Why This Ingenious Little Coffee Maker Won’t Make it Into My Hiking Kit

The Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker is one of the newest coffee devices on the market. But is it made for the rough, tumble, and high caffeine needs of the trails?

I’m always looking for new and improved ways to devour coffee without sticking it directly into my veins, so when the opportunity came to give the Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker a spin, I shot my hand up. 

This nifty device is unlike any other coffee maker I’ve seen before (and yes it can make tea, but let’s be real here, coffee is the prime selling point). If you’re keen to grab one for yourself, use our discount code ‘WEAREEXPLORERS’ to receive 10% off your purchase. 

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How does the Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker work?

It’s essentially an individual French Press that sits directly in your coffee cup. Operating the device is relatively straightforward – unscrew the base/filter and fill it with coffee, re-screw on the top/plunger, add it to your cup of hot water and stir for ten seconds, then press down on the plunger and watch your coffee darken. 

Read more: 13 Best Coffee Makers in Australia 2024

Simple, right? Yes, and not quite. 

I took it with me on a three day hiking trip that involved cold, early mornings and lots of elevation – what I’m saying is, coffee was crucial! 

On first use, I realised I didn’t know how much coffee to add to the filter. The Final Press website says the filter holds up to 12g of coffee. Since I didn’t have scales on me (or reception to find this out) I ended up filling it about ¾ full, which seemed to work. 

As I stirred the filter in my cup of hot water, I watched tiny coffee grounds enter my cup. Damn. 

Then came the fun part – plunging! It was certainly a bit of campground excitement watching the dark coffee drip through the filter as the plunger pressed down and it seemed to make quite a strong cuppa joe. Stronger than a traditional French Press!

But as I sipped, it was quite obvious that a significant amount of coffee grounds had escaped through the 200 micron holes of the filter, and I was left with a small deposit of coffee at the bottom of my cup, which I threw away along with the last few sips. 

No matter, it was still a fun lil experience – until it came time to clean. 

Cleaning the Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker

As I disassembled the coffee maker, I realised that the pressure put on the coffee by the plunger made it quite tricky to get the grounds out, and the rough grip of the holes on the inside of the filter caused them to stick to it.

Cleaning the plunger component was another task. I learnt that pushing the plunger down to separate it from the lid with a lip allowed for easier cleaning. But with multiple surfaces and crevices, cleaning the top half of the coffee maker wasn’t a simple process either. 

Cleaning the device seemed to require a fair amount of water, or perhaps a cloth – both of which aren’t always on tap while in the bush. 

I wasn’t overly stressed about having it spick and span, but if I was brewing tea next, I’d be more fussy. 

Thankfully, popping the filter back in its carrying sleeve stopped the coffee residue from spreading throughout my pack.

Packing the Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker

Coming in at 102g, the Final Press is relatively light and certainly more compact than some coffee makers, namely an Aeropress and all its accessories. The Final Press slipped easily into an external pocket alongside my other foodware, taking up a small amount of space. 

However until now, my go-to device for coffee on the trails has been a GSI Ultralight Java Drip – arguably the lightest and most compact coffee maker in existence. And considering the Final Press makes a pretty similar brew, I can’t see myself swapping it out any time soon.

What’s good about the Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker?

All my criticism aside, there are plenty of positives about the Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker. 

It’s made of 100% stainless steel, which is pretty damn impressive and you can feel the quality and durability of the product as soon as you handle it. It’s hard to imagine you’d be replacing it any time soon, if ever.

It also doesn’t require any additional single-use filters like some other coffee makers do (Aeropress 👀).

The Final Press is a multi-purpose device, as it can also brew your favourite kind of loose leaf tea and even make cold brew (if you have access to a fridge and a mason jar). If you drink as much tea on the trail as coffee, the Final Press could be an ideal device for you! 

The plunger and filter combination allows you to control how strong you want your coffee to be. You can add more or less coffee to the filter, choose how long you stir it for, and whether you plunge it at all.

Final Thoughts

The Final Press Coffee and Tea Maker is certainly a one-of-a-kind device. It’s incredibly well made, easy enough to use, and its multi-purpose gives it additional value beyond traditional coffee makers that are often solely for brewing hot coffee. 

Will it become my go-to coffee maker for the trail? Probably not. But it may just find its way into my regular rotation of coffee devices at home, while I’m travelling, and even on a car camping trip too.

Photos by @jackjbrookes