Most people depend on drip coffee makers to provide them with a fresh, hot cup of coffee every morning. Well, lucky you and while you have the time to brew coffee in a coffee maker, the rest of us don’t have coffee makers at home. We wake up, eyes barely open and stumble to the coffee pot and push the button as we say a silent prayer hoping it brews faster.
Now it gets bad when that pot doesn’t even work or you don’t have it. You might have it but it doesn’t heat up the water or there is a power outage? Or even worse, you are stuck in a hotel or campsite where a coffee maker is only in your thoughts. What do you do and you need that coffee badly? Am not saying you are an addict but your head will start ringing, banging and doing anything else shady demanding for that caffeine sip.
Before you start regretting your choices in life, just know there are different methods you can use to make coffee without a coffee maker. None of them might taste as the coffee brewed using piping hot filtered water and fresh grounds but at least, getting a java fix before you go back to your ordinary coffee maker is possible.
How to Make Coffee Without Coffee Maker
Using the Saucepan method
This is the best method and works especially if you have limited supplies to go for. It requires the use of kitchen basics and your body gets caffeinated in a few.
What you need:
- Water
- Small saucepan
- Coffee grounds
- Mug
- Ladle
How to brew
- Pour water in the saucepan. The water will boil and evaporate plus soak in the coffee grounds. Use more than the amount of coffee you need.
- Put the grounds in the water and use the same amount of water like you would put in a coffee maker
- Light your burner and set it to medium-high and let the coffee boil. Stir the boiling coffee to avoid burning the coffee grounds on the bottom of the pan
- Don’t cover the coffee and boil for two straight minutes
- Turn off the stove and remove the pan from the heat then allow the coffee to sit for up to four minutes.
- Use the ladle to scoop the brewed coffee into the mug. The grounds will have settled at the bottom so avoid taking any into the mug. If you don’t have a ladle, pour the coffee from the saucepan slowly without disturbing the coffee grounds at the bottom.
Use a coffee bag
This is best for the morning person who wakes up with all his synapses firing. You are ready to take on the day so you can spare some time to make coffee out of a little tea bag.
You need
- Hot water
- Coffee grounds
- Mug
- Any kind of string as long as it isn’t coated with wax.
How to brew
- Pour a single serving of coffee grounds into a filter
- Tightly close the filter and make a little pouch full of the coffee grounds
- Use the string to tie the pouch. Leave one long end hanging outside the cup just like the normal tea bag.
- Heat water using any method available to you
- Place the coffee filter bag in an empty mug
- Pour the steaming hot water slowly into the mug over the coffee bag but don’t over fill the cup.
- Allow the coffee to sit and steep for four minutes. The brew can be stronger if you increase the time.
- Remove the filter bag before drinking and discard it.
Don’t make the mistake of drinking your coffee when the bag is still in the cup. Remember this is a DIY coffee bag and you might spoil everything before you even drink half the cup.
Using a strainer
Maybe you are used to a coffee maker but its spoilt and you don’t have any filters with you. You are out of luck my friend. However, if you have a strainer lying around, things might just turn around. But not any other old strainer. Use a strainer that has small holes the size of a double layer mesh. This ensure the coffee grounds don’t get in your cup.
What you need
- Water
- Mesh strainer
- Coffee grounds
- Mug
- Kettle or saucepan
Brewing
- According to the number of cups you want to make, pour the amount into your kettle
- Add the right amount of coffee grounds for the number of cups you are making and stir it in.
- Let the water boil and keep it boiling for three minutes
- Remove the kettle from the heat
- Carefully hold the mesh strainer above the mug and pour the coffee through. The strainer catches any ground coming out of the kettle as the coffee pours into the mug.
Unlike when you are using the saucepan without a strainer, you don’t have to wait for the coffee grounds to settle.
Cowboy method
This is for the people don’t mind a little bit of grit in their coffee.
What you need
- Water
- Mug
- Kettle
- Spoon
- Coffee grounds
How to brew
- Use one tablespoon of coffee grounds per serving and put it into the kettle
- Add eight ounces of water per serving and stir well
- Place the kettle over your stove or fire and let the contents boil.
- After boiling for three minutes, remove the kettle from the fire
- Allow about five minutes for the coffee grounds to sink to the bottom
- Pour the coffee slowly into the mug and avoid the grounds because you have no strainer.
This is called the cowboy’s coffee because they don’t mind a few grounds in it. The coffee doesn’t get cold as you wait for the ground to settle but if you are up for it, pour it before the coffee settles and forget the smoothness.
Having a coffee maker is great but not having one while camping or when its broken doesn’t mean you can’t have coffee. Use any of these methods and get your cup ready to drink.
Looking at how to roast coffee beans at home? Read this previous post here.
