Home on the Range with Cowboy Coffee

What does camping mean to you? To many Girl and Boy Scout parents, it means “cowboy coffee.” In fact, some actually look forward to week-long mountain excursions as a chance to enjoy this delicacy engineered and perfected years ago by our cow-herding friends.

Don’t misunderstand – cowboy coffee isn’t better than a café mocha from the corner coffee chain – it is the experience and atmosphere in which it is enjoyed that sets apart this hot beverage. You’ll find almost as many recipes for cowboy coffee as you’ll find cowboy hats in a Western Wear store, each one created out of necessity and that primal urge for a jolt first thing in the morning.

Cowboy Coffee Recipe Basics
The essentials of a pot of cowboy coffee are few and easy to come by. You’ll need a pot of some sort – a saucepan, metal carafe or even a metal coffee cup will do. Essentially you need something that will hold water and withstand campfire heat.

Next, you’ll need some sky juice. Water, that is. As much as you think you and your cow pokes will be drinking. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy but it should be clean, potable water. Finally, you need some coffee grounds. If you’re boiling a quart of water, figure 1 cup of grounds for a very strong pot or half a cup for a weak one. If you are using single serving cups, figure two teaspoons of grounds per 6 ounce cup of water.

Fill your container with water and pop it on the fire. Once your water comes to a boil, add coffee grounds. Return to almost boiling and then remove from heat and cover. Wait a few minutes (five to seven) until the grounds sink to the bottom. Serve – pouring carefully so as not to disrupt the sludge at the bottom of the cup.

Cowboy Coffee Variations
If you are out on the range (or mountain range) above 5000 feet elevation, you need to add the grounds before the water boils, when it just starts to give off a little steam. This is because the boiling point of water is lower at higher altitudes.

Some ritzy cowboys like to pack a cinnamon stick in their saddle and add it to the water before placing it on the heat. This gives the coffee a corner store coffee chain kind of flavor and aroma.

Rumor has it that a cowgirl actually thought to bring along a cheesecloth and some rope to tie up the grounds before placing in the water. For individual cups, the same cowgirl devised a single serving coffee “dipper” out of a filter from home and some thread. Each cow poke in her posse simply poured hot water into his or her cup and let a pouch steep for a few minutes.

Swallow, Don’t Chew
You want to avoid taking in the bitter solids that settle to the bottom of your carafe and cup, at all costs. After brewing, let your container set for a few minutes, preferably somewhere near but not in the fire, so it will stay warm.

When pouring, remember that slow and steady win the race, don’t dump out the java into the cups in quick, short movements. Drink your cowboy coffee slowly, especially as you near the bottom of your cup.

Fancy Get Ups
There are some fancy gadgets on the market that can make a tastier cup of Joe if you are willing to spend a little money. From percolators to vacuum-type contraptions that suck water up through the grounds as it heats, you can find any number of ways to make cowboy coffee.

There are also pre-made pods (much like the cowgirl brewing system, above) available at many outdoor and recreation super stores. You’ll usually find them in the camping gear section.

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