8 Quick Ways To Make Coffee Without A Coffee Pot

We’ve come up with five ways to make coffee without a coffee pot. Don’t be caught without your favorite drink ever again!

Close to half of American households use a drip coffee maker daily. Coffee makers are pretty convenient—you can set them the night before, and when you stumble bleary-eyed into your kitchen in the morning, there’s a nice hot cup of joe waiting for you.

But what if your coffee machine breaks? What if it gets clogged with mineral deposits? What if your vacation rental comes without a coffee maker?

What if a zombie apocalypse occurs? No need to worry. We’ve come up with five different ways to make coffee when you unexpectedly find yourself without a coffee maker.

Never be stuck without your favorite beverage again!

1. Cold Brew

The good news: Cold brew is unbelievably simple to make. You don’t even need electricity!

The bad news: It takes time.

Cold brewing is a way of making coffee without needing a coffee maker or even power. It’s best when you realize the night before that you don’t have a way of making coffee in the morning.

Cold brews tend to be rich and robust without bitterness or acidity, and you don’t need any equipment except a large jar and some kind of strainer.

Here’s our recipe for making 16 ounces of cold-brewed coffee.

1. Find a large clean glass jar or pitcher that will hold at least 16 ounces of liquid.

2. Add 1/4 cup of coarse coffee grounds into the jar.

3. Pour in 2 cups of cold water and stir gently.

4. Cover the cold brew and put it in a cool place like a fridge or a windowsill.

5. Let steep for 10-12 hours.

6. Strain the coffee into another container using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth.

Cold-brew can be drunk cold or heated in a microwave or a small saucepan before drinking.

2. Cowboy Coffee

Cowboy coffee, that staple of Western movies and summer camping trips, is another option if you suddenly find yourself without a coffee maker. All the cowboy method takes is a pot and a little heat.

Here’s our recipe for making 16 ounces of cowboy coffee.

1. In a cooking pot, measure out 1/4 cup of coarse coffee grounds and 15 ounces of water.
2. Cover and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, gently add two ounces of cold water to the pot to help the grounds settle.
5. Once the grounds have settled at the bottom of the pot, carefully pour the coffee into mugs, leaving the grounds behind.

Cowboy coffee has a bold and flavorful taste similar to percolator coffee.

Bringing the water to a boil reduces the acidity levels in the finished coffee cup and makes it a good choice for people who suffer from acid reflux or indigestion.

3. The Strained Cup of Joe

Strained coffee is just French Press coffee without a French Press. Instead of boiling the coffee, you steep it. This produces coffee with a more delicate flavor and a touch of acidity.

To make strained coffee, you need a pot or kettle to boil water, a pitcher or large glass jar, and a fine-mesh strainer.

Here’s our recipe for making 16 ounces of strained coffee:

1. Add 1/4 cup of coarse ground coffee to the pitcher and set aside.
2. Heat 16 ounces of water in a pot or kettle.
3. When it begins to boil, shut off the heat and let it sit for 30 seconds.
4. Pour the water over the grounds and let them steep for four minutes.
5. Once your brew has steeped, pour the coffee through the strainer into mugs.

4. The Coffee Bag Method

If you unexpectedly find yourself without a coffee maker, another alternative is to turn a coffee filter into a coffee bag. It can be steeped the same way a tea bag can. To make a teabag-style coffee steeper, all you need are paper filters and a bit of string.

Here’s how to make the bags:

1. Place two tablespoons of ground coffee into a coffee filter.
2. Close the coffee filter by gathering the edges together into a pouch.
3. Tie with a piece of string, leaving a long end to hang out of your coffee cup.

Once you have assembled your coffee bags, it’s time to make coffee!

1. Place a bag in a coffee mug. Make sure the long end hangs out like a teabag string.
2. Boil water.
3. Pour the boiling water into the mug and let steep for 4 minutes.
4. Pull the bag out, discard it and enjoy a hot cup of coffee.

This method is convenient if you normally keep a stash of paper filters in your kitchen.

5. The Impromptu Pour Over

Another way to make coffee without a coffee machine is to brew pour-over coffee. This is similar to coffee made in a Chemex, where hot water is poured slowly over the grounds and filtered through a bit of cloth.

To brew coffee this way you need a mug, some binder clips or clothespins, and a piece of cheesecloth or a clean handkerchief to be a makeshift filter.

Here’s our recipe for making 1 cup of pour-over coffee:

1. Lay your cheesecloth or handkerchief over your mug.
2. Secure it with binder clips or clothespins, leaving enough slack to form a small depression for your grounds.
3. Add coffee grounds into your makeshift filter; we recommend two tablespoons for an 8-ounce cup.
4. Pour a little boiling water into the grounds, just enough to wet them. Let it sit for 30 seconds.
5. Very slowly pour the rest of your hot water in, pausing to let the water filter through.

6. Stovetop Brewing

Traditionally, brewing coffee was made possible with only a handful of items, top of which included a saucepan, a cup, coffee grounds, and water. Fortunately, this method still works fine and has become one of my go-to’s for how to make coffee without a coffee pot.

• To get started, bring out the above-listed mentioned equipment. 
• Add ¾ cup of cold water to a saucepan and turn on your gas to medium-high heat. 
• Add a tablespoon of coffee. However, this amount may change with time, based on how strong you want your coffee to be.
• After the mixture comes to a boil, turn off your gas and slowly pour the coffee into your cup to prevent any grounds from getting in. 
• Add a good amount of sugar to your liking, or better yet, let your sweet tooth out and go in with some cream.

7. Improvised Faux French Press Brewing

Improvisation is the name of the game, with a bowl coming in handy for this third brewing method. Use the following procedure:

• For starters, begin by boiling your water in a saucepan. 
• Next, bring out a medium-sized bowl and add a tablespoon of coffee to it.
• After your water starts boiling, add a small amount of it to the bowl. The aim here is to hydrate the coffee grounds with just enough water to saturate them. 
• Then, pour the remaining water into the bowl and allow your coffee mixture to rest for a few minutes.
• After the coffee grounds have settled, use the back of your spoon to press them to the bottom of the bowl, after which you can pour your brewed coffee into your cup.
•  Add sugar and cream to your liking.

8. Brew It the Turkish Way

Turkey is home to the oldest brewing method known for producing a thick frothy broth with a strong taste. While most may attribute the potent flavor to the type of coffee beans, the fine grounds are what make Turkey’s brewing method phenomenal.

• To prepare it, start by adding ¾ cup of water to your saucepan. 
• Next, add a tablespoon of coffee to the water. 
• For the perfect broth, add sugar at this point to prevent stirring at the end. 
• When the mixture nears boiling point, remove it from the heat. Using a spoon, skim the foam and place it into your coffee cup.
• Return your saucepan to the heat. 
• As it is about to reach its boiling point again, remove from the heat source and pour half into your cup. 
• Return the pan to the heat to let it boil for a few seconds, after which you can serve the other half into your cup. This includes even the coffee grounds, which will eventually sink to the bottom.

While this method calls for some patience, the frothy appearance certainly makes up for it. Not to mention the foam is what allows it to stay warm for a longer period.

The Final Word on How to Make Coffee Without A Coffee Pot

No matter how prepared you are, there are going to be times when you find yourself without an electric coffeemaker.

And experts say that if you drink coffee regularly, you shouldn’t skip it. Unexpected withdrawal can give you headaches, fatigue, and make you irritable. That’s not a great way to start your day.

So the next time you find yourself without a coffee maker handy, call upon your inner MacGyver and try one of these methods.

You may even discover that you like it better!

FAQs on How to Make Coffee Without a Coffee Pot