On an old episode of “Rawhide”, Rowdy Yates explained how to make a good cup of coffee:
“You boil water. You throw some coffee in. Wait a little, then throw in a horseshoe. If it doesn’t float, you add coffee until it does...”
That's how my father liked his coffee.
Rowdy was just joshing about the horseshoe, though. Cowboy coffee is made with eggshells instead of the horseshoe. The eggshells make the grounds fall to the bottom of the pot so the coffee can be poured off the top.