When I trekked in Nepal many years ago (1989), I remember meeting some Israelis at a guest house. While most of us were sipping the hot lemon juice and honey offered by our hosts, the Israelis were drinking their own coffee from home in a travel-sized drip coffee-maker. As a young backpacker on my first real adventure, I remember thinking it odd that people had willingly come to another country to experience a new culture, but couldn’t travel without some comforts from home.
Hello.
I’m now one of those people who like to have some comforts from home. And often that comfort is my own coffee or tea (both decaf these days).
With the exception of Asia where I can pretty consistently rely on having an electric tea kettle, I’m finding that often hotels in the U.S. don’t have coffee makers in the room. (I even heard from a friend recently that a hotel she had booked was charging extra to have a coffee maker in the room.) And when there is coffee/tea service, I usually prefer my own to theirs.
That’s where the GSI Commuter Java Press comes in handy.
This works just like a regular coffee press but is shatter-resistant and self-contained in that it doubles as a mug.
Here’s how it works:
From left to right, the unit contains: a rubber, slip-proof bottom; the outer mug; a neoprene sleeve to protect your hands from the heat; the inner mug that includes the filter; a spill-proof lid.
You first add your ground coffee in the bottom of the outer mug.
Add hot water (but not too much).
You very carefully, slip the inner mug (with the filter) into the outer mug containing the ground coffee (or tea leaves) and hot water.
Give it a stir and then let it steep for a few minutes (or to your desired strength).
Add the neoprene, the bottom rubber piece, and lid.
Drink.
Tip #1 – Don’t fill the water up too high and do insert the center mug VERY slowly. When you insert that interior piece, it has a propensity for squirting water out if you do it too quickly. Too much water and you’ll end up with spillage, too.
Tip #2 – Don’t slip the inner piece all the way down without first screwing on the lid. If you push it all the way down, the lid won’t screw on.
Tip #3 – The inner mug fits really tightly into the outer mug and it’s difficult to get out. I found the best way to do this is by having the lid tightly screwed on and pulling up on it so the interior piece comes out with it.
Great for hotel travel and camping. Guaranteed to save you a bunch of dough when you don’t have to rely on S-bucks.
I am seriously considering carrying this on the Snowman Trek next year. I might even make an Israeli or two jealous if I run into them on the trail 🙂
Available on Amazon for about $20.
Travel Well,
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