Gear Review: GSI Java Mill and Ultralight Java Drip

GSI Java Mill: Value Rating: 9 Durability Rating: 7 Overall Rating: 8 Ultralight Java Drip: Value Rating: 10 Durability Rating: 10 Overall Rating: 10 The Full Review First thing I’d do when waking up is stumble over and start the water and pour the beans into the grinder. Usually in my half awake state, I would have fresh grounds by the time the water was hot and ready. But it’s often early and my coordination off, so times may vary while using a hand crank grinder. It’s always important to get the water to a just about boiling temp without actually boiling it. I’ve found that if you pour boiling water over the nice fresh grounds, you’re just burning the coffee and that’s not very hip. I’ve had this little GSI Java Drip filter for a few years now and I love how small it is and easy to clean. For maximum flavor I pour hot water slowly over the grounds or it’ll become a little watered down, again not very hip. Once the water has all been filtered through the fresh grounds I simply flip the bag inside out into a garbage or composting area and if I feel the need give it a quick rinse through some water and voila! Clean again, or at least camp clean. After spending 3 months on the road hand cranking coffee every morning, I am still not tired of it, an in fact probably slightly more buff (I recommend switching your arms up to become more ambidextrous and fuel the brain more.) Though it does take a little effort- as all good things should- others who are tired of sub par morning wake-ups have sought my coffee out. I first got laughed at when I brought it out to base camp at Denali or other fly out camps, however soon everybody was jealous and wanted a cup of their own. So I guess it’s not a terrible idea to pack a little extra weight, spend an extra moment in the preparation, and drink a cup of your fav while far from any hipster hippy coffee shop. I think some of my buddies actually might be bringing their own grinder next time… The Good: Fresh coffee! Much less clean up than a French press. Relatively light and packable (especially the coffee strainer!) Will make other coffee snobs jealous. The Bad: Takes a little effort to manually grind (ugh, 1^st world problems…) Ground “size” is adjustable, so important to dial it in. Potentially fragile grinder- I dropped it first week and cracked it, but some electrical tape has been holding strong since. The mesh coffee strainer and grinder are best for 1 person and not so much at group coffee without doing each cup separately. The Bottom Line: If you enjoy the finer things in life yet still want to sleep out on a glacier, or in the dirt, don’t forget your fancy beans, and GSI Java Mill and Ultralight Java Drip. Watching a rising sun while listening to the morning birds’ chirp is all the more enjoyable with a delicious cup of hot coffee in hand.