GSI's Java Press - Gear Review

One of my favorite parts of the day when out in the back-country is the first hour of every morning.  Roll my sore backside out of my hammock, get a fire going, and get some water cooking for a cup of joe.  Our crew has an old percolator coffee pot that has seen its fair share of trips, but we just got an upgrade.  The folks over at GSI Outdoors sent us one of their 30 ounce coffee presses to try out.

From my point of view, you really have to try to screw up a cup of coffee when you are out in the woods.  Decent beans and hot water, that's about all I need, or at least that is what I thought.  I was accustomed to having a few grounds floating around my mug and for all intensive purposes, I was cool with that.  The funky residue that was baked on the inside of our perco-pot added "character" and "flavor", right?

The coffee press system was not something I had used before, but it is about as easy as it gets.  Step 1: Boil water.  Step 2: Add water and grounds to the 30 ounce carafe and let sit for about 4-5 minutes.  Step 3: Depress the plunger and pour into cup of choice.  Out comes mud-free java that any coffee snob would be proud to pour.

From a packing and storage perspective, this beats the percolator pot by a long ways.  Cleaning is infinitely easier and with the crystal clear carafe, nothing hides in the corners.  The plunger and lid hold securely and allow for easy storage of coffee inside the unit during transport.  Another obvious plus is the multi-use nature of the carafe and its insulating sleeve, allowing me to leave redundant gear at home.

On the down side, at 30 ounces our crew in the BWCA will need to make about 4 of these every morning, but they do have a 50 ounce version for larger groups or those with a serious caffeine addiction.  Now the big question is, light or dark roast...

MSRP: $32.95

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