Rats! The coffee machine is broken. But do not fear; we’re going to cover 3 ways how to make coffee without a coffee maker!

This post contains affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but it supports FDL and me! I will only link to products that I like and trust, or have done extensive research for. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

True fact: I study coffee more than I study potential boyfriends.

Is it my downfall? Maybe. But I love coffee more than I get to tell you kids. Coffee and beverage culture in general is a passion of mine and you can ask anyone who has (possibly unfortunately) asked me about any sort of coffee knowledge.

Most of them lack ears because I have talked them off with my mad skills in rattling off coffee facts.

I know, I must be a blast at parties.

But enough about me, what can I do for you kids?

I’m here thinking, this is back-to-school season! What can I do for the back-to-schoolers? My first thought was to lay off your case and let you finish off your summer in peace, but I knew I couldn’t do that.

I remembered that there are a lot of kids my age, going back to college. And they need coffee. But how are they going to get it? It’s not so feasible to have a coffee pot in your dorm, much less a k-cup machine (those things can get really big!). Or maybe there are budget reasons.

Either or, you should know how to make a cup of coffee, even without a maker.

This post is not just for college kids, by the way.

This is for the people at work that found out the coffee pot wasn’t working today. Or maybe, you have your own coffee and you don’t want what everyone else is drinking. It’s also possible that your coffee pot broke at home and now you don’t have a way to brew your morning joe. Maybe you’re even out camping and you didn’t want to bring another thing with you!

Either or way, this post will be helpful at some point in your life, so best to pin to your “life hacks” Pinterest board while you’re here. 😉 (I have one of those too!)

Without further ado, let’s make coffee without a coffee maker!

Oh, wait! Do you have coffee filters at home? I recommend either basket filters or #4 size filters. Both are large in size and will be easier to work with.

And when I say “hot water”, you know I don’t mean boiling water, right? Pouring boiling water over coffee will burn the coffee and make it bitter. Use water that is between 190-200°F.

The rubber band hack

This hack is especially useful when you have a tall cup. Take a larger filter, like a basket or #4, and rubber band it to the cup, leaving a 3-4” well. Add a scoop of coffee, and pour 6-8 oz. of hot water over the top. You might have to refill the well a few times as you’re making the coffee so that it doesn’t overflow. When you are done, remove the filter and prepare as normal!

If you have a smaller cup, nix the rubber band and allow the bottom filter to lay at the bottom of the cup, allowing the opening to stay open (as seen in the cover photo). The thing is, we want as much water contact as we can to the grinds, so keep everything open! Allow it to sit for 4-5 minutes before removing the filter. Hold onto the filter for a moment above the glass to allow the coffee to drain out.

The funnel trick

Also better for a taller cup, the funnel hack is going to act very similarly to a pour over coffee maker, but without the pour over coffee maker! I found the funnel hack to work best with my travel mug, due to its tall stature.

Place a filter in a funnel. Place one scoop of coffee in the filter. Pour over 6-8 oz. of hot water over the coffee. Again, this might have to be done in a few pours. If the funnel stops draining, lift it from the cup. Watch as all your Mygver drip coffee pours out of the funnel and into your coffee mug.

Once you’re done, remove the funnel and prepare as normal.

When all else fails, use a tea steeper!

This is an emergency. You have a paper or report due tomorrow, it’s 3 a.m., all the coffee shops are closed and you are about to fall asleep on your computer. That, or you just don’t have filters and don’t want to go out to get them. 

Surprisingly enough, you can use certain tea items in a pinch for coffee as well! Fill your tea steeper up with the desired amount of coffee, and shake it out over the garbage or sink. This will help reduce the amount of coffee dust at the bottom of your mug.

Steep in 6-8 oz. of hot water. follow the same instructions as the rubber band brewer, and you’ll be all set!

Just a couple things to steer clear of when using tea steepers:

1. Large straining holes:

Tea balls with large holes in them will only leak out the coffee, creating a lot more coffee mess at the bottom of the cup than what is necessary. Porcelain steepers will pose the same problem. A tall-standing, metal steeper is going to be your best bet.

2. Plastic:

Plastic is great at absorbing the flavors of the coffee. Sure, it will work, but if your green tea has that strong coffee flavor to it, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.

Need a solid, multi-functioning tea steeper in your life? Check out this tea steeper. I recommended it back in the early days in my tea steeping post and I still wish I had that rubber cap!

Now I will tell you, there is a reason why paper filters are used in drip brew.

And during my testing, I learned it the hard way! The paper catches all of the fines, or the coffee dust that often finds its way to the bottom of your coffee cup. Using a tea steeper is not going to catch any, if at all, of the fines. Tea steepers are made for leaves, flowers, and the occasional chunks of fruit.

And would’ya look at that; you can now make coffee without a coffee maker! What are some other coffee brewing methods you’ve tried in a pinch? Let me know in the comments down below!

Cheers dears!

Gem