How Can I Use Coffee Beans Without a Coffee Maker?

by Matt Gibson

There are two types of coffee drinkers in this world. There are those who enjoy drinking coffee, and there are those that require coffee like an automobile requires fuel. Many coffee addicts have trouble waking up without a cup of coffee each morning, and simply cannot function properly until their system gets its first cup. But what happens when such a person does not have access to a coffee maker? When the cat knocks the glass French press off the counter and sends it crashing to the kitchen floor in the middle of the night, how can you make your morning cup without a coffee maker?

Before the invention of the electric drip coffee maker, people used a variety of simple brewing techniques to make their coffee without a machine or a non-electric device. As long as you’ve got coffee beans and access to a kitchen, you should be able to brew yourself a pot of coffee with the supplies you have on hand. People have been brewing coffee for ages, long before electricity, or fancy pod-based machines, and the brewing methods they used are still viable options today.

Without electricity, you can make pour over coffee or use a French press device. Without any coffee making device, there are still several brewing methods that you can use in a pinch, including cowboy coffee, the strainer method, Turkish coffee, the coffee bag method, and a makeshift, device-less French press technique.

Make Cowboy Coffee with Any Pot and a Source of Heat

If cowboys could enjoy fresh coffee when they were driving cattle across the open prairie, you can make coffee at home even without a coffee maker. All you’ll need is ground coffee, water, a pot to boil the water and coffee in, and a heat source like your stovetop or even a campfire.

Fill up your pot with water. Because some of the water will boil off and evaporate, start out with one and a half to two times as much water as the amount of coffee you want to prepare. (In other words, to make six cups of coffee, start with between nine and 12 cups of water. Using twice as much water will make the coffee a little on the weak side, so most people will want to keep it closer to the one and a half ratio.)

Turn the heat source on to medium heat, then allow the water to come to a boil. If you are preparing a small amount of coffee, this won’t take long at all, so make sure to keep an eye on things. When the water is boiling away happily, it’s time to add your ground coffee. It can take a bit of tweaking to discover the coffee-to-water ratio that’s perfect for you when you use this recipe. Start off by using two tablespoons of ground coffee for every six ounces of water, and make adjustments according to taste.

As soon as you have added the coffee to the pot, pull the pot off of the heat and find a safe spot for it to sit. Cover the pot with a lid. Then allow five or six minutes for the ground coffee and water to steep together well. Then remove the lid once the five or six minutes have elapsed.

At this point, all the ground coffee beans should have settled to the bottom of the pot. Your goal is to serve the coffee to everyone while transferring as little grit as possible into their cups. Depending on the size and shape of the pot you used and how much coffee you have prepared, you may be able to do this easily just by pouring the coffee out of the pot and into each cup.

Or it may be simpler for you to use a ladle to move the coffee into each individual cup. If you’re really having trouble preventing the grit from ending up in everyone’s mugs, you can even place a coffee filter over the mouth of each glass so the coffee can drip through it. Then you can remove the filter, taking the grounds along with it.

Use a Strainer of Any Kind to Prepare Coffee in a Pinch

The coffee grounds that can end up in your cup tend to make drinking cowboy coffee (as we described above) a less than gourmet experience. However, you don’t have to settle for a gritty morning cup if you have a strainer of some kind in the house. Any type of strainer at all will work, as long as it has holes smaller than the grind of your coffee beans, so it will keep the ground coffee at bay but allow the water to drip through. You may be able to find a strainer that’s normally used for tea, or you might discover a sifter intended to be used with flour in baking.

Start out by adding the water you will use to a pot and bringing it to a boil over whatever source of heat you have available. As with the cowboy coffee method, you’ll want to use between one and a half and two times as much water as the amount of coffee you want to prepare, as some of the water will be lost to evaporation as it boils. One and a half times as much water should be enough for most people, but if you like your coffee on the weaker side, you can move closer to twice as much water as your target amount of coffee. You can heat the water up on the stovetop, over a fire, or even in the microwave as long as you have a microwave-safe container to heat it in.

Once the water has been heated almost to boiling, measure out two tablespoons of ground coffee beans for every cup of water you are using. Use a measuring cup that is made of a material that can stand up to the hot water without being damaged by it. A measuring cup that has a handle and a spout will work best for you without making a mess or allowing you to get burned.

Pour some of the hot water into the measuring cup with the coffee grounds, working carefully and slowly. You want to avoid splashing the boiling-hot water on yourself if at all possible. Stirring the water into the grounds helps to mix them and begin the infusion. Then add the grounds and water from the measuring cup into the larger container of water you are using, and allow the coffee and water to steep together for three to five minutes. Stir the grounds and water at the beginning of this period, then allow the grounds to settle to the bottom of the container.

