Today’s backpacker may be way off-grid on a remote island or up a perilous mountain – but they usually still expect to enjoy a decent cup of quality coffee. For alpha trekkers, a tepid stewed flask of instant coffee just won’t cut it. So Seattle-based high-end outdoor kit specialist Grayl has just launched an accessory that demonstrates how much those North Westerners value their caffeine hit.
Even if you’re a long hike from the nearest Starbucks, Grayl’s solution is a portable coffee press piston that slots neatly inside its titanium water purifier.
The company launched its Water Filtration Cup way back in 2013, and added the world's first titanium water filter bottle almost a decade later. The UltraPress Ti shapes up as a stylish, lightweight and robust way to scoop up freshwater in the wild and make it safe to drink in seconds. Its precision-made internal mesh plunger acts as a purifying filter in the dual-wall vessel that can also act as a cook pot over a fire.
Grayl released a similar but larger system (24 fl oz vs 16.9) called the GeoPress Ti a couple of years later, and it's this one that can become your backwoods barista when paired with the new Coffee Press kit. A quick explainer for global readers: a coffee press is the same thing as the posher sounding ‘French press’ and what UK and Europeans call a ‘cafetière’. It's a plunger system that makes a proper café-style cup using ground coffee.
The folks at Grayl have devised a rugged heat-proof screw-together accessory that breaks down to a press knob, two-piece press rod and fine-mesh filter screen. The bits disassemble to fit into a pocket or backpack.
It makes a hiking rest stop almost as civilized as a stroll around Seattle’s coffee shops. Collect wild water in the GeoPress Ti, filter it, and heat the outer vessel on your portable stove. While it’s warming, fit the coffee press bits together and dig out your favorite ground coffee from your pack.
The Coffee Press slots precisely into the outer vessel of the GeoPress Ti and you end up with a clean, full-bodied brew. Of course , it works the same whether you’re at your kitchen table or squatting on a rock in a river.
"Adding a coffee press has long been part of the plan," Grayl co-founder Travis Merrigan said in a press statement. "When one piece of gear can do more, you carry less. Now you can make the cleanest water and brew a dialed cup of coffee with a single bottle."
Indeed it seems those Seattle folk can’t stop demonstrating that they've created the world’s coffee capital. Is it something to do with the weather up there, their Scandinavian roots… or just that they’re hipper than everyone else? They can’t seem to go for a walk without a caffeine stop. Grayl is so proud of its Seattle base, outdoor kit like the GeoPress Ti has the Puget Sound topography stylishly laser-etched onto the titanium.
Sitting here writing this with an americano alongside my laptop, I’m not the best person to ridicule. "Morning coffee is such a ritual here, even when you’re camping or backcountry," said Grayl’s Kerri Dellisanti. "But even if you don’t drink coffee you could use it to make a great cup of tea too!"
The GeoPress Ti Coffee Press is available now for US$34.95, with a fancier version including a titanium lid for the vessel at $49.95.
Product page: Grayl Coffee Press for GeoPress Ti
