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I learned a few things during the process of testing the
Jetboil French Press. These things are:
- Coffee always tastes good
when backpacking and camping, no matter how it turns out. (I'm a bit
pickier when I'm at home and have all my coffee-making parephenalia and
toys at hand).
- The standard French Press method
for making coffee is a bit messy and complicated for my tastes
for making coffee in the backcountry.
- But...there are tricks to make the
French Press method less messy and complicated with the Jetboil French
Press - yay!
As I
mentioned in my Initial Report, I love a good cup of coffee. My day
can't begin until I've had that first sip of the wonderful brew, but in
the backcountry I've relegated myself to tea for a morning caffeine
kick. Tea is just plain easier and lighter weight to carry in and
out, as well as prepare. But when I saw that Jetboil made a French
Press accessory for the PCS I decided it was time to introduce quality
coffee to my backcountry mornings.
The
French Press is made of four parts. The lid is interchangeable with
the standard PCS lid, and considering that the remaining components of the
French Press weigh less than an ounce and pack within the PCS it is
perfect for the lightweight backpacker who is already carrying the
PCS. To carry the French Press in addition to the standard PCS it
costs 0.75 ounces of weight - not bad!
The lid of the French Press differs
from the standard lid in two ways. First, it is a slightly rubberier
and more flexible material. Second, it has a hole in the center that
is big enough for the shaft of the French Press to pass through. The
other pieces of the French Press are the filter, and the shaft which
breaks down into two pieces for easy and convenient storage within the
PCS.
Making coffee with the French Press is
simple. I boil water in the Jetboil like normal. When it
boils, I add the coffee grounds and stir briefly. I then assemble
the French Press and insert it into the PCS. I let the filter rest
on top of the grounds while the coffee brews and snap on the lid with the
plunger of the French Press sticking out of the top. After
approximately four minutes I press the plunger down to compress the
grounds to the bottom of the PCS. I can then pour my coffee into my
mug, or drink it straight from the PCS (I prefer to use a seperate
cup).
I've had a problem with this
standard method. I use two other French Presses in my day-to-day
life and neither of them have this problem. I've had this problem
when not paying attention as well as when being very careful. The
French Press is a bit 'wobbly', in that when the lid is snapped on to the
PCS while the filter is sitting on top of the coffee there can be a bit of
wobble in the shaft. If the filter is not kept even it can dip into
the grounds. These grounds then find their way above the filter so
that when it is pressed, these grounds don't get filtered out. The
first time I ended up with crunchy coffee I vowed to be more careful the
next time. The next time I was very careful and still ended up with
some grounds in my coffee. In fact, every single time I've used the
filter this way grounds have made it through. I don't have this
problem with either of the other two French Presses I use.
There is another problem with this
standard method, and that is the cleanup. When the coffee is poured,
and the filter removed, what is left is a pile of wet coffee grounds stuck
in the bottom of the PCS. Plus, the grounds are stuck all over the
filter. Cleaning this up in the backcountry, especially when water
is limited, is not easy. In the snow I dumped the grounds and then
used some paper towels to wipe up the inside of the PCS. I stuck the
filter in the ziploc baggie I had carried the coffee grounds in and washed
it when I got home - since it was just an overnight trip it was much
easier to deal with it at home than on the trail.
All of this sounds so negative, but
some clever Jetboil engineers gave one of the testers a piece of advice
that I tried, and it greatly reduced the headaches described above.
Hurray! I'll call this clever technique the Reverse French Press
method. This is how it works:
Boil the water as usual. Once
the water is boiled, press the French Press to the bottom of the PCS
before adding the coffee grounds. After the coffee grounds
are added, let it soak for the standard period of time. Then, gently
pull the French Press upward and out of the PCS. If it is pulled up
gently and carefully it captures all of the grounds. The coffee
remains in the PCS without the ugly mess of grounds hanging out in the
bottom. All of the grounds are captured by the filter, making it
only one thing that needs cleaning from the coffee grounds.
I have had much more success using the
reverse method with the Jetboil French Press than the regular
method. This Reverse method doesn't work with any of the other
French Presses I use, but it works great with the Jetboil! The
coffee I have made this way has tasted better and hasn't had grounds in
it. The cleanup is much easier too!
In my Initial Report I was concerned about the durability of
something as delicate as the fine filter used in the French Press.
Luckily this stores easily in the bottom of the PCS and isn't tossed
randomly into my pack. The PCS protects it when it is in my pack and
storage, so I don't have this concern any more.
I am left with a dilemma
at the end of this test. I really do enjoy having fresh (Reverse)
French Press made coffee in the morning. The tradeoff is the
somewhat messy cleanup, and there are some mornings where I'd just rather
have a cup of tea or a single-serving low quality coffee brew bag and
be done with it. I think that in the future this will be more of a
car-camping accessory, where I have ready access to water, paper towels,
and garbage cans. This elimitates the problem of packing
the supplies in and the trash out and having to clean up the messy
Jetboil in the backcountry before the next use. The messy cleanup is
just a result of the French Press way of making coffee and not a result of
Jetboil's design, and it's a tradeoff that one must decide to make for
quality coffee.
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