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How to make coffee without electricity? 7 Best Ideas

Coffee and coffee makers are an integral part of almost all of us in today’s world. Therefore, most of us use electric drip coffee makers in our daily routine. That is why, even for enjoying the starting joe of our day, we are dependent upon electricity and coffee machines. 

But on the unpredictable days following the disaster, when we face an electricity outage, we realize how awful it would be to go a day without coffee. 

But, even if the power goes out, you can still enjoy your favorite beverage because you can make wonderful coffee using more interesting and traditional techniques without electricity.

Yes! Read it right, It is possible to make coffee without electricity. For these methods, you won’t need fancy drip coffee makers or other expensive equipment. 

In this article, we have explained some fruitful ways of brewing coffee manually. For most of them, you will need hot water. It’s an art to make a perfect coffee in manual methods. While traveling in the mountains or on campings nights as well, you could make your instant coffee without much effort.  

Ways of making Hot water


We are used to and dependent on electricity so much for even our basic tasks that on the day when we don’t have access to it, we start thinking about alternate ways. Basically, making coffee hot water is the primary need for making the coffee. So, for warming the water, we need a fire source. A gas stove is the prominent and best source of fire to make your hot water or for placing your Moka pot on it.

A camping stove is also a quite reliable source of doing it. If you don’t have anything like this, you can try your hand on open fire sources. Be conscious while arranging an open fire and try to build up a rectangular area with nonflammable materials. So you can place your pots on the fire.

It is suggested to burn the fire outside of your home as it is dangerous because it could spread. And the noxious fumes in indoor conditions could be harmful and deadly.

7 Best Ideas For Making Coffee without Electricity


For making coffee, non-electric coffee makers can be the ideal choice. We have discussed here some of the non-electric coffee makers and their brewing methods. We also discussed other methods like cowboy-style coffee, instant coffee.  After reading the article you won’t have any problem while making coffee when you are out of electricity.

1) French Press

French Press, How to make coffee without electricity

French Press is known as the best way to brew coffee without electricity. It’s one of the traditional methods that make flavorful coffee with ease. For this, you absolutely need hot water, coffee, and a french press coffee maker.

A classic french press coffee maker consists of a cylindrical glass pot, a permanent mesh filter, and a plunger to plunge all coffee grounds.

Warm the water with the best solution you have, whether a gas stove or open fire. Rinse your glass jar with warm water to maintain the container’s temperature. It will help for the best extraction of the coffee grounds. Add 4-8 scoops of coffee grounds and fill the jar halfway.

Now, wait for a minute and then stir the top layer gently to mix the flavors and oils. In the next step fill the pot leaving a little portion for the plunger unit and place it on the top. Rest it for 4 minutes. Press the plunger gently all the way down to bury the coffee grounds.

Now you are ready to serve. Due to the remaining oil in the brewing process, you got a thick solution with a wonderful textured taste. However, you should try this method occasionally or during electric shortages to avoid bad cholesterol increase as it doesn’t use paper filters.

2) Moka Pot

Moka Pot, How to make coffee without electricity

As a power source, you’ll need a gas burner or a camping stove to brew your coffee this way. It’s famous for making quality espresso without electricity. On the day of the electricity outage, enjoying your favorite coffee shop’s drink like latte, cappuccino or macchiatos is now possible. 

For brewing, a rich, intense coffee Moka pot is the best solution. When you unscrew the Moka pot, it is of three parts- a bottom water reservoir, funnel-shaped filter, and the top coffee pot. The water boils up in the chamber and when it reaches the saturation point, the steam passes through the finely ground coffee and eventually condenses in the coffee pot. 

In the first step unwind the parts and fill the reservoir with water and filter-basket with well-roasted ground coffee. Now tighten up the top part to the base, and place the setting on the stovetop. Wait until your pot fills with coffee.

3) Cowboy Style Coffee

Cowboy Style Coffee, How to make coffee without electricity

If you can maintain the perfect temperature and timing of boiling coffee grounds you can have a smooth joy in your worst scenario.

