How To Make Coffee Without A Coffee Maker

 Last Updated January 26, 2022

It’s the morning. You need caffeine. But you have no fancy coffee maker at hand. What’s a coffee lover to do!? In this guide you will learn how to make coffee without a coffee maker.

I’ve found myself in this situations without a coffee maker several times. Usually when waking up in an unfamiliar location and not having access my grind and brew coffee maker. For a person that’s addicted to coffee this isn’t a pretty sight.

In order to combat these scenarios I’ve developed a process of scouting my location and making the best coffee available with the tools at hand.

Today we’re getting creative and learning how to make coffee without a coffee maker. (But if you want to check out some good cappuccino machines, consider some of the top picks in this post).

Making Coffee Without A Coffee Maker

There are three main scenarios you’ll find yourself needing to make a coffee without a coffee maker. These are:

  1. In a kitchen with no coffee maker.
  2. At you home with some alternative gear
  3. The great outdoors.

We’ll be covering each of these locations and outlining the gear you’ll need to buy or salvage.

Making Coffee Without Coffee Makers - The Unknown Kitchen

This is what you have to do if you need to make a coffee but are in a kitchen without a coffee maker or Nespresso machine.

If you find yourself in an unknown home the first thing you’ll need to do is quickly scout out the location. Hopefully you’ll find either some ground or whole coffee beans. If not you’re out of luck. But we’ll be positive and presume you find some coffee.

In this scenario you'll have no access to any coffee makers either - all you have is pots and pans and some ground coffee. So what do you do?

Okay I can hear you say, “easy — just boil some water, put the ground coffee in a mug, and pour the water in.”

Yes this is the must most straight forward method, but it isn’t the tastiest. Not to mention the ground coffee beans that’ll be floating all over the place. That’s why I’m fond of the Turkish coffee in these situations. But we’ll be making it in a normal cooking pot instead of the traditional cezve/ibrik.



Salvage Method 1 - Turkish 'Pot' Coffee

use a pot to make turkish coffee

You’ll need to salvage the following to get started:

  1. The smallest pot you can find.
  2. Ground coffee.
  3. A spoon to stir – or anything that’s long and non-flammable.

The steps: 

  1. Grab the smallest pot you can find. 
  2. Add one cup of water to every one tea spoon of finely ground coffee.
  3. (Optional step: add sugar into the pot to create a more syrup like brew).
  4. Now it’s time to boil. The key to great turkish coffee is to boil it twice. Set the stove to medium-low heat and start boiling till the coffee starts bubbling up. Give the coffee a stir, then repeat the process one more time.
  5. Your Turkish ‘pot’ coffee should be ready now. Find some tiny cups to pour them in and enjoy the thick syrupy coffee taste. 

That was pretty easy wasn’t it?

But what if you have no pots or a stove to heat the coffee on, are we stuffed?

Think again. It’s time to save the day with cold brew coffee.

Cold brew coffee is one of the easiest and most tasty methods of making coffee without a coffee maker. It’s literally the process of submerging ground coffee in cold water.

But here’s the kicker: the recommended brew time is 12-24 hours.

So you better start making it the night before. But the wait is definitely worth it!



Salvage Method 2 - Cold Brew Coffee

cold brew without a coffee maker

Salvage the following for cold brew:

  1. Get a bowl, mason jam, tupperware container – anything that can hold water that won’t leak.
  2. Plastic wrap or kitchen towel.
  3. A strainer or absorbent paper.

The steps: 

  1. Fill your container with 2 cups of cold water to 1 cup of ground coffee.t 
  2. Give the coffee and water a good stir, then put plastic wrap over the container (or kitchen towel to seal it).
  3. Place the cold brew container in the fridge for 12 hours minimum.
  4. Get the cold brew out and find a strainer – alternatively make your own with some absorbent paper.
  5. Strain the coffee into a new container, pour and enjoy! You can also add milk and ice-cream to the brew to mix things up.

Phew! Cold brew is a bit more complicated. But how will we tackle the next challenge – making coffee in the outdoors.

Manual Coffee At Home

Now if you're at home there's no excuse in not having some sort of coffee maker.

The lesson here is to be prepared by investing in some simple manual coffee equipment. They’re inexpensive, efficient and make a great brew. There's no need for a barista-level latte.

So if your coffee maker ever breaks or you just feel like a change, you have a great back up in place.

Below is my favorite method for making coffee without a coffee maker at home, the Aeropress.



Home Method 1: The Aeropress

You’ll need the following:

  1. Aeropress
  2. Smallest manual coffee grinder.
  3. Coffee (or EXTREME coffee).
  4. Paper or metal filter. 
aeropress

The steps: 

  1. Insert your filter into the brew chamber and pre-wet 
  2. Grind some course coffee and put it into the Aeropress chamber.
  3. Add hot water and give it a stir.
  4. Then extract the brew into your favourite mug with the magic of air pressure. 

The neat thing about the Aeropress is that it's much less acidic when compared to other brew methods such as french press. Make sure to check out my full review of the Aeropress.

Alternatively if you don’t want to buy new gear and need coffee asap keep reading on as in the next section we’ll be covering how to make a great tasting coffee with no traditional brewing equipment. AKA going Macgyver style.

Coffee In The Great Outdoors

Finally comes the great outdoors. Be it a picnic, out hiking or camping, we coffee addicts need caffeine to enjoy mother nature’s beauty. But making coffee without a coffee maker in the outdoors requires preparation, even more so when there’s no electricity involved.

That’s why the key to making great coffee outdoors resonates with Scouts’ motto – be prepared.

The following are some great outdoor coffee making methods you can take on your next adventure.



Outdoor Method 1 - Jiva Coffee Cubes

no coffee maker required with jiva

It doesn’t get any easier than this. Jiva Coffee Cubes are cubes of premium coffee that have no artificial flavouring or preservatives, just add hot water and you’re set to go.

  1. Jiva Coffee Cubes
  2. Hot water

The steps: 

  1. Put a Jiva Coffee Cube into your cup.
  2. Add hot water.
  3. Done!

I told you it was darn easy. It’s also much better tasting than conventional instant coffee.

Now not everyone is outdoorsy enough to make a fire to heat the water needed for coffee.

And cold brew is rather difficult with no electricity…(unless you’re in the alps).

That’s where the following method kills two birds with one stone: it’ll heat your water and make your coffee.



Outdoor Method 2 - Jetboil Flash Coffee

make coffee without an espresso machine with a jetboil

What you’ll need:

  1. Jetboil Flash Java Kit
  2. Water
  3. That’s it! (You can use your own coffee too)

The steps: 

  1. Add water into the Jetboil
  2. Turn the propane on and watch the water boil up post haste!
  3. Add in your ground coffee and brew.
  4. Put in the french press accessory and plunge.
  5. Get caffeinated! You can even use the Jetboil as a carry cup. Neat!

And that wraps up our guide on how to make coffee without a coffee maker!

As you saw there’s a few methods. Be that with some manual tools or Macgyver instincts, good tasting coffee can be made without a coffee maker. It just requires a little bit of know how and primal desire for that sweet, sweet coffee.


About The Author 

Ivan Bez

Ivan is the founder of Latte Art Guide and a barista with 10 years of experience. He loves coffee and aims to help people improve their coffee making skills.


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