Cowboy coffee in as big a pot as you need. That's what many of the commercials do for their large groups.

 

And what we've always done, I have a 32 cup stainless percolator we got for a wedding gift 25 years ago, hit it with the blaster, then finish on the stove, coffee for 30 in 5 minutes.

 

We do the cowboy coffee type method but put the coffee grounds in a paint strainer bag.

 

I buy these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01M0PXAJ8?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title Then you can make it in something like this...

Amazon.com

 

Oh man this is actually an awesome system, those brew pots you linked are spendy but on terms of producing a large amount of coffee quickly with easy clean up I think you nailed it.

As an alternative I bet if you were crafty enough you could probably just buy a big cheap pot and a spigot separately, drill out the side of the pot and install the spigot yourself.

 

Have one of the guys in the Sew What! thread make you an insulated blanket for to keep it warm...

 

A "Coffee Pot Kozy", yeah, that's the ticket..

 

I built my self a 20+ person coffee pot a few years back. I took an 8 gallon 'slim' stainless keg, removed the top. Cut 3-5" off around it. then welded on some handles. Drilled for a bung in the side near the bottom. Got myself a stainless valve and a 90* elbow. I removed the keg stem/coupler from the top and Voila! a large coffee pot I can place on the blaster or the fire. I fill hops strainer bags with coarse ground coffee. I have a neoprene sleeve that goes over it once it's done to keep the coffee warm.
Boil water in coffee pot > add coffee bag > wait 2-3 min > Stir and enjoy!

Also works for bulk jungle juice style cocktails at the end of the day.

 

What I do for coffee is to use the blaster to heat to almost boiling about 2 gallons In the big pot. While it’s heating I charge a 12 cup percolator with your chosen ground roast. Add the preheated water to the percolator and it brews in seconds on the coleman. Perc for five or so and immediately dump into a 12 cup insulated bottle rinse and repeat. Takes less space than a 32 cup pot although I really like the idea of a one and done.

 

Right…so any suggestions for those of us who LOVE GOOD COFFEE? I have drank more than my human share of “Cowboy Coffee”, but since discovering just how amazing good coffee can be, I will NEVER go back! I’d sooner reduce the group size than reduce the coffee quality, thank you very much! Curious if any real coffee drinkers have any valid ideas for quality coffee? Sorry, but ”Cowboy coffee” just isn’t an acceptable substitute…

 

Stainless steel French press and boiling water!

 

Some folks use the milita filter thing but that takes f’en forever and the brew is cold by the time it’s done. Good coffee generally results from good beans. A good SS percolator makes good coffee if you don’t over-perk it. Turn it way down and let it go for a while. Let it settle, Pull the basket etc and dump into a good thermos/gsi bottle rinse and repeate. You gotta have a blaster to make lots of coffee fast.

 

Good beans, the right grind size using a good grinder for your chosen method (none of those spinning blade, indiscriminate, bean whacking machines), and don't grind your coffee till right before you make it. Beans are a food product, they oxidize and get a rancid taste when you pre grind and let them sit. Just stick your nose in a jar of folgers and tell me I'm wrong . A good (burr) hand grinder and either a pour over system or a french press is probably the best you are gonna get out on the river. Buddy of mine uses the aeropress and it makes a decent cup too. That's all small batch + time/labor intensive but we all make our trade offs where we see fit.

 

Good beans, the right grind size using a good grinder for your chosen method (none of those spinning blade, indiscriminate, bean whacking machines), and don't grind your coffee till right before you make it. Beans are a food product, they oxidize and get a rancid taste when you pre grind and let them sit.

Agreed, that much is a given! I pretty much don’t leave home without a good hand grinder and some freshly roasted beans anymore. I swear I don’t have problem though. I can quit anytime I want really. Really, really! Anytime. I just can’t imagine life without ☕

 

I have had good luck doing cowboy coffee for large groups in a partner steel 1 gallon coffee pot.
boil water in the P/S pot
take off fire when the bubbles start rolling
dump in coffee, use a spoon and stir around a bit - Little over a cup coarse ground coffee to one gallon of water works for me, test amounts for your taste
brew for 4 to 6 mins - again 4 works for my brand of coffee, test time till you find what works for your brand
drink - I have a small mesh strainer or just enjoy a few grounds in the cup

Back in 2014 I discovered Bodum stainless steel coffee presses. I have 2 of the 51 oz versions.
For small groups I use one press, for larger groups I use two presses and while drinking from one, start the brew in the other press. The stainless steel Bodum presses are bomber, still look like new and will go to my grand kiddos one of these days.

