The first thing coffee drinkers want in the morning is a fresh, piping hot cup of coffee. But, what do you do when the coffee maker breaks?! We’ve all been there. You set it up, press the button and … nothing. Your heart, and your mood, sinks while your mind scrambles to try to deal with this sudden “emergency.” Well, next time that happens, stay calm, cool and collected while you begin making coffee without a coffee maker.
There is more than one way to make coffee without a coffee maker. Consider what a coffee maker does – it heats water and dispenses the hot water over coffee grounds. It’s not complicated. You just have to expose the coffee grounds to hot water. It’s up to you to decide for yourself which is the best way to make coffee without a coffee machine.
The Cowboy
The most basic, sure-fire method of brewing coffee without a machine dates back to before cowboys, but that’s what comes to mind when I think of making coffee this way.
What You Will Need:
- A heavy sauce pan
- Fresh water
- A stove or cook top
- Ground coffee
How to Make Coffee Like a Cowboy
- 1 Put water into the heavy sauce pan. Use ¼ to ½ cup more water than you would put in your coffee maker. For instance, if you want to make 4 measuring cups of coffee, put 4 ¼ to 4 ½ cups of water into the sauce pan.
- 2 Set the sauce pan on the burner and turn the burner on Med-High to High.
- 3 Measure out the coffee grounds and add them to the water.
- 4 Bring the water to a boil, stirring every few minutes.
- 5 Turn the heat down a little so it doesn’t boil over.
- 6 Boil the coffee for 2 minutes.
- 7 Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes or so while the coffee grounds settle to the bottom of the pan.
- 8 Very slowly and carefully, pour the coffee from the pan into your cup. Be extremely cautious as it will be boiling hot. I like to set the cup in the sink when I do this because I usually spill a little.
You can also pour it through a basket, or basket with a filter, into a coffee pot or carafe, if you prefer the ease of a larger target and reduced likelihood of grounds in your cup. Most coffee makers come with a removable basket for the grounds. If the glass pot or carafe is intact, set the basket on the carafe with the lid up or removed. The lower half of the basket should fit down into the carafe. Then simply pour the coffee from the pan into the basket. Do it slowly so that the coffee doesn’t overflow the basket.
The Cup a’
Coffee can also be made like tea when you are brewing coffee without a machine. This is a simple method that is ideal when you just want one cup. It is also the best way to make coffee without a coffee machine when you only have a microwave to heat the water.
What You Will Need:
- Large coffee cup
- Fresh water
- Paper coffee filter
- Ground coffee
- String
How to Make a Cup a’
1 Heat a coffee cup full of water to boiling either in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.
2 Measure out coffee grounds and place them into the paper filter. Use 1 to 2 Tablespoons per cup, depending on how strong you like it.
3 Tie the top of the filter closed with the string.
4 Put the filter and coffee into the cup of hot water. Let it steep for 2 to 6 minutes. The longer you let it steep, the stronger the coffee will be.
5 Remove the filter and grounds from the cup and enjoy.
In a nutshell, all you need to do is figure out the best way for you to expose the coffee grounds to hot water. Making coffee without a coffee maker is not only doable, it is easy.
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