As a historic reenactor, the author of this article has huddled around many campfires on some brutally cold of mornings after crawling out of a frost covered canvas A-tent and awaited a cup fresh brewed cowboy coffee which is still his coffee of choice.
- G.C. Stevens
Coffee in the Old West was sometimes called the "six-shooter coffee" because of its strength. Cowboy coffee was typically brewed by simply boiling ground coffee in large tinned pots over campfires. Cowboys, soldiers and settlers relied on this hot brew to wake up and stay alert. Arbuckles' Coffee was the first pre-roasted, packaged brand of coffee it was very popular in the old wild west.
"Cowboy coffee," (the authors favorite) was made by throwing grounds into boiling water, and allowing the grounds to settle to the bottom of the pot. Cooks would add cold water and eggshells. Before 1865, coffee was sold green and had to be roasted in skillets. Arbuckle Brothers patented a process for roasting, egg-coating, and packaging coffee, making it accessible to pioneers. It was almost always drank black, very strong, and it was sometimes gritty. If coffee was not available, substitutes were sometimes used like roasted grains, chicory, or even sweet potatoes. In the west, Coffee was highly prized, with Arbuckle's packages often containing small gifts like peppermint sticks. The phrase "Man at the Pot" was commonly shouted to signal that fresh coffee was ready. It was brewed in large 3-5 gallon pots, often left on the fire for anyone to take a cup, regardless of the time of day.
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