 

Cowboy coffee doesn't have to be bad coffee. But when it does go poorly it does so spectacularly. Percolator coffee can go sideways pretty quick too depending on who makes it. I went on a trip and somebody "treated" us to their favorite flavored coffee. Now that was a nasty cup. Personally I like my 50oz GSI french press for smaller groups (up to 6 or so) and a "coffee sock" strainer for larger groups. Okieboater's method makes a good cup. I also float a little cold water at the end to help settle the grounds. Might help but probably not. Pour through a MSR MugMate filter when you fill your cup.

I'm also a lot less picky about my coffee when I'm on the river. At home I'm going pour over, aeropress, or french press depending on what I'm after.

@Iamquigley
I love my hand operated burr grinder but are you seriously going to sit there and crank a burr grinder for 30 minutes to crank out coffe for 20 people?? Only to have somebody shit on your work and add their BS peppermint mocha creamer to it?

 

🤣🤣🤣
If someone's peppermint mocha creamer is taking up beer space in the cooler we've got a whole new problem on our hands

 

I am a coffee snob. Maybe not as much as the person a few years ago who called me at work interested in our water chemistry so he could adjust his water to make his coffee.... At home pour-over for sure with water that is just below boiling after rinsing the paper filter and with a medium fine grind and sometimes just a pinch of salt on the grounds. Stir the grounds when the first water is added and the coffee "blooms."

On the river, just having coffee is enough. Well, sort of. One trip someone made coffee who doesn't actually drink the stuff. It was slightly brown water. That's where the Starbuck's instant or similar comes in handy; makes bad coffee a little better. I keep an emergency stash and a cone and a backpack stove just in case of emergency.

My river kitchen won't support a very large group. Maybe ten or twelve max. I use a stainless steel air pot with a #6 cone. Boil water on the blaster. Doesn't take long to make a batch of coffee. It stays hot. As soon as it's done, you can boil water for round two if you think you'll need it. At the end of the morning, the airpot gets packed up so we can have hot coffee at lunch, too. Or even in camp. Not quite as hot, but still tasty.

For self-support, I have resorted to instant. Not the best, but it works. No grounds to pack out. I don't generally pollute my coffee with sugars or creamers, but for instant coffee on self support trips I found that it's almost worth the space to bring a couple airplane bottles of Bailey's. Just a splash sort of helps.

The airpot works fine. My friend uses "socks" for his coffee. His method works well for large groups. He has a gallon sized kettle. He puts the coffee in cold water in the kettle overnight, then heats it all up in the morning, then pours the coffee into a thermal dispenser. That works too.

Cowboy coffee can be OK. Coarser grind. Don't let it over-brew. Cold water on top does help settle the grounds. There WILL be SOME grounds in your cup; a fine mesh strainer can help. If you have that and a big insulated dispenser, go ahead and get the grounds away from the coffee. Even with a coffee press, because there's small coffee bits still in it, it keeps brewing in your cup. Paper filters stop this as well as eliminate the cafestol.

I think I'll go make another cup of coffee.....

 

Ok , so ....whats best? Cause I've never had anyone ever be thankful for coffee and they are allways grumpy about something. I am allways up first and so make some but I like coffee and use the aero press or old school euro espresso maker. I never can do a large batch black "American" style pot without someone being a whiner. It got to the point where iam just doing my own and everyone else can do whatever they want but I may have to be a team member some day lol.

 

If someone is that upidy about their coffee, they'd better just bring their own!

For small group, I do a pour over into an insulated carafe. I think it's a good balance between quality and ease. I don't particularly care for French press coffee.
Also, that way, you end up with hot water for the tea crowd, instant oatmeal, hot chocolate, etc.

