# How did they make coffee in the days before electric grinding machines and filters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 18, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093 "2006-02-18T15:02:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/1 "2006-02-18T15:02:32Z")
Say you wanted a cup of coffee in colonial times or Civil War times . What would have been the usual procedure re preparing a steaming cup of java? Did you have to dry and roast the raw beans yourself or did they come prepared? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/2 "2006-02-18T15:17:46Z")
[Maybe this will help.](http://www.bramahmuseum.co.uk/coffee/) ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/3 "2006-02-18T15:36:17Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > [Maybe this will help.](http://www.bramahmuseum.co.uk/coffee/) Thanks! As a side note I wonder if [instant coffee](Instant coffee) is still as big a deal as it was in he 70’s and 80’s. My mother lived on freeze dried Taster’s Choice, but I don’t see ads for it as often now. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/4 "2006-02-18T15:58:31Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Thanks! > > As a side note I wonder if [instant coffee](Instant coffee) is still as big a deal as it was in he 70’s and 80’s. My mother lived on freeze dried Taster’s Choice, but I don’t see ads for it as often now. Instant coffee sucks in comparison to percolated Folger’s, let alone in comparison to today’s coffee choices. I’m sure it’s still out there, but I’m equally sure its market has shrunk. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/5 "2006-02-18T16:32:37Z")
**astro** : Where should your ‘instant coffee’ link have gone? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/6 "2006-02-18T16:48:51Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > **astro** : Where should your ‘instant coffee’ link have gone? Oops! [Instant Coffee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_coffee) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/7 "2006-02-18T17:12:44Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Thanks! > > As a side note I wonder if [instant coffee](Instant coffee) is still as big a deal as it was in he 70’s and 80’s. My mother lived on freeze dried Taster’s Choice, but I don’t see ads for it as often now. It’s still a big deal in parts of the developing world. The idea is that coffee, which after all just comes from plants that grow in the dirt, is not half as classy as high tech nicely packaged freeze dried coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/8 "2006-02-18T17:50:54Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > It’s still a big deal in parts of the developing world. The idea is that coffee, which after all just comes from plants that grow in the dirt, is not half as classy as high tech nicely packaged freeze dried coffee. As one of those whose age requires that they start each statememt with,“I remember when”,[to the total dismay of every one with in earshot]allow me to say that I recall Cofee beans being sold pre-roasted.[circa 1920] The package of beans was opened and dumped into a huge counter- mounted grinder that had a large side-crank for turning the mechanism. Cofee was made in the home by percolation,which is still considered by many as the best preperation method of all. The first instant coffee which I remember was a brand called"G. Washington"—back in the late 20’s or early 30’s. The instant brands were considered to be an acceptable brew-----but they were never really considered to be the real thing. But the besr coffee I ever had was made in a large tin can over a sagebrush fire, with water out of a mountain stream,and boiled until the groundss were roiling around like mad. ----------y’strained the grounds through your teeth and then went back to workwith a pretty happy "tum-tum. Now THAT WAS COFFEE! EZ ---
**Author:** ![Ezstrete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ea924/32.png) [@Ezstrete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ezstrete)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-they-make-coffee-in-the-days-before-electric-grinding-machines-and-filters/345093/9 "2006-02-18T17:51:23Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > It’s still a big deal in parts of the developing world. The idea is that coffee, which after all just comes from plants that grow in the dirt, is not half as classy as high tech nicely packaged freeze dried coffee. As one of those whose age requires that they start each statememt with,“I remember when”,[to the total dismay of every one with in earshot]allow me to say that I recall Cofee beans being sold pre-roasted.[circa 1920] The package of beans was opened and dumped into a huge counter- mounted grinder that had a large side-crank for turning the mechanism. Cofee was made in the home by percolation,which is still considered by many as the best preperation method of all. The first instant coffee which I remember was a brand called"G. Washington"—back in the late 20’s or early 30’s. The instant brands were considered to be an acceptable brew-----but they were never really considered to be the real thing. But the besr coffee I ever had was made in a large tin can over a sagebrush fire, with water out of a mountain stream,and boiled until the groundss were roiling around like mad. ----------y’strained the grounds through your teeth and then went back to workwith a pretty happy "tum-tum. Now THAT was Coffee EZ