What time should I boil coffee?

Boiling was the most popular way to make coffee up until the 1930s. Although it is no longer in fashion, many traditional recipes still use it. You only need water, coffee grounds, and heat to boil your coffee.

You might wonder how long it takes to boil coffee when you are trying out a cowboy coffee recipe, or if you are using your new ibrik to make Turkish coffee.

You Should Never Boil Coffee

Traditional recipes rarely call for boiling coffee, despite the title. Boiling coffee grounds can destroy flavor compounds and result in bitter over-extraction.

Boiling coffee is referring to brewing it in hot water. Let’s take a look at the traditional methods of “boiling” coffee.

Cowboy Coffee

Although cowboy coffee is often criticized for being bland, it does not have to be. You don’t have to make campfire coffee as delicious as it tastes at home if you take care with how you prepare it. Cowboy coffee can often be bitter because the coffee beans are being steeped in too much water. This causes over-extraction.

The ideal temperature to use for brewing coffee is between 91-96 degrees Celsius (195-205 Fahrenheit). It should not be heated more than this as it can burn the coffee’s delicate flavor compounds. If the water is colder, the coffee won’t extract fully.

Even though you won’t be carrying a thermometer, you can let the boiling water cool for 30 seconds before adding the coffee. Stir the coffee and allow it to steep for 4-5 minutes. Any longer and you run the risk of bitterness and over-extraction.

After the coffee has been brewed, pour it into mugs or thermos. The grounds will remain in the bottom of your pot so the brewing process can continue as long as you keep the coffee in there.

Boiling on The Stovetop

Boiling coffee in a pot on the stove or in a saucepan is still the best way to make it. This method is still very popular, even though it has been replaced in most homes by filter coffee machines.

It’s almost like using a stovetop Bellman Espresso machine, but without the coffeemaker part.

Pan-boiled coffee tastes similar to cowboy coffee but is made over an open fire instead of on an open flame. Even though this is a straightforward recipe, there are many variations. You may need to experiment until you find the best way to make it.

Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is known for its strong flavor. The same method has been used for more than 500 years. Therefore, the traditions of making Turkish coffee are well-established.

To prepare Turkish coffee, you need two things: finely ground coffee powder and a specialized brewing pot known as a “cezve” in Turkey. The coffee is prepared without a filter, which means that the cup is rich in coffee “mud”.

To grind the beans to a fine powder, you’ll need a coffee grinder. You can also buy ready-ground Turkish coffee.

You can make Turkish coffee by combining water, coffee, and the desired amount of sugar and spice in an Ibrik. Slowly heat the pot, making sure to avoid spillage and the boiling point. Let the pot cool off, then return it to the stove and heat it just below boiling point one or two more times. Enjoy immediately after pouring.

The commonality of “boiled” coffee recipes is the absence of in-built filters and the simplicity of brewing. Modern methods of making coffee are more precise, but there’s still a sense of romance and tradition in stovetop coffee.