Live the Life of a Civil War Soldier when You Drink your Mornin' Coffee

Live the Life of a Civil War Soldier
When you Drink your Mornin’ Coffee

by Paula McCoach
The Coffee Customer Spoiler

Civil War soldiers, Confederate and Union, used to make their coffee in pots. But on the march, they just used their boilers. Remember: don’t boil coffee. Confederates and Union soldiers had a little bit of coffee, chewin tabaccie, and that was it. Moreover, Confederates usually had tobacco, and Union troops had the coffee. When the troops would cross paths during the war, they would trade coffee for tobacco and vice versa. Soldiers would take their hardtack biscuits and soak it in coffee and get some fat and put it in a frying pan and fry a crust on the hardtack like chicken…real nutritious diet.


Civil War soldiers drank from large tin cups. Hot liquid filled all the way up in a tin cup will burn yer lips. Soldiers needed at least an inch or two at the top. So they would only fill it two-thirds full and let it cool a little so they could tolerate it. Don’t drink from old tin cups that you might find in an antique store. They have lead solder. Buy a reproduction of one at a Civil War reenactment or from a Sutler who advertises in some of the military history magazines. Coffee boilers are large tin cups with a handle on them. Some of them even have lids on them. They hold 22-24 ozs. of liquid. They look like a cup that is a coffee pot.


Drinkin’ from an antique cup definitely enhances the coffee drinkin’ experience. The vibes of all the people who have gone before have left their energy and spirit in the fiber of the cup. Antique tin and enamel cups can be found in antique stores Enamel cups are not as hot as a tin cup, but it has that “nostaaaalgic” cup quality. I like drinkin’ from antique cups because I like that “antiqueness” of it.

Enamel cups can be found in antique stores. They range in price from five dollars to thirty dollars. Rare ones are those that are a unique color like brown or gray. Most enamel cups are white with a blue, green or red trim or just plain white. Blue is a common color also. Enamel cups are not as old as tin cups, but they have been being made for about fifty to sixty years. Enamel cups have been around since World War I and are still being reproduced today in a variety of colors. A reproduction of an enamel cup can be acquired for about five dollars.

Everyone needs to have his or her own identity when drinking coffee. Cat people have cat cups, etc. you need just the right cup for drinkin’ coffee. A decent coffee cup size should be in the 12 – 16 oz. region because a small cup does not quite get it. It needs to be bigger.

. How you drink it is up to you. Be sure you have good quality Arabica beans and that the water is at just the right temperature. Coffee should never touch boilin’ water.

Coach and Paula McCoach have been serving coffee in the field to America’s reenactors since 1997. Cups of coffee made with their special coffee makin’ technique, Open-Pot Brewin’ have been enjoyed by thousands Coach’s Coffee is the creator of many blends and coffee enjoyin’ techniques.

For specifics directions on the exact temperature of the water, the feel of the fine grind, what to look for before you stir, what type of strainer to use, and how to serve, and for more information, email coach@coachscoffee.net.

2003 permission granted to reprint this article in print or on your website so long as the paragraph above is included and the contact information is included to coach@coachscoffee.net.