Egg shells in coffee

[Rye Miles #13621]

I saw a Gunsmoke episode where Chester was putting egg shells in coffee. Always wondered about that! Well here it is!

 

https://flavorydishes.com/why-did-they-put-egg-shells-in-coffee/

[Subdeacon Joe]

Great article, thank you.  

There is another version, where the whole egg is mixed with the grounds.  I've tried it a few times and all I got was a mess.  I'm not a fan of "Egg Flower Coffee."

[Alpo]

I always heard the purpose of putting an eggshell in the coffee was to settle the grounds.

 

When the coffee has finished brewing you dropped an eggshell in the pot and somehow that was supposed to make the grounds settled to the bottom of the pot so when you poured coffee you didn't have a cup full of grounds.

 

I'm fairly certain that the cowboys did not crush the eggshells and they certainly did not sterilize their eggshells.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I remember my parents doing this with egg shells but they stopped drinking coffee well before I was old enough to use it.  I never gave it another thought until now.

 

Guess it's time to try it again.

 

Thanks, Rye.

[Sedalia Dave]

2 hours ago, Alpo said:

I always heard the purpose of putting an eggshell in the coffee was to settle the grounds.

 

When the coffee has finished brewing you dropped an eggshell in the pot and somehow that was supposed to make the grounds settled to the bottom of the pot so when you poured coffee you didn't have a cup full of grounds.

 

I'm fairly certain that the cowboys did not crush the eggshells and they certainly did not sterilize their eggshells.

 Proper Cowboy Coffee would instantly sterilize the eggshells when dropped into the pot. 

[Stump Water]

My grandmother did it for the reason stated in the article - takes the bitterness out.   When she stopped using a percolator and went to a drip coffee maker she stopped putting the egg shells in.

 

 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

I've known about the Egg Shell Trix for years.  Just never interested me as I have always been a sort of Coffee Snob.  I really really like coffee and don't settle for the cheaper stuff.  Additionally, the ONLY thing one should have in their coffee is COFFEE.  Additives are worthless.  If one doesn't like coffee as it is suppose to be, quit, drink tea and quit complaining.

[Subdeacon Joe]

15 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

Additionally, the ONLY thing one should have in their coffee is COFFEE.

 

Hmmmmm.....I usually use some water along with the coffee. Makes it easier to drink. 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Holy Guacamole!  That's what I've been leaving out.  I knew it was something 😜 

[Texas Lizard]

13 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Holy Guacamole!  That's what I've been leaving out.  I knew it was something 😜 

Did you check to see if you put in the coffee grounds???

 

Texas Lizard

[Alpo]

I frequently have had people offer me coffee, and when I accept they will invariably ask me what I take in my coffee. I tell them coffee.

 

That confuses some people.

[Subdeacon Joe]

14 minutes ago, Alpo said:

I frequently have had people offer me coffee, and when I accept they will invariably ask me what I take in my coffee. I tell them coffee.

 

That confuses some people.

 

I'd stir in a heaping teaspoon of fresh grounds.

[DeaconKC]

My Grandpa used to say "It doesn't take nearly as much water to make good coffee as some people think". I agree with Grandpa. 

[watab kid]

im here in minnesota , ill be honest , ive heard of egg coffee but never had it , id like to try it once to see what its all about but seems like a lot of effort to go to when my coffee is just fine every morning - i grind my own beans every pot ,thats enough trouble to go to ifirsyt thing in the morning 

[Kid Rich]

Egg shells in the coffee will settle the grounds to the bottom of the pot, also a small amount of cold water will do the same. Many times I have been fishing or camping and made coffee by boiling the grounds in a pot and when it was finished used egg shells or cold water to settle the grounds. It does not change the flavor or does any other kind of imagined voodoo to the coffee.

kR

[Rye Miles #13621]

I believe this only works for percolators. No need with a drip coffee pot. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

5 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I believe this only works for percolators. No need with a drip coffee pot. 

 

If you have a particularly acidic blend, the egg shell will take some of that bite out of it.

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

Should I run into a particularly Acidic blend, I immediately "re-Gift" it.  I have no good reason to torture myself with lousy Coffee.

[Alpo]

"Re-gift it" to the tall can in the corner of the kitchen.

