After reading this whole thread I still say that my little Vietnamese coffee maker is the best, hands down! Allow me to explain:

1) Its all metal: No plastic taste, nothing to break.

2) There is no filter that needs to be changed: The filter is a piece of metal with holes in it so you can even scrub the thing if you want without fear of damage. I used to carry filters but they would sometimes get wet and become useless. Also, who wants to buy filters all the time?

3) It cost $3: Though I only paid $0.25 for mine in Vietnam.

4) It will never break: The French presses that some people like are nice because they make nice, dark, coffee but as some posters have pointed out, they are often made of glass and require a working rubber seal that is prone to leaking. The Vietnamese coffee makers can make light or dark coffee and wont break, ever.

5) It takes up way less space than anything else posted, except possibly the clothes pin/filter combo. However, with that idea you gotta keep a big pack of disposable filters with you.

6) Use any mug you want. Nothing special

With these things in mind I think you owe it to yourself to spend the $3 and try it out. There are only a few negatives to the coffee maker but its worth pointing out.

1) You have to pour water into it as needed: I usually fill the little cup up three times for a cull cup of coffee. Its not a big deal, especially when camping. The whole process from start to finish takes about 4 minutes. I like to carry a .6 liter Trangia kettle to keep the water hot in while I make the coffee.

2) There are four metal pieces to the maker that, while indestructible, are potentially losable.

3) Since it uses your mug to make the coffee only one cup at a time is possible. However, they are cheap so just buy a few of them so that everyone you camp with has one. Not a big deal.


Here is the link to the coffee maker on Amazon again: http://www.amazon.com/Newstar-Intern...f=pd_sim_gro_5