Cooking Coffee

[Horace]

How was coffee cooked over a campfire with the coffeepots in use during the 18th & 19th century?

 

[fred45]

I worked for a mule packer outfit in the Sierra. and did it two ways. boil the coffee in the pot, when ready (can a fork standup in it) then dump a cup of cold water in that will drive the grounds to the bottom. You can also drop an egg in the pot that will consolidate the grounds/
No matter what you do you will get grounds in the cup, a wad of copper wool, like the pot scrubber stuffed in the spout will strain out some grounds too.

 

[rabbit03]

Hell Hatchet Jack, the grounds are the best part!

rabbit03

 

[rabbit03]

Not sure but I bet they kept it simple if they were in the woods on foot. Guess it would depend on how elaborate their gear was is my guess. I run boiling water over my grounds each morning for my coffee.

If I get to head to the woods this fall like I want to, I am going light! Which means I will be taking only the bare esentials and that meens bringing just one small pan with a handle to do any cooking in. And the coffee will also be made in the same pot by boiling the grounds in the water.

rabbit03

 

[Many Klatch]

The recipe I use for coffee is.

In a coffee pot full of cold water, dump three palmfull of ground coffee. That's two for drinking and one for the pot.

Let it heat up and boil over three times. On the third time that it boils over, remove from the heat. You can pour one cup of cold water to settle the grounds. As long as you don't stir the pot the grounds are not a big deal.

If the grounds really bug you, bring a tea strainer to put over the mug while you pour the coffee.

Many Klatch

 

[Leaky Roof]

Mule Skinner,

Many 18th century hunters and woodsmen carried green coffee beans and roasted them in a small skillet over the fire while the water in their boiler or small pot heated.

When the beans reached the desired color they were then placed in a folded cloth etc. and pounded to produce uniform pieces.

The coffee bean pieces were then placed in the boiling water until the desired darkness of the coffee was attained.

The pot was then removed and allowed to sit long enough for the "grounds" to settle to the bottom. As the other fellas mentioned, a cup of cold water was used to help settling.

I have not personally used this method, but the folks I know who have stress roasting carefully as the beans can easily scorch if not constantly attended. I do not know a source for green coffee beans nowadays, but I am sure they are available in a specialty store or similar place. I hope this helps.

Leaky Roof

 

[Patrick Hand]

I use to use an old Foster's beer can (back when they were made out of steal, not alluminum)... cut the top off with a can opener so there was a slightly ragged edge. Poked two holes near the top and added a wire bail...

Boiled the coffee, added some cold water to settle the grouds, and then poured the coffee into my tin cup (using a chunk of rag on the bail, and a stick to tilt the can...it got hot)... the ragged edge caught most of the grounds...

There were always a few grounds that didn't get caught, but you just toss the last little bit of coffee with the grounds out.....


I've never tried it, but I was told, that you can wrap the grounds in a chunk of cloth, dump that into a cup/pot of water... boil it, and just take out the cloth with all of the grounds ....

 

[Horace]

Hatchet Jack
Do you just drop a whole egg in the coffee or break it and put it in?

 

[crockett]

I forget but either Jason Townsend or Panther Primitive carried green coffee beans.

 

Tradionally, american coffee was made by roasting the beans in a frying pan, grinding them in a hand operated coffee mill, then boiling the grounds. You must, to be absolutely authentic, use only the cheapest of beans, ie. a very high percentage of green, unripened coffee beans. Coffee beans that low in quality is difficult to find these days, thanx to Starbucks. Until recently, Americans proudly made and drank the worlds worst coffee, un saleable elsewhere in the world and considered useable only as a cheap dye or pesticide.

 

[rabbit03]

Hello Trigger, you might be right but chocolate is the same way isn't it? Cheaper quality here than in Europe I think I heard but I prefer our Hersheys over the foreign kind.

Glad my palate is as discriminating as my pocket book!

rabbit03

 

[RC]

Until recently, Americans proudly made and drank the worlds worst coffee, un saleable elsewhere in the world and considered useable only as a cheap dye or pesticide.

.......... :shocked2: ...well then you ain't never had my coffee...no cold water,no egg, no (cheese)cloth.jes get it in ya and don't swallow the bottom..we make it like that at huntin camp,an my tent was called starbucks at the moose river rendezvous..3 years runnin...ha! GOD, I love a good campfire brewed cup of coffee! RC an yer welcome to my fire...an my coffee anytime! :thumbsup:

 

[boar]

I broke the egg and put it all in, have put a little salt in too. Making coffee is a art. Dilly

 

[J.D.]

I use to use an old Foster's beer can (back when they were made out of steal, not alluminum)... cut the top off with a can opener so there was a slightly ragged edge. Poked two holes near the top and added a wire bail...

You have the right idea. IMHO, dedicated coffee pots are a waste of space and efficiency. Although there was that time when someone prepared a coffee flavored stew...A simple pot that can be used for a variety of uses, is ususally a better choice, just gotta be careful to keep the coffee separate from the stew.
J.D.

 

You can find American chocolate equal in quality to any other nations and it has always been that way as far as I know. Hersheys chocolate isn't so popular in Europe because of the manufacturing process which imparts a slight sour taste. If you want to try a fine american made chocolate, try Ghirardeli's chocolate. I think I spelled that name right, if not it is close enough for a browser to figure out the right spelling.

Bad coffee is that way becaues of mass marketing and price based competition forcing out quality and small producers. However many have taken pride in their bad coffee. Ex Navy people even brag about it, altho Army coffee isn't much better. Roasting the beans in a frying pan and boilng the grounds, is never going to produce good coffee so bean quality probably isn't all that important.

An added note, many people, particularly in parts of the South added something called chicory to their coffee to try to improve the flavor.

 

[J.D.]

An added note, many people, particularly in parts of the South added something called chicory to their coffee to try to improve the flavor.

To my knowledge, chickory was used as a coffee extender and/or replacement during the War of Northern Aggression, and probably before.

Other grains can also be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Dried peas, dried corn, as well as other dried vegetables, roots, and no telling what else has been roasted and substituted for coffee.

Some of those substitutes produce as good, and some produce a better drink than coffee. Although enjoyment of some of those drinks is an acquired taste.

J.D.

 

[rabbit03]

Appreciate it,

oh yeah I have tried Chicory coffee, straight and mixed with regular coffee and I can truthfully say it is not to my liking. I have friends from Lousiana and they drink it all the time, of course they will eat things most of us won't either! :rotf:

I am just a Folgers kind of guy and nothing more. Tried the StarBucks thing and they can keep that stuff, guess I aint man enough to drink that stuff, too strong or something.

rabbit03

 

[Maestro]

I've got to agree with Many Klatch - bringing the coffee to a boil and adding a cup of cold water to settle the grounds - it works, it's easy and it tastes great! :thumbsup:

 

[Homesteader]

I realize this is not-PC and probably a bit off topic, but have any of y'all ever tried real Turkish coffee, hand brewed in an Ibrek? Fantastic! They used to actually do it in the hot sands of the desert as a sort of ritual of welcome or friendship, with the coffee just floating on top of the water as a kinda plug. (One could also add sugar, chocolate, whatever.) The ibrek is shaped like those old 7-up bottles: narrower on top and wider on the bottom. I've got an original in silver coated copper and a new one in something-lined copper. I use them a lot. Makes a sort of espresso that's not bitter. Ya'll should try it. (Three brew-overs and it's ready.)

(My apologies if this was too off the topic.)

 

[chipper]

You want to put in just the egg shells to settle the mix, not an egg.

Regards