[Pat Riot]

I remember some mess crank aboard ship got caught putting egg shells in the coffee on the mess deck and was soundly berated by the Sr. Chief. I guess there was a coffee procedure that must be followed that didn’t include egg shells. 
I was kicked off the mess deck that morning for asking the Sr Chief what the procedure said about old footwear in the coffee? 

[Pulp, SASS#28319]

Cowboys Kent Rollins has several YouTube videos on making coffee.  I don’t drink the stuff, but still enjoyed his videos.

[Rye Miles #13621]

11 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

If you have a particularly acidic blend, the egg shell will take some of that bite out of it.

A little sugar will do the trick too! A lot easier too.

[Alpo]

1 hour ago, Pat Riot said:

I remember some mess crank aboard ship got caught putting egg shells in the coffee on the mess deck and was soundly berated by the Sr. Chief. I guess there was a coffee procedure that must be followed that didn’t include egg shells. 
I was kicked off the mess deck that morning for asking the Sr Chief what the procedure said about old footwear in the coffee? 

There is a WW2 comedy. THE WACKIEST SHIP IN THE ARMY. Jack Lemmon, the captain of the ship, is standing there and the cook hands him a cup of coffee. He takes a drink and swallows something painfully, and then asks what the heck was in the coffee. Cook said he put an egg in it. Captain told him that was supposed to be eggshell, to settle the grounds, and handed him back the cup.

[Ghost23]

Egg shells in "cowboy" coffee settle the grounds. Can also pour a bit of cold water in the pot to settle them. 

[watab kid]

learned something new - even tho i had always been toldthat the shells were what went in with the grounds , interesting discussion on the egg 

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

Have some espresso (No X).

 

The grounds stay in the machine.

 

The cup is too small for eggshells.

 

Solved!

[Highwall]

I married into a Swedish family and egg shells in the coffee was quite normal, but then so was Lutefisk, Ostakaka, Potatiskorv, bondost cheese, and pickled herring!☹️

[watab kid]

ok m, we have gone too far astray there 

1 hour ago, Highwall said:

I married into a Swedish family and egg shells in the coffee was quite normal, but then so was Lutefisk, Ostakaka, Potatiskorv, bondost cheese, and pickled herring!☹️

ive married two norwegions and learned to love leftsa , nothing more - even them , the fish stuff youall can keep , 

[Alpo]

My scoutmaster told me that if you stick a burning brand in the coffee when you take it off the fire, it will settle the grounds.

 

I ain't never tried it, but he told me that several times.

[watab kid]

On 11/30/2025 at 11:12 PM, Alpo said:

My scoutmaster told me that if you stick a burning brand in the coffee when you take it off the fire, it will settle the grounds.

 

I ain't never tried it, but he told me that several times.

would be interesting to try just to know , whats that show - myth busters , good topic for them 

[Sedalia Dave]

 

 

 

 

[Doc Eagle]

8 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

 

 

 

And that is a great video right there.  My buddy has been making coffee outdoors over a fire for years and I hate eating grounds so I showed him the splash of cold water trick while we were off-roading in the Snowy Range in WY and bam!  Clear coffee! 👍

 

Nothing invites controversy as a topic like coffee does.  The beauty of it is that for true coffee lovers there is NO wrong way to drink the stuff.  I probably have 5-6 types of coffee in my kitchen right now and at least 10 different ways to make it from my beloved espresso machines all the way to a Yeti French press that is the ultimate campsite device.  I like coffee any way from black (espresso) through black "American" and different level of light and mixtures of milk, half-half all the way to heavy cream.  

 

In Venezuela (did a lot of business there) drinking coffee is the national sport and they have the best coffee in the world as far as I'm concerned, though we'll never see any here.  One of the styles of serving is called "Marron de Macho" which is a double expresso with a dash of heavy cream and sugar to taste.  It is delicious and on top of that it is the finest compliment to my morning cigar when I decide to have one.

 

Soooooooo, It's all good as far as your coffee selection of brands, types, grounds and way of drinking it.  We're all in the same caffeine addicted team anyway 😎

 

 

Oh and as far as adding egg shells to coffee?  NO thank you.  I love doing stuff I like doing and try to never stand still but when it comes to doing work I consider non-essential I am lazy AF...  So the idea of saving eggshells, cleaning them, sterilizing them and adding them to coffee is a non starter.  If your brand is too acidic... switch brands.

 

Edited December 4, 2025 by Doc Eagle