How can I make coffee without a coffee maker?

Heat water, steep a coarse grind in a pot or a mug and strain it, or pour through a cloth. A plain paper towel can stand in. Microwave only the water, then add the grounds.

What grind should I use if I have no coffee maker?

Coarse for a pot, a mug, and a jar, the French press size the National Coffee Association compares to rock salt. Medium for a cloth or paper-towel pour-over. Cold brew is coarse on that same table.

Can I microwave coffee grounds?

No. Heat water only, in a mug labeled microwave-safe, for no longer than the oven manual allows. The FDA says water heated alone in a clean cup can erupt when the cup is moved. Add the grounds after the mug is out.

Can I use a paper towel as a coffee filter?

A plain unscented towel can stand in. It can tear, shed fibers, let fines through, and taste papery. Skip scented, printed, or lotion-treated towels. A clean cloth is sturdier. The National Coffee Association names cloth for pour-over and cheesecloth for cold brew.

How much coffee and water should I use?

This site's guide starts drip, pour-over, and French press at 1:16, and cold-brew concentrate at 1:5. National Coffee Association ranges that include those starts are 1:10 to 1:16, 1:13 to 1:16, and 1:4 to 1:5.

Brewing · No machine

How to make coffee without a coffee maker

A pot, a mug, a cloth or paper towel, a microwave-safe mug of water, or a jar. Heat, steep or pour, then strain.

Heath SquierOctober 24, 20268 min read

Heat water, then steep a coarse grind in a pot or a mug and strain it, or pour hot water through a fine cloth. A paper towel can stand in for a filter, with limits below. Microwave only a microwave-safe mug of water, not the grounds. Start with this site's coffee-to-water ratios. The bags below are examples, not a ranking.

Cowboy coffee in a pot

Cowboy coffee is a pot and no plunger. Boil water, take it off the heat, add coarse grounds, wait, and pour. The National Coffee Association has no cowboy recipe. Use its French press guide as the immersion start.

Start with a coarse grind. Use a coarse grind, the rock-salt French press size on that guide. Longer contact wants a coarser grind. A French press or coarse bag is the closer pre-ground choice.
Heat the water, then take the pot off. Boil the water, take the pot off the heat, and wait about 30 seconds. That French press page targets about 93 °C, plus or minus 3 °C. Use the handle and do not fill the pot to the rim.
Stir in the grounds and steep. Stir the grounds until they are wet. Steep about four minutes, that guide's contact time, and stir if a crust forms. Stop when a spoonful tastes right.
Settle the grounds and pour. Let the grounds sink and pour slowly through a fine strainer or a clean cloth. A spoon at the lip lets silt through.

Steep in a mug, then strain

A mug and a spoon make one cup. Steep grounds in hot water, then strain them out. That is a French press without the carafe.

Use a coarse grind in the mug. Start coarse, the same French press size as the pot. A fine grind slips past a spoon. Grind beans just before brewing, or buy a coarse bag. Strain a drip grind if that is what you have.
Add grounds, then hot water. Pour hot water over the grounds and stir. Heat it on the stove or in a microwave-safe mug, and add the coffee only after that mug is out of the microwave.
Steep, and stir once. Steep about four minutes, the French press time on that page, and stir once. For a lighter cup, shorten the next steep and leave the grind and the ratio alone.
Strain with a spoon or a fine strainer. Hold a spoon against the grounds and pour into a second cup, or use a fine strainer or a clean cloth. The spoon blocks the largest pieces and lets silt through.

A cloth or paper-towel pour-over

Pour-over is hot water through a filter. The National Coffee Association calls it hand-pouring, unlike automatic drip, and lists paper, metal, and cloth. With no dripper, set a fine cloth or one plain paper towel in a strainer or across a jar.

Use a medium grind. Start medium. The National Coffee Association lists pour-over and drip as medium, like kosher salt. A drip or medium bag is the closer pre-ground choice.
Set a cloth or a plain paper towel. Prefer a clean fine cloth. The association names cloth for pour-over and cheesecloth for cold brew. A paper towel is a backup, not a coffee filter: it can tear, shed fibers, and let fines through. Skip scented, printed, or lotion-treated towels. Use one plain unscented sheet, pour gently, and switch to cloth if it splits.
Bloom, then pour the rest slowly. Boil the water, shut off the heat, and rest it about a minute. Wet the grounds with about twice their dry weight, wait 30 to 45 seconds, then pour the rest over about two to four minutes. Keep the water shallow on a towel.

Heat water in a microwave-safe mug

Heat water in the microwave. Do not brew in it. The National Coffee Association says a stove or microwave can boil water, and that the temperature is harder to control. Leave the grounds out.

Choose a microwave-safe mug. Use a mug labeled microwave-safe. The FDA says to use cookware made for the microwave and to follow the oven manual. Skip metal. Lift the mug by the handle, because the water can heat it.
Heat the water only. Heat water alone and stop at the manual's time. The FDA reports scalds when water heated in a clean cup erupted after the cup moved. Do not microwave grounds. Let the mug stand before you lift it.
Add the coffee outside the microwave. Use the water for the pot, the mug steep, or the cloth filter. Add grounds only after the mug is out.