Once the steeping time has elapsed, place the strainer over the top of your mug, and pour the coffee through the strainer to fill your cup. The strainer will hold back the ground coffee solids so they don’t end up in your drink (or your mouth). However, depending on the size and shape of the strainer you are using, this part of the task can get a bit messy. You may wish to do this part in the sink or at least over a spread-out dish towel to prevent spilling hot coffee all over the place.

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth By Brewing Turkish Coffee On The Stovetop

Turkish coffee is similar to cowboy coffee in that you can make it on a stovetop with a small pot. All you need is coffee, a small pot, a measuring cup, a spoon, some sweetened condensed milk, or some sugar. Just add a heaping tablespoon of coffee to five ounces of cold water and put it on the stovetop on medium heat. Do not stir or cover, and add in the desired amount of your sweetener of choice, either sugar or sweetened condensed milk, or a bit of both. Again, do not stir the mixture to blend the coffee with the sweeteners, as you want the coffee grounds to settle on the bottom of the pot and the sweeteners will mix in naturally with enough heat.

Once the water reaches a temperature in which the coffee sinks to the bottom of the pot and the sugar starts to dissolve, you can then stir the mixture and turn the heat down, letting the pot simmer, but never allowing it to reach the point where it starts to boil. The mixture will begin to foam at the top. At this point, remove the pot from the heat source and skim the foam off the top into your coffee cup. Put the pot back on the burner on medium heat. When it gets close to a boil, pour half of the coffee into the cup. Put the pot back on the fire for 15 additional seconds, then pour the rest of the coffee into your cup. Allow two to three minutes for the mixture to cool and for the grounds to settle to the bottom of the cup. Then enjoy.

Make A Coffee Bag Brewer Out of Coffee Filters

This technique lets you construct a coffee bag brewer, similar to a large tea bag, out of a coffee filter and string. Instead of brewing your coffee, you’ll steep the beans in hot water just as you would tea leaves. Using this method will result in a weaker cup of coffee than you’d end up with using the Turkish coffee, cowboy coffee, strainer, or French press method.

Each filter will be used to hold just enough coffee to make one cup: one or two tablespoons of coffee grounds. With the coffee filter lying flat in your hand, place the coffee grounds in the center. Then fold up the edges of the coffee filter around the grounds in the middle, and tie the string around the bundle to keep the grounds securely inside. Leave one end of the string longer than the other so it will be easy to pull the coffee bag brewer out of your cup. You will also want to make sure that you have tied the string tightly enough to prevent any grounds from leaking out of the brewer and into your cup.

Next, heat the amount of water you need to prepare your coffee in a pot on the stovetop or in a kettle. Allow the water to come all the way up to a rolling boil. Because you will be using such hot water, make sure that the coffee cup you have chosen is safe to use in heat. Add the coffee bag brewer with the coffee grounds inside to your empty cup, and slowly add the boiling water to fill up the cup.

Let the hot water steep with the coffee bag brewer for at least five minutes. Because the coffee you prepare using the coffee bag brewer method will be a bit weak, you may wish to let the coffee steep for longer than five minutes. While it is steeping, you can help it brew better by moving the bag around with the string that you left a bit long. Once your steeping time has finished, you can remove the coffee bag brewer and throw it away. You may need to let the coffee cool down a bit before you can drink it, since you used such hot water.

Use a Handkerchief as a Filter When You Need to Brew Coffee

This technique lets you use a handkerchief as a filter to brew a Mason jar or mug full of coffee. Unlike when you make cowboy coffee or Turkish coffee, this method will use the handkerchief to filter all the coffee grounds, ensuring none will end up in your cup. In addition to ground coffee and a handkerchief, you’ll also need water, clothespins or binder clips, and a Mason jar or a mug.

Start by spreading your handkerchief across the mouth of your Mason jar or across the opening of your coffee cup. Then gently press down in the center of the handkerchief to make an indentation that will hold the one or two tablespoons of coffee grounds needed to prepare your coffee. Using the clothespins or binder clip, attach the handkerchief securely to the edges of the Mason jar or coffee cup. Make sure to use at least three clips so the handkerchief is kept securely in place.

Then place the one or two tablespoons of coffee grounds needed to prepare your coffee in the indentation you prepared in your handkerchief. Boil one and a half to two times as much water as your Mason jar or mug will hold, as you will lose some of the water to evaporation. Pour a little bit of the hot water over the coffee grounds in the handkerchief, then wait for at least 30 seconds to give enough time for the water to completely drain through the coffee grounds. Working slowly, pour the remaining hot water over the coffee grounds in the handkerchief. Keep an eye on the binder clips or clothespins to make sure they aren’t coming loose or slipping. After the water has dripped through the handkerchief filter, you can remove the handkerchief and clothespins or binder clips so you can enjoy your coffee.