 

We aren't selling these and haven't seen or tried one, but this is close to what the OP described:
Big Ass Coffee Pot

 

We use two large press pots.....the kind you see at restaurants where you press the handle down and pump away. We use a #6 Melita filter for each hot pot. Works super. The breakfast cook does this job as soon as they hit the kitchen, and as rafters wake up and mosey over to the kitchen, coffee is ready and abundant. Works super for groups up to 18 or whatever crazy number you might have. And it does not take long to heat the hot water as we do it on the Woodland Blaster in a stainless pot. One blast and done.

 

We use two large press pots.....the kind you see at restaurants where you press the handle down and pump away. We use a #6 Melita filter for each hot pot. Works super. The breakfast cook does this job as soon as they hit the kitchen, and as rafters wake up and mosey over to the kitchen, coffee is ready and abundant. Works super for groups up to 18 or whatever crazy number you might have. And it does not take long to heat the hot water as we do it on the Woodland Blaster in a stainless pot. One blast and done.

Hey Patrick, quick question. Do you use the filter inside the airpot as a “pour over” and let the coffee drip inside the airpot as you pour hot water on top? I’ve got a spare airpot laying around and would love to utilize this, but can’t quite envision how it would work. Thanks!

 

I purchased a 44 ounce coffee press for our Middle Fork trip. Not a huge fan of cowboy coffee and spitting out grounds all morning. I figure to use the press and a thermos to keep ahead. Should anyone want to have it the old way I would happy to oblige. We have tried brewing socks and it simply takes too long. A coffee press works quickly and I can adjust the octane as necessary.

 

I have a big Joe pour over. That sits atop a 1.5 gallon ( think) old insulated Stanley jug with a spigot. Get a pot of water heated up and make pour over coffee as fast as it'll drip. Usually 2-3 rounds of grounds gets the thing pretty full. Pull the big Joe when you're done and cap it. You can make it all at once if you're the first one up and it stays hot for the whole morning. Typically dumping coffee out on 16 person trips.

 

I guess I've never really investigated what the world deams a gourmet cup of coffee !? So out of curiosity, how do you make a single cup for yourself at home when you want it to be perfect? Not to derail to much but maybe there's a way?

 

French press, 200 degree water and a coarse grind Sumatra..

 

Just a bit of a detour from the conversation. I thought this was really interesting. I'm 100% reliant on coffee.

 

Jeez you guys fret over coffee like I fret over craft beer, to each their own.
I want hot coffee with Bailey's on a river trip and if the night before was long, maybe add a shot of whiskey to perk it up.

 

Yeah, I am all for quality craft beer too! Pretty similar trajectory for me with both: I was happy drinking whatever at first, then got a taste for better beer/coffee, and then at some point I made the fatal mistake of letting someone else show me what I was missing! In both cases, once I had experienced greatness it is really hard to go back to average. I have been ruined!

Just don’t make the mistake of letting a real artisan give you a sample of the goods and you will live a much more balanced and normal life. Otherwise you can end up brewing your own beer and roasting your own coffee beans… before long you need a parcel of land to grow your own hops and your own beans 😲

Oh, wait… are we talking whiskey now too?

 

.

 

Thanks to you both. I will try a coarser grind and keep things flowing. I think I have been pouring it in and letting it all drain before adding more water. I have been pouring it out of a pot which doesnt really allow for much control so perhaps a teapot or something else might be in order. I have also had the #4 filters when it recommends the #6 so that might also be causing me some issues. I have the 50 oz GSI drip with the idea to kick out large volumes.

 

Definitely change the cone/filter size first! Second, control your pour rate. I wouldn’t change to a more course grind unless you need to, as that can lead to worse problems in my opinion. In general I prefer to use the finest grind that I can still get proper extraction, so I would make sure you are doing everything else properly to get a nice even extraction. Not too fast, not too slow. I am assuming that you are allowing the grounds to bloom first, but if you aren’t, that would be a big help.

 

My advice is to start drinking more coffee. Start practicing with one-cup pour-over coffee. You'll get practice, and you'll get to drink more coffee!

Definitely finer grind than you'd use in a coffee press, but coarser than for espresso.

Very large kettles for sure are hard to pour slowly from. My suggestion for that isn't practical; carry a smaller kettle then pour from the big kettle into the smaller one and THEN into the cone. There's a bonus to that. If the big kettle is boiling, pouring it into another kettle will let it cool just a bit off the boil. That makes better coffee too.

Did I mention I like coffee?