Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > T-MOS One Cup Coffee Caddy > Owner Review by Walter Leicher

T-MOS ONE CUP COFFEE CADDY
BY WALTER LEICHER
OWNER REVIEW
December 09, 2009

TESTER INFORMATION

I started backpacking about twenty years ago. This interest has intensified once my sons became old enough to hike with me. I love the outdoors and besides hiking, I enjoy outdoor adventure sports like adventure racing, caving, rock climbing and canoeing as well. Since becoming involved in Boy Scouts, I hike much more frequently. Most trips with Boy Scouts are weekenders but I have done several longer hikes in Africa. I am always seeking the point where the cost of shaving an extra ounce exceeds the benefit. Currently most of my hiking is done in the south east United States.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Manufacturer: T-Mos Inc.
Year of Manufacture: 2007
Manufacturer's Website: None
MSRP: N/A
Listed Weight: 1.8 ounces (50 g)
Actual Weight: 1.8 ounces (50 g)
Listed Dimensions 4.5 x 4 inches (11.4 cm)
Actual Dimensions 4.5 x 4 inches (11.4 cm)
Material Plastic

One Cup Coffee Caddy

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

This one-cup coffee maker is a cone shaped coffee maker which fits on top of a coffee cup and is designed to make one medium size cup of coffee. It has a wide rim at the bottom which rests on the brim of the cup. There is a removable fine mesh filter which catches the ground coffee. The product is brown in color and is made entirely out of plastic. The product is light and looks very robust.

The Coffee Caddy in operation

USAGE CONDITIONS

I have used the one-put coffee maker on several hikes and camp trips. My first trip using this little gem was on the Blood Mountain section of the Appalachian Trail and the tallest mountain on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail, with an elevation of 4,458 feet (1,359 m). It was late fall and the wind was howling. The coffee was great, the conversation was stimulating, the skies were blue and life was good for me.
I subsequently used the one cup coffee maker on about nine occasions in North Georgia on the Conasauga River Trail at 3,800 ft (1,158 m) in spring, Pinhoti Trial at elevation 2,342 ft (714 m) in late summer and on the Withlacoochee canoe trip in Northern Florida at elevation 86 feet (26.21 m) in late summer.

REVIEW

I cannot recall which came first, my love for coffee when hiking or my search for a way to make this Black Liquid That Giveth Morning Life in a way. I have searched the four corners of this earth and tried anything from instant coffee, French presses, liquid sachets, coffee bags, silk stockings and many more innovative ideas to match my desire for a good cup of coffee. The attempts were always too heavy, too bulky or the coffee was simply ghastly.

Then I stumbled on the one cup coffee maker. I did a lot of research before I purchased the coffee maker and found a community deeply divided. Those who loved the coffee maker truly loved it and those who did not like truly hated it with the main complaints being that it is bulky and that it clogs easily.

When I took the coffee maker for the first time, I made sure that I ground the beans coarsely to prevent the filter from clogging up. On a typical morning when I embark on my quest to produce a cup of the Nectar of the Gods, I typically boil a cup of water, scoop slightly more than a heaped table spoon of coffee into the coffee maker and poor the boiling water into the coffee maker.

The Coffee Caddy from above

I tap the coffee maker on the brim of the cup to ensure that the coffee flows through the filter and voila! I have a steaming hot, aromatic cup of coffee.
The filter disassembles easily to enable easy removal of the used coffee grinds by tapping the filter against a tree and rinsing it.



Initially I found the coffee maker slightly bulky but then I stumbled on the idea to use an old Nalgene bottle to serve as protection, holder for my coffee and the coffee maker.
This solution truly works well for me.

The Coffee Caddy inside a Nalgene container

THINGS I LIKE

It is light
Inexpensive
Easy to clean
virtually indestructible

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

Slightly bulky

SUMMARY

I love using this product and recommend this product for other coffee craving hikers.




SIGNATURE

Walter Leicher

Reviews > Cook Gear > Cooking Accessories > T-MOS One Cup Coffee Caddy > Owner Review by Walter Leicher