Originally published Thursday, April 24, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Getting in Gear
Brew coffee, even espresso, in the woods? Here's how
Coffee has become a cornerstone of our Northwest lives, with specialty shops on every corner in our cities and towns. That urban brew, though...
Get ski and boarding conditions all winter long with webcams, snow alerts and more at seattletimes.com/snowsports
Coffee has become a cornerstone of our Northwest lives, with specialty shops on every corner in our cities and towns. That urban brew, though, no matter how fancy, can't hold a candle to a good steaming cuppa joe in the backcountry.
The easiest way to get that java on the trail is to brew it at home and tote it along in a vacuum bottle. This has the added benefit of tapping into a bit of family nostalgia for many of us: One of the fondest memories for many men has to be the first time their dad poured them a steaming cup of coffee out of his venerable old green steel Stanley bottle. It could have happened on a frigid fishing trip on Puget Sound, or on an early morning hike up Mount Si. That was the day the boy felt like a man. The Stanley Classic 1-quart vacuum bottle still offers outstanding insulation for hot beverages, but the new generation of Stanley Outdoor bottles provides the same great performance, in a sleeker, lighter-weight design. Like the Classic, the Outdoor series offers double-walled, stainless-steel construction and a tough, rustproof finish. The streamlined Outdoor bottle lacks the side handle but adds two cups in the lid so sharing is a breeze. The Outdoor series proved perfect for slipping into a backpack, while the Classic is ideal for toting in a boat or car. The Classic 1-quart sells for $32 while the Outdoor 1-quart goes for $40. See www.stanley-pmi.com for more information.
If you prefer your coffee fresh-brewed when hiking, Spokane-based GSI offers a number of coffee solutions. If you want a steaming mug of Starbucks Yukon blend during your hike, toss your favorite lightweight stove into your pack, then add a GSI Lexan Javapress — a French-press style coffee maker.
Available in three sizes, the GSI Javapress is light, yet incredibly tough. The 10-ounce size proved to be perfectly sized for solo hikers wanting a single cup while the 33- and 50-ounce sizes can serve four to eight hikers at a time. I found the 10-ounce press, weighing a mere 8 ounces, a lightweight way to get fresh java while snowshoeing on Mount Rainier. The 10-ounce Javapress sells for $19.95, while the group-sized 50-ounce runs $29.95.
Of course, being Northwesterners, many of us are addicted to powerful espresso brews. Even here, we are covered in the backcountry. GSI's stainless-steel Mini Expresso espresso makers sit atop pack stoves and pump out one to four shots of espresso at a time. The 4-cup Mini Expresso kicks out four flavorful shots during one brew cycle, and with a small 10-ounce box of soy milk, I was able to serve my friends fresh lattes at Panorama Point on Mount Rainier this winter. The 4-Cup GSI Mini Expresso runs $49.95. See www.gsioutdoors.com.
— Dan A. Nelson, special to The Seattle Times
Freelancer Dan A. Nelson, of Puyallup, is a regular contributor to Backpacker magazine, and an author of outdoor guides with The Mountaineers Books. For the purpose of review, gear manufacturers lend products, which are returned after a typical use of four to six weeks. There is no payment from manufacturers and they have no control over the content of reviews. Contact Nelson with gear-related questions at gearguy@adventuresnw.net.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
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