Bulk-Bean Cowboy Coffee
Grounds, water, and a splash of cold water to drop the sludge. Cheaper than any packet.
- calories
- 150
- weight
- 1.4 oz
- cal / oz
- 107
- protein
- 3 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 1 min
- cook
- 6 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 400 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Drink
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Coffee, ground coarse | 2 tbsp | ground at home from beans bought in bulk |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered whole milk | 2 tbsp | or coconut milk powder for dairy-free |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | optional |
| Salt | a pinch | takes the edge off a scorched pot |
Method
- Bring 400 ml of water to a boil, then pull the pot off the flame and count to thirty. Boiling water straight onto grounds burns them.
- Dump in the grounds and the pinch of salt. Stir once.
- Let it sit four minutes. Do not stir again.
- Pour a small splash of cold water down the side of the pot. The grounds sink.
- Stir the milk powder and sugar into your mug, then pour slowly and stop before the last inch.
Beans bought a few pounds at a time and ground at home cost a fraction of single-serve packets, and the difference compounds over a long trip. The catch on trail is that you have no filter, so the pot has to do the separating.
The two tricks are the thirty-second wait and the cold splash. Water off a rolling boil pulls bitterness out of the grounds; letting it drop a bit first keeps the cup drinkable. The cold water at the end changes the density enough that the grounds drop to the bottom and mostly stay there. Powdered milk goes in the mug, not the pot, or it foams over the grounds and drags them back up.
Packing
Portion grounds into one bag per morning at home, milk powder and sugar into another. Grinding in camp is a luxury you carry the weight for.
Variations
- Skip the pot entirely and pack instant plus milk powder in one bag. Worse coffee, three fewer minutes.
- A spoon of cocoa powder in the mug makes it a mocha and adds real calories.
- Cold-soak the grounds overnight in a jar and strain through a bandana for cold brew on a no-stove day.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/10-ways-save-money-coffee