The BEST coffee maker
As my friends and family will happily confirm, I love my coffee. Some would even call me a coffee snob. I don’t do instant, regardless of how many adverts of ‘just like the real thing’ I see or how many gold stripes are contained upon the jar design. So I’ve been on the search for the best coffee maker, but not one that sits on a kitchen worktop, one that’s light, portable and I can use in conjunction with my MSR Dragonfly stove of course!
One of the biggest problems as an outdoor enthusiast that spends a lot of the time on the road and in remote places, is getting a good cup of coffee in the morning.
Trust me, in my search for the ultimate outdoors coffee maker, I have tried them all. From several glass French presses (now smashed), to a lovely steel mini-press, to various incarnations of travel mugs that include a press within, to the trusty expresso maker. Each time, I’ve been first excited…second disappointed.
For example, the trusty expresso maker is a thing of beauty, no doubt about it. It is robust and makes pretty epic coffee. I even bought a mini-one from Italy for light backpacking trips (but then had to modify my stove with a coat hanger to allow it to be sat on top). I just found it to be a lot of faff, and not particularly quick.
The French presses were fine until they smashed in the back of my car. They also lose a lot of heat in cold environments whilst waiting for it to brew.
Then, along came the Aeropress. I was skeptical (once, twice, three times burnt…), but some good friends recommended this strange-looking plastic contraption so I had to give it a go.
I finally got around to buying an Aeropress on a recent trip to California. In a lovely coffee shop in Santa Cruz, I finally got around to getting one. It was love at first brew. Once you’ve got around exactly how it works and what you need, it really is a gem.
It’s also very quick. Pop a filter in (I have paper ones still but apparently if you don’t fancy carrying these around, stainless steel reusable filters are availalable), put the press on top of your mug, put a spoon of coffee in, stir a few times, then push down the plunger. It’s that simple. Take the end cap off then push the cake of used coffee out along with the filter.
The coffee? Outstanding. Quick, convenient, robust and one of the best things I’ve ever bought. Highly recommended.
