Camp coffee

[Paul63]

So many times I've read and talked to folks who struggle with coffee grounds in their camp coffee.
They use socks, filters, nylons or any number of things to filter out the coffee grounds.....that's way to much work for great coffee, simply boil the whole bean.
By simply boiling the whole bean you get great coffee minus the need for filtering and the mess of all the grounds. Plus if your pot runs low on coffee, simply add a bit more water to the pot and let it simmer a bit more and you get a bit more mileage out of the beans.
Coffee's always always on in my camp, just help yourself!

 

[coloradoclyde]

I Recently acquired some green coffee beans, so I have been roasting my own coffee.. Easy to roast in the field but I haven't found a good way to grind it yet without a coffee grinder....
Makes good coffee though, With no bitterness.

 

[tenngun]

Townsend has a nice grinder. Did folks carry them afield???
I have a grinder, no I don't think they carried one unless there was a group with one. I have put fresh roasted beans in a leather bag and smacked them with the back of my hawk. It works but the grinder is nicer.
I also grind up ships bread to crumbs for puddings in a haste...with a little coffee flavor :wink:

 

[Calum]

'morning,

I'm quite sure that this was not a common item, and I apologize that I can't upload the photos - they're old screen shots saved into a Word document. I can't convert it to anything that Photobucket will accept. This was listed on ima-usa.com back in 2013. Here's the description:

"Original Item: Only One Available. Never seen anything like this before, however, we have heard of the legendary Sharp's Rifles from the U.S. Civil War fame that had similar fittings.

This appears to be a rather run-of-the-mill (pun intended) Pennsylvania long rifle in fairly average condition. However, it has this amazing coffee grinder built into the wooden butt stock. There is an access port on the under side of the stock into which coffee beans are poured and upon rotating the crank handle ground coffee pours out of the side of the stock through a cresent shaped slot.

This comes from an old English Collection and we were told it was acquired just after WW2. The English collector we acquired it from even demonstrated it but didn't actually make the promised cup of coffee.

From what we can see there are no maker or other markings, the rifled octagonal barrel is
42 inches long and the rifle is 58 inches in overall length. The rifle has a back action percussion lock and is fitted with a set trigger. Trigger guard, butt plate and coffee grinder plates are all made of brass.

We paid dearly for this gun because we have never seen one before, and think it is jolly interesting. No doubt we shall be hearing a lot of input from our American customers, and hope some light can be shed onto who actually made it, as possibly some little known gunsmith has a lot of credit due to him."

I do have some photos of the referenced (prototype) Sharps, a friend took them when they were at the museum. And it does appear to be a similar set up.

Calum

 

[KingofDerby]

filter out the coffee grounds.

Isn't that what teeth a for?

 

[coloradoclyde]

filter out the coffee grounds.

Isn't that what teeth a for?

:rotf: ...Right you are!... :thumbsup:

 

[coloradoclyde]

The sharps coffee mill was extremely rare and only fits a narrow slice of the time frame....

I was thinking more along the lines of a small Ottoman/Turkish style spice/coffee grinder....

 

[Calum]

'afternoon,

Oh, I definitely agree - the Sharps never made it into actual production (from what I've read), and the long rifle that I referenced is the only one that I've ever encountered.

In practice, I do carry one of the small brass Ottoman type grinders in my haversack. Even though I cut it down to the minimum size for one cup, it's heavy, but I'm cooking my coffee while the other guys are still trying to grind theirs using rocks, bayonet sockets or what have you.

Calum

 

[George]

You could just drink branch water. Doddridge indicated coffee wasn't a big thing with frontiersmen.

"Tea and coffee were only slops, which in the adage of the day “did not stick by the ribs.” The idea was they were designed only for people of quality who do not labor, or the sick. A genuine backwoodsman would have thought himself disgraced by showing a fondness for these slops. Indeed, many of them have, to this day, very little respect for them."

Spence

 

[coloradoclyde]

At least Doddridge didn't clutter up his writings with his own opinions..... :haha:

The idea was they were designed only for people of quality who do not labor

I'll wear that label... :wink:

 

[tenngun]

I retesting, since we see returns on how much coffee tea and chocolate was sent west by the trading companies.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I've drank a lot of coffee boiled or steeped in a pot on a fire or stove. If is comes off the fire and sits for a while the grounds will usually settle to the bottom. Just don't pour fast or down to the bottom. Also one can pour a little cold water into the the pot and that will help settle the grounds. I've never messed with bags etc. when making camp coffee. Also, if grounds get into the cup, they usually settle to the bottom of the cup. Just toss the dregs.

 

[George]

At least Doddridge didn't clutter up his writings with his own opinions..... :haha:

He has one distinct advantage over all those with their own opinions, today...he was there, he lived through it.

Spence

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I simply roast the beans, then they go into a linen pouch..., then I crush them up with the back of the tomahawk head, and then they get dumped into boiling water. The boiling container is removed from the fire and sits until the boiling subsides, then a 1/2 cup of cold water settles the grounds. Pour the coffee.

:idunno:

OR you can get those coffee filter packs, and simply toss them into the boiling pot, and make camp coffee that way. :haha:

LD

 

[coloradoclyde]

I use disposable tea sacks at home when I only want one cup.....If they find their way into my gear....I don't know how they got there... :grin:

 

[Black Hand]

At least Doddridge didn't clutter up his writings with his own opinions..... :haha:

He has one distinct advantage over all those with their own opinions, today...he was there, he lived through it.

Spence

The disadvantage is the book was written by his niece decades later from his recollections. Many can't remember details from last week and decades-later memories are to be taken with a bag of salt...

 

[coloradoclyde]

Doddridge's vocation is given to such proclivities.....No doubt it influenced much of his writings....

 

[sidelock]

My Grandma had a grinder on her back porch with a mouse hole in the drawer. Don't know if she used but as a kit I was in wonderment.

 

[George]

The disadvantage is the book was written by his niece decades later from his recollections.

This comes up frequently when Doddridge is referenced, but I don't understand why. Can you please point me to reliable information of that being factual? The copy I read is said to be by the author Rev. Joseph Doddridge, with a memoir of the man by his daughter Narcissa. No mention of a niece that I can find. The first item in the book is titled "To the Reader", and is signed by the author, at Wellsburg, June 17, 1824. In the memoir, his daughter says, "During the winter of 1824, he arranged and prepared his manuscript of the Notes, etc., etc., for the press, but owing to ill health he could not give the necessary attention to the correction of proof-sheets, consequently many errors were overlooked, and on the whole, the issue proved to its author an unprofitable investment in time and money."

Doddridge was born in 1769, died 1828, age 59, hardly the doddering, senile old fogey some seem to assume he was. He had several ears of ill health before he died, but I've never seen any assertion that he lost his mental capacity.

Spence

 

[George]

Doddridge's vocation is given to such proclivities.....No doubt it influenced much of his writings....

Give me a concrete example of these proclivities, please. If he's an unreliable source I certainly want to know it, but all I've ever heard is rumors. Lots of smoke, is there any fire? I've never been able to understand what makes him suspect in some people's minds, but I would like to.

Just curious, do you discount all of Rev. John Dabney Shane's work because of his profession, too?

Spence