• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

I Need Coffee

By Coffee Fans, For Coffee Fans!

  • Coffee Brewing Guide
  • About INeedCoffee
You are here: Home / Brewing Coffee / Cowboy Coffee Recipe – 1865 Arbuckle’s Grocery

Cowboy Coffee Recipe – 1865 Arbuckle’s Grocery

April 17, 2018 by CB Miller

Cowboy Coffee Recipe – 1865 Arbuckle’s Grocery

With Comstock’s wild west heritage, we thought it only fitting to say a few words this month about Cowboy Coffee, and the brand that became synonymous with coffee ’round the campfire, Arbuckle.

Cowboy coffee was not a brand, but a brewing method developed, naturally enough, by the roaming cowboys of the prairie out of necessity. It is surprisingly similar to the ancient practice of Turkish coffee, but not as refined. Cowhands expected their coffee to be ‘brown gargle”, hot, black, strong, and thick enough to float a six-shooter in.

It is ironic to realize that, whatever you think about the taste before 1865 cowboys drank fresher coffee than most Americans do today. That was because, though preparing coffee on the range was a tedious and time-consuming task, cooks had no choice but to buy green coffee and roast it fresh in a skillet themselves before brewing. In contrast, to most of today’s supermarket brands -coffee is roasted months in advance, and kept stored in cans, before finally appearing in your cup.

Like today’s consumer though, for the cowboy on the range convenience was the key, and in 1865 when Arbuckle’s Grocery in Pittsburgh developed a special roasting and coating technique that kept beans tasty for long periods it soon became the cowboy’s brand. Arbuckle had devised a special egg and sugar glaze that sealed flavor in the roasted bean. Soon cowhands were asking for Arbuckle’s at cow camps and ranch houses across the prairie.

Cowboy Coffee near campfire

Photo by Tim Wright

Recipe for COWBOY COFFEE

  • 4 qt. water
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly ground coffee (coarse grind – same as French Press)
  • 1 eggshell
  • 1/2 cup cold water

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan or coffee pot. Add coffee grounds and an eggshell to boiling water. Return to a boil, remove from heat, and let stand for 2 minutes. Slowly add cold water to settle the grounds to the bottom. Let stand for 1 minute to allow grounds to settle. Use any remaining coffee to extinguish the campfire.

Now don’t be surprised if, in a wave of nostalgia for the days of the pioneer, you attempt to brew your own Cowboy Coffee and find it less than palatable. Our suggestion is that you add some sugar to this potent brew, or take your chances. We suspect that is what made Arbuckle’s coffee so popular: their egg and sugar glaze probably added just enough sweetness to satisfy the palate without offending the big tough ranchers ‘taste for adventure’.

Also, unless you normally go through a gallon of coffee, you might want to scale the recipe down a bit. Yippie Oh Kiay, podnuh!

arbuckles coffee wooden crate

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo

Resources

Cowboy Coffee, Backpacker Style – INeedCoffee article with a recipe.

The Smoothest Cup You’ll Ever Drink – Swedish Egg Coffee – INeedCoffee brewing tutorial that uses an eggshell-like cowboy coffee.

Preparing a Traditional Turkish Coffee – INeedCoffee brewing tutorial.

Pittsburgh was the Coffee Capital of America! – The story of Arbuckle’s Grocery.

Cowboy on horse photo by Matt Lee

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
CB Miller
CB Miller
Small coffee roasters are perking up all over the country, recreating styles and blends which were nearly impossible to find just a few years ago. The quality of these blends remains unparalleled by those of the giant coffee companies. However, it is difficult to experience these wonderfully fresh roasted coffees because the roasters are scattered all over the country. Visit betterbeans.com.
CB Miller
Latest posts by CB Miller (see all)
  • My Coffee Tis of Thee: America’s Patriotic Coffee History - July 4, 2019
  • Cowboy Coffee Recipe – 1865 Arbuckle’s Grocery - April 17, 2018
  • How You Brewin’? - January 1, 2002

This article first appeared on INeedCoffee.com. Filed Under: Brewing Coffee

Primary Sidebar

Search

Connect

  • RSS
  • Twitter

Newsletter

Sign up here to receive our newsletter delivered by Follow.it.

Recent Posts

  • Life is Coffee Comics #42
  • Life is Coffee Comics #41
  • How to Brew Vietnamese Iced Coffee
  • Life is Coffee Comics #40
  • Vietnamese Iced Coffee Brewing Tutorial by Inanimate Objects

Popular Posts

  • Coffee Grind Chart
  • French Press Coffee Tutorial
  • The Upside Down AeroPress Coffee Brewing Tutorial
  • Stovetop Espresso Brewing Tutorial
  • How to Brew Vietnamese Iced Coffee
  • Cold Brew Coffee is Not Rocket Science
  • Coffee Brewing Guide
  • Brewing Espresso in a Moka
  • Chemex Coffee Brewing – History and Tutorial
  • Making Green Bean Extract Beverages at Home
  • Making Cold Brew Coffee in a French Press
  • Buying a French Press – Picking the Right One

Sections

  • Brewing Coffee
  • Cafe Culture
  • Coffee and Health
  • Coffee Business
  • Coffee Comics
  • Coffee History
  • Coffee People
  • Espresso
  • Grinding Coffee
  • Recipes
  • Roasting Coffee
  • Tea
Copyright © 1999-2023 INeedCoffee is a project by coffee fanatic Michael Allen Smith. User Sitemap | Privacy Policy