The Staple Coffee For Old West Cowboys Is Still Available Today

The Old West is a bygone era that's left a lasting legacy. Many defining features of this period are no longer with us, like the open range, long cattle drives, and the archetypal John Wayne-style cowboy (who was partial to steak at a restaurant you can still find today). But not everything has faded into obscurity. One of the most enduring parts of this time was the food, and even now, you can still purchase Arbuckle Coffee, also known as the "Original Cowboy Coffee," which has been fueling cowboys since the late 19th century.

Invented by brothers John and Charles Arbuckle in 1865, this unique brand of coffee was created to solve a very specific problem. Before the Arbuckle brothers came along, coffee beans were sold green — raw and unroasted. While green beans keep for significantly longer than roasted beans or grounds, cowboys had to roast them manually over a fire. The issue, however, was that just a single burned bean could leave the whole batch tasting bitter and gritty.

This inconsistency remained the standard until the Arbuckle brothers changed the game with their new product. They sold pre-roasted beans coated in a mixture of sugar, egg, Irish moss, gelatin, and isinglass, a glaze that effectively locked in the flavor and aroma of the coffee beans. This kept the beans fresh during long trail drives with limited access to towns or supplies, and it rendered the old skillet-roasting method obsolete. Thanks to its convenience, the brand quickly became the de facto choice for nearly every Old West cowboy, becoming known as the coffee that won the West. Its popularity has persisted well over a century, and today you can find Arbuckle's Coffee being sold in select stores around Tucson, Arizona, as well as online.

The Arbuckle brothers were able to cleverly maintain a loyal customer base. Each bag of beans came with a stick of peppermint tucked inside. Before automatic coffee grinders existed, cooks used that candy as bait, bribing cowboys into taking on the tedious job of hand-grinding the beans. Beyond that, sweet treats were notoriously hard to come by in the Old West, so the peppermint could be traded for essential goods. In a playful nod to its roots, Arbuckle's still includes that same stick of peppermint in every bag today. Bags also came with coupons, which could be exchanged for everything from handkerchiefs to wedding rings. 

Even with all this convenience, cowboys still relied on the same rustic brewing method (known as "cowboy coffee") to get their cup of java. They'd toss the grounds straight into a pot of boiling water set over a fire or hot coals, letting it boil until dark and strong. To settle the grounds before pouring, they'd trickle cold water around the edges of the pot, a trick that pulled the grounds to the bottom and left a cup clear enough to drink. The brew that came out of this process was notoriously potent, which cowboys claimed would "kick up in the middle and pack double" (via Natalie Bright).

Despite its success in the late-19th century, Arbuckle's faced trouble further down the line. Competition with other coffee brands, like Folgers, led to the company being sold off in the 1930s, but that wasn't the end of its story. In 1974, with the intention of serving up affordable, high-quality coffee at their restaurants, couple Pat and Denney Willis brought the brand's expired trademark and revived some of its most famous blends.