Cowboy coffee is the simplest way of making coffee. You just need a stove and a pot. Fill the pot for boiling and, before just the boiling point add ground coffee and wait for a simmer. After this, give it a rest for a minute so that the sediments could accumulate at the bottom. Pour your cup gently to have lesser coffee residues.

4) AeroPress coffee

AeroPress coffee, How to make coffee without electricity

Are you planning for a fire camp? Where you are not going to have access to electricity. Then you can try an AeroPress coffee maker. As, it’s a compact combo of a cup, plunger, lid, filter, scoop, tube, and stirrer. It makes your outdoor coffee experiences so convenient you can make your cup in just 2-3 minutes.

Place the given paper filter with the messed piece and fit them with the tube. Pour one scoop of your favorite coffee ground with a measuring scoop as per instruction and add water as per the measuring lines. Stir the solution for 10s and push the plunger and extract the coffee in the mug. It brews a rich espresso type of coffee, if you like regular or Americano types of coffee add more hot water to your solution.

5) Instant Coffee

Instant Coffee, How to make coffee without electricity

If you have hot water you can have your coffee anyway or all the way! This comes true when you don’t have a coffee machine or pot, but you still continue your caffeine intake. Instant coffee packets are of two types. One type comes in dunking bags that are similar to tea bags and the other type is coffee grounds that dissolve with the hot water.

The instant coffee packets are easily available at any local grocery shop so, you can try a few of the brands first before starting carrying them. Because they have less flavor, it’s best to experiment to see what you like most. Well, that being said it’s one of the effective ways to meet your caffeine cravings.

6) Pour-over

Pour-over, How to make coffee without electricity

In your daily life, you may spend less time thinking about your perfect brewing. But in a power outage when you have the time to do so you must not ruin the chance. If you have a pour-over coffee maker at home then this time brew your perfect cup without electricity. 

Pour-over is manual and more of a traditional way of brewing coffee. At many coffee shops as well you can find expensive and fancy pour-over coffee makers. Well, for the home, you can use a basic pour-over made up of plastic or glass. The secret of brewing awesome coffee in this is the water and coffee ratio. In this situation, 1g of coffee to 16 mL of water is the ideal ratio for great coffee.

Processing the coffee into this is effortless as well. Scoop your coffee grounds on the mesh filter and add hot water in a circular motion slowly. Now Patiently wait for the water to saturate the grounds. Now gently add hot water again and complete the brewing process.

7) Cold-brew

Cold-brew, How to make coffee without electricity

For all the above-mentioned methods of brewing coffee, you must have hot water. What could be worse than this! You are stuck in a place with no stove, no source of the fire. But don’t worry you can still have coffee without hot water. However, the only thing is you need to wait a little longer or must be pre-prepared.

Special cold brew coffee makers are available in the market, though they are not mandatory. 

You can also use a french press for brewing this coffee. Additionally, you can also make it using any other glass jar and filter it with a strainer. For this method, immerse coarse coffee grounds in cold water for at least 24 hours or more for extracting the hidden aroma and oils. 

Stir the solution in between a couple of times to dissolve the flavors evenly. Now according to your pot, separate the coffee grounds and serve your cup. Many people like to have cold brew because it’s 10 times less acidic than our regular drip coffee. Sometimes it’s also amazing to have cold-brew iced coffee with different flavors. 

Last Note on How to make coffee without electricity


I think I was able to answer your question “ How to make coffee without electricity “. You are now ready with all the information that’s required to make your coffee even when you don’t have access to electricity. There is no rocket science behind it, but you just need to be pre-ready with manual coffee makers, or some instant solution like an instant coffee pack and a reliable source of heating water.

Hope next time when you are on rare mountain ranges where you don’t have the advantage of electricity, you can brew your manual joe and enjoy that. Don’t forget to tell us in the comment from the above-mentioned 7 methods which one you’re gonna try. 

[ Also Checkout: Instant Coffee Invention ]

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