Use Your Microwave to Brew Coffee Without a Coffee Maker

As long as you have a microwave and access to hot water, coffee grounds, and a mug or coffee cup, you can make coffee without a coffee maker. Start out by filling your coffee cup or mug with water, then microwave it on full power for two minutes. The water inside your cup should not quite be heated to boiling, but it will be quite hot.

Measure out a tablespoon of coffee grounds, then stir them into the hot water. The grounds will make a sound effect like a sizzling sound when you mix them into the water. Let the grounds steep in the hot water for four minutes without stirring them. As you wait, the coffee grounds will settle in a layer at the bottom of your coffee cup. Then your coffee is ready to drink—just make sure not to try and drink the last few swallows of coffee where the grounds are.

Construct a Makeshift French Press

A French press is a simple design that consists of a carafe with a filtered press that you use to trap the grounds in the bottom of the glass carafe to strain out the coffee after extraction. To imitate the French press, all you need is a mug, a bowl, and a spoon. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and put a heaping tablespoon of coffee into the bowl.

When the water reaches the boiling point, pour just enough over the coffee grounds to saturate them, plus an additional six ounces of water for each serving you are wanting to make. Use a spoon to mimic the screen of a French press, and pack the grounds down into the bottom of the cup with the spoon. While pressing the grounds down to the bottom of the bowl, strain the coffee into your cup. Then add sugar and cream as desired, and enjoy.

Learn to Grind Whole Coffee Beans to Give Yourself More Options

Some of the methods for making coffee without a coffee maker that we’ve covered in this article call for ground coffee, while others use whole coffee beans. Sometimes you may find yourself desperate for a cup of coffee, equipped only with whole beans, and without a coffee bean grinder in sight. Don’t let yourself be derailed by a little thing like lack of a coffee bean grinder. Here are a few ways you can grind whole coffee beans if you’re missing your usual equipment.

Buzz Your Whole Coffee Beans in a Blender or Food Processor to Grind Them

There’s really very little difference between your standard coffee bean grinder and a food processor or blender. Simply add about one tablespoon of beans to the blender or food processor for each cup of coffee you want to make. Then use the “pulse” setting to grind the beans, checking them between each pulse to catch them at the right level of coarse or fine grind.

Smash Your Coffee Beans With a Hammer

This technique is quite effective, and it only calls for a hammer and a plastic zipper bag like a Ziploc. If you have a meat tenderizing mallet, that will be even more effective than a regular hammer, but either will work in a pinch. Because the smashed coffee beans will have sharp edges that could easily rip through the more flimsy plastic zipper bags, you’ll probably want to use a freezer safe zipper bag made of thicker, higher quality plastic if possible.

Start by placing the amount of beans you want to crush into the plastic zipper bag and sealing it up. Then wrap the zipper bag in a towel or fold it between two towels and find a place to do this project where it can lay flat. Choose a spot where the surface is not slippery. Then pound the coffee beans (still enclosed in the towel or towels), checking every so often to see how you are doing. You will not be able to get the grounds to a consistent size, so just get as close as you can to your usual grind.

Roll Over Your Coffee Beans with a Heavy Can, Jar, or Rolling Pin to Grind Them

You’ll set up for this method the same way you would for the hammer technique we described above. Place the beans you need to grind into a plastic zipper bag (freezer safe if possible), then wrap the zipper bag in a towel or two. You can use a rolling pin like the ones used to roll out pie crust and cookies, or if a rolling pin is not available, you can use a heavy can or jar in just the same way. Just roll the jar, can, or rolling pin back and forth over the coffee beans while they are still inside the plastic zipper bag and wrapped in the towel.

Pull back the towel occasionally as you work so you can check to see how finely the beans have been ground so far. It won’t be possible for you to get a really consistent and even size of grind on the coffee beans with this method, so just get as close as you can to the grind size you need.

Use an Old-Fashioned Mortar and Pestle to Grind Your Coffee Beans

This isn’t the quickest method you can use, but if you have a mortar and pestle in the kitchen, it will work. Many people use a mortar and pestle to grind their own spices, to make crushed garlic, and in lots of other ways in the kitchen. The mortar and pestle can vary somewhat in size and shape, but they all basically look the same—like a bowl with a short stick or chunky wand inside.

Some mortar and pestles have a rough texture, which makes it easier to crush the ingredients between the bowl and utensil. It will work best to add just a few beans to the bowl at once, using the wand to stir and roll the beans around the bowl, crushing them between the wand and the sides. Then you can continue adding more beans as you make progress.

Now you know the best ways to make coffee without a coffee maker at your disposal. You won’t even be tripped up by needing to grind up whole coffee beans when there isn’t a coffee bean grinder available for you to use. While it’s unlikely that you’ll enjoy the high level of quality you’re probably used to when you use these “emergency coffee” preparation methods, you’ll definitely be saving the day. After all, just about any coffee is a better option by far than no coffee at all.