How To Make Coffee The US Navy Way

Coffee is a must for many U.S. Navy sailors. At one point, it was estimated that American sailors guzzled nearly one million cups of coffee daily. This kind of caffeinated imbibing has led to a certain prowess when it comes to brewing delicious "cups of Joe," and coffee messes have become akin to an art form for those tasked to sea. Even among different areas of a ship, the way in which coffee was brewed became a closely kept secret. But eventually, the "Cook Book of the United States Navy" was made public, with explicit instructions on how to brew fresh coffee for sailors and curious civilians alike.

If you're looking to replicate one of the Navy's coffee recipes, the Navy's recipe for coffee made with cream and sugar calls for over 2 pounds of milk, double the amount of sugar, and a half gallon of water to yield 6 gallons of coffee, which is enough to satisfy a large crew or to cater for your next party. If you don't have powdered skim milk on hand, a combination of canned evaporated milk and water can act as a suitable replacement. If this sounds too cloying for you, a simpler set of instructions sets out details for making large batches of coffee using an urn bag, filter or drip, percolator, or vacuum-type coffee maker, sans sugar and milk.

Whether sailors used cheesecloth to brew ground coffee or boiled coffee in a sugary, milky mix, the U.S. Navy advises that coffee should be ground just before it is made, should always be kept tightly sealed, and the coffee-making equipment that is used should be clean. The water used to make coffee should also be freshly drawn and brought to a rapid boil before being used in coffee recipes.

An additional instruction in the U.S. Navy-approved coffee-making process includes choosing the right blend of roasted coffee beans. To secure the best for their crews, the U.S. Navy set up plants for coffee roasting in California, New York, and Hawaii. These plants roast beans from Central and South America to be packaged and sent out to the ships, with experienced master tasters checking for quality control.

The U.S. Navy also ensures that batches should be as fresh as possible and that no more than one hour passes between the time coffee is made and when it is served. Though you most likely won't need to make several gallons of coffee for your family, the revered process of perfecting a freshly brewed cup can be a fun mission to take on. Regardless of who is drinking the coffee, a well-made warm cup is always revered.