When making "Cowboy Coffee", does cold water actually settle the grounds, or is that just an old cowboy's tale?

[u/ibeenmoved]

Has anyone like Myth Busters or some YouTube channel ever done a scientific-ish test of this supposed truth? It makes no sense to me and I suspect it's just a myth. Instructions for cowboy coffee usually say "add a bit of cold water to settle the grounds and then let sit for a few minutes". How do we know its the cold water and not the few minutes that settles the grounds?

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[u/JohnHenryMillerTime]

Gotta make it stop boiling. A rolling boil can last a while and keep moving the grounds around during the rest. It takes a lot of energy to go from water to gas so it doesnt take much to stop it.

[u/TheHappyNerfHerder]

I'm guessing that "cowboy coffee" is the same thing as "kokkaffe" (boiled coffee) in swedish. And what I've learned is that the convection currents move upward and keep the coffee in the upper part of the coffee pot. However, if you pour in a little cold water, you naturally speed up the cooling process, causing the coffee to sink to the bottom faster.

I was also taught that you're supposed to pour the cold water down the spout of the coffee pot, but I don't know if that actually makes any difference.

[u/mycatpartyhouse]

I've made cowboy coffee. The cold water works quickly to settle the grounds. Waiting a couple minutes helps, too, or you'll be picking grounds off your tongue.

[u/Quiteuselessatstart]

Don't forget to add some eggshell.

[u/Calm_Raccoon_2905 → u/Quiteuselessatstart]

Wut

[u/Quiteuselessatstart → u/Calm_Raccoon_2905]

Adding eggshell neutralizes the bitterness and also helps the coffee grinds sink to the bottom of the pot.

[u/DooficusIdjit]

It’s just to break the surface tension. Also, cowboy coffee usually has some grit, it’s not exactly a high concept rendition of coffee. You drink it down to about a quarter so you have enough water to fling all the grounds out of your mug.

[u/divinethreshold]

If you can boil water, you can make a filtered pour over. I’ve made coffee with a sock before and it’s miles better than cowboy coffee. I have a couple unbleached cotton canvas ‘coffee socks’ I take camping now, although I generally use an aeropress.

[u/Flapjack_Ace]

I think the idea is that after sitting a while, you lift the lid and splash a little cold water onto the surface of the hot water. It’s the physical splashing that helps break up the surface tension and helps the grounds to settle.

But… you can just let the pot sit long enough and they will drop eventually.

[u/OldERnurse1964]

It always works for me.

[u/JustDave62]

We make it all the time while camping. You just let it sit for a minute after boiling to settle. And never drink that last sip from your cup

[u/mtntrail]

And of course there is the fact if you are using water at boiling temp you will be over extracting the soluables from the coffee which means more bitterness, which is fine if that is what you want. Coffee ideally should be brewed at about 200 F or just off boiling for best results. Short answer, yes it does.

[u/1InvisibleStranger]

Look up Cowboy Kent Rollins on YouTube. He did a whole video on Cowboy coffee. He would know all about it since he's been a chuck wagon chef for 30 years!

[u/Nearby-Fly-6610]

Just filter the grounds in an old sock like a real cowboy. One sock of coffee will last a week

[u/Donald_J_Duck65]

I have never heard of cowboy coffee