48 replies to this topic

[susie]

My Polish friend, Katie, taught me about how to make instant coffee from ordinary ground coffee, with no filter and no coffeemaker.

She simply puts a small spoonful of ground coffee into a mug, and adds boiling water, and then lets it sit for a minute. The grounds pretty much sink to the bottom. I add milk and sugar to mine, and stir, and even then, not too many bits of coffee get stuck to my teeth.

[PureCajunSunshine]

Hey, over here across the pond, some call it "cowboy coffee". I've been known to reuse it for the second and third cup, when I'm in a bind for supplies.

No water? No cup? Take a pinch of ground coffee and hold it for a time between your lip and gum, yeah, like chawing tobacco, Skoal, whatever. Just don't spit. You will get a buzz, f'sure.

[susie]

My German mom says that kids who needed a kick, during boring afternoon lessons, were often given coffeebeans to chew.

[susie]

If you feel that you MUST have filtered coffee, but have no machine...simply put a coffee filter into a flowerpot (the kind with holes at the bottom), add coffee, and slmowly pour through some hot water.

About filters...if you have none, a thin piece of fabric or a papertowel will do in a pinch. There are now filters which are self-filtering, just rinse and use again.

[Cowgirl]

Another neat way to make coffee is with a french press. Put in coffee (coarse grind is best), pour in the hot water, let it steep, and then push down the plunger on the press. The press has a screen that pushes the coffee grounds to the bottom. Easy afterwards to dump the grounds into the compost.

[Grace&Violets]

I've asked my family for a French Press for my birthday that is coming up. I've also got a reusable coffee filter (the cone kind) and it works great, but now the coffee maker it went to doesn't work. I don't think that I could drink coffee with tons of grounds in it. It really grosses me out, for some reason. I know that sounds weird, but I gag every time there are grounds in my cup.

[OldMaineBear]

I've used nothing but the old Drip-O-Lators (check em out on Ebay) for coffee for years. I have three sizes. No machine, you just put coffee grounds in the middle part pour boiling water in the top and the coffee comes out into the bottom. It's designed to not use filters, but I still use a filter to eliminate the fine grounds that get through.

My wife has switched us over to a Mellita coffee pot, but it's the same idea. The glass pot is just a bit more fragile than the Drip-O-Lator

Mellita also makes a one cup coffee maker that fits over the top of a regular coffee cup. Fill the top with grounds and boiling water and you get one fresh cuppa good joe.

My Drip-O-Lators have made coffee for me since my fire tower years back into the distant mists of time. I have a small three cupper for camping and it is smoke charred and dented but still making great coffee.

Never tried one of those French press things but those sound good too.

[Darlene]

I have several of those cuban aluminum expresso pots.

One shot will do ya.

[scout]

i have a little camping one-cup dealie; you put coffee into a little cup that screws onto the bottom, place it over your mug, pour hot water into top.
its easier than i just made it sound.

[Abigail]

I've seen the french press pots in individual sizes; I found this link for a metal one that would keep the coffee warm longer, but I have a double-walled plastic version that was much cheaper. Here's the fancy version:

http://www.liquidplanet.com/estore/product.php?productid=662

No filters to worry with; makes great coffee.

[FLGardenGirl]

I have made my morning cup of coffee, without a machine, for over a year now.
I start with my whole beans, and grind them with a small, hand operated grinder.
Place grinds into the filter, which is held in place with a plastic container that sits on top of my coffee cup.
I pour one cup of nearly boiling water into the filter.....coffee drips out into my cup below.
A 12 ounce bag of coffee beans lasts me approx one month.

[susie]

The Frenchpress ones are good, but they tend to break easily, and you do have to wash out the grounds. If water is a problem, this is not a good idea.

[susie]

While on holiday in Cyprus (the Greek side), I saw that they boiled their ground coffee with water and sugar in tiny pots with long wooden handles...I think it was called a 'Briki'. When the coffee began to boil, it was poured into tiny cups and served with glasses of iced water on the side. You drink the coffee til you hit the sludge at the bottom of the cup.

[PureCajunSunshine]

For over twenty years, I've always kept a 'coffee bag' handy, and ready to go at all times. Road trips, bug outs, impromptu camping trips, etc. are well caffeinated. Nothing is accidentally left behind.

My set-up involves a simple wire mesh basket type filter that happens to fit perfectly atop my humongous 3-cup sized coffee mug. Walmart sells a wire mesh filter basket for $5.

Into the basket go my coffee grounds. I bring water 'almost to a boil', then pour a little hot water over the grounds. I wait about a minute to allow the grounds to swell and release the 'goodness' of the coffee bean, then I slowly pour the rest of the water over the grounds, until the dripped coffee fills the mug...

My coffee bag is a backpack of the kind that is sold to hold schoolbooks. The backpack contains a small propane bottle, a $13. screw-on adjustable burner, a small pot, the basket filter, coffee, powdered creamer, sugar, water and the giant mug and a spoon.

"I has coffee"

[susie]

The French will only make enough coffee at a time for what they'll drink right then.

I remember my family coming to visit, and we went up to Bordeaux to show them the vineyards. We stopped by the vineyard where we went to pick grapes for our honeymoon (yes, I wanted a real 'French' honeymoon, so that's what we did, and scheduled our wedding to coincide with the harvest date), and were offered coffee. My mom still talks about the woman counting who wanted a cup and then making just enough for one tiny cup of strong coffee each.

(picking grapes for a honeymoon means that the marriage doesn't get consummated...the bones and the muscles are too sore, at the end of each day, to do anything more than have a shower and fall into bed to sleep, before you are awoken for the next day's torture)

[Amishway Homesteaders]

here is what our Amish Friends do at weddings ( and sometimes at home)

just put your coffee grounds in the middle of a square of white cloth and tie closed with a piece of string. Put it into a big pot of hot water and 'cook' it. Then just take it out of the pot , fill the coffee urns and serve. Enjoy!

~us~

[susie]

I think I saw coffeebags for sale at one time...like teabags, but round and flat, for putting at the bottom of a mug and pouring water on.

[susie]

If anyone wants a bag of French coffee...I have about a hundred half-pound bags. (don't ask)

It's a finer grind than the US stuff, and it gives a stronger kick. My mom has sent me Kona coffee from Hawaii, and I find I don't like anything but this French stuff, anymore.

PM me if you want some. I'll send it for fun or for trade, whatever you wish.

[Grace&Violets]

Originally Posted By: susie

I think I saw coffeebags for sale at one time...like teabags, but round and flat, for putting at the bottom of a mug and pouring water on.

I've seen these in the stores, but I've never tried them.

I saw this great French press today at a great little kitchen store. It was a ceramic carafe. Seemed like it would keep the coffee warmer, for longer. I also saw one of those Mellita single cup coffee cones, where you put the filter in the cone and place it over your cup. That seemed like a good idea, too.

I like the idea of small cups of extremely strong coffee. That French way of making it sounds wonderful...probably why I like espresso so much.

[susie]

Another way to make coffee is to make it four or five times as strong as usual, and store that in the fridge. When you want a cup of coffee, simply pour a bit of the extra strong stuff into a cup and fill with boiling water (or milk or cocoa).

Cold coffee is very, very good poured over vanilla icecream and topped with whipped cream. It's even very good just with added milk and sugar and shaken a bit.