brewing bag (a cold-brew bag works) and steep it in the hot water like a tea bag. Trade Coffee’s version uses the same amounts with a 7-minute steep, stirring and turning the bag every minute.

Watch it being made

For other ways to brew without a machine, see how to make Turkish coffee and our guide to making coffee in a French press.