Cold brew in a jar

A lidded jar can replace a cold-brew maker. The National Coffee Association says any container that holds coffee and water will do, and it names a Mason jar. Steep with cool water, strain, and dilute.

Use a coarse grind for the jar. Start coarse. Cold brew is listed with French press, coarser than pour-over, because the contact lasts hours. A coarse bag is the closer pre-ground choice.
Combine coffee and cold water. Stir cold or room-temperature water through the grounds. Start at 1:5 from this site's coffee-to-water guide, inside the association's 1:4 to 1:5 range. Do not drink that concentrate as a 1:16 hot cup.
Cover the jar and wait. Cover the jar, or use cheesecloth if it has no lid. The step-by-step steep is about 12 hours or overnight, cold or at room temperature. The same page also allows a few minutes up to 12 to 18 hours or more.
Strain, then dilute. Strain through a coffee filter or a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth. Strain again if fines remain. A paper towel tears on a full jar, so use cloth. Dilute the cup, then rinse the jar.

Coffee-to-water

Weigh coffee and water when you can. This site's coffee-to-water guide starts drip, pour-over, and French press at 1:16, and cold-brew concentrate at 1:5, which you dilute. The pot and the mug use the press start. A cloth or towel pour-over uses the drip start.

National Coffee Association ranges include those starts: 1:10 to 1:16 for a press, 1:13 to 1:16 for pour-over, and 1:4 to 1:5 for cold brew. The Specialty Coffee Association's brewing-chart article links ratio to strength and extraction. It does not make a ratio a guarantee of taste.

The full chart, including how filter recipes differ from espresso yield, is the coffee-to-water ratio guide. For tablespoons and scoops on a drip coffee maker, see how much coffee per cup. Shop the live assortment at organic coffee.

Hot water

Hot water and steam burn. The National Coffee Association says to be careful with hot liquids and hot tools. Stay with the pot, use the handle, and let it cool before you rinse it. In the microwave, use a microwave-safe mug and the oven manual's time. The FDA describes burns from superheated water. Do not heat grounds, and keep children away from the pot.

Organic coffees that fit these methods

Whole-bean or ground coffee works in each method. CoffeeInc.com does not score bags. A coarse bag fits the pot, the mug, and the jar. A medium or drip grind fits the pour-over. Organic here means the handle contains the word organic and the coffee is in the organic catalog.

These listings are available whole-bean or ground coffees in 1 lb, 2 lb, or 5 lb sizes. They are examples, not a ranking. Open each product page for the live variant. No price is printed here.

Organic Medium-Dark Roast Coffee – Camila's by Nossa Familia, Whole Bean or Ground, 2 lb or 5 lb. Nossa Familia Coffee. Organic: yes. Origin: Blend. Roast: Medium-Dark Roast. Sizes: 2 lb, 5 lb. Preparations: Whole Bean, Ground Coarse - French Press, Ground Medium - Drip. The product description names drip or French press.
Organic Extra Dark Roast Coffee – Centri West Coast Roast, Whole Bean or Ground, 5 lb. Centri Coffee. Organic: yes. Origin: Blend. Roast: Dark Roast. Sizes: 5 lb. Preparations: Whole Bean, French Press / Percolator, Paper Filter / Drip, Espresso / Fine. The product description names drip or French press.
Tomorrow's Coffee Organic Nicaraguan Single-Origin Coffee – Medium or Dark Roast, Whole Bean or Ground. Tomorrow's Coffee. Organic: yes. Origin: Nicaragua. Roast: Medium Roast, Dark Roast. Sizes: 1 lb, 5 lb. Preparations: Ground, Whole Bean.

FAQ

Coffee without a machine

How can I make coffee without a coffee maker?: Heat water, steep a coarse grind in a pot or a mug and strain it, or pour through a cloth. A plain paper towel can stand in. Microwave only the water, then add the grounds.
What grind should I use if I have no coffee maker?: Coarse for a pot, a mug, and a jar, the French press size the National Coffee Association compares to rock salt. Medium for a cloth or paper-towel pour-over. Cold brew is coarse on that same table.
Can I microwave coffee grounds?: No. Heat water only, in a mug labeled microwave-safe, for no longer than the oven manual allows. The FDA says water heated alone in a clean cup can erupt when the cup is moved. Add the grounds after the mug is out.
Can I use a paper towel as a coffee filter?: A plain unscented towel can stand in. It can tear, shed fibers, let fines through, and taste papery. Skip scented, printed, or lotion-treated towels. A clean cloth is sturdier. The National Coffee Association names cloth for pour-over and cheesecloth for cold brew.
How much coffee and water should I use?: This site's guide starts drip, pour-over, and French press at 1:16, and cold-brew concentrate at 1:5. National Coffee Association ranges that include those starts are 1:10 to 1:16, 1:13 to 1:16, and 1:4 to 1:5.