Kuju Pour Over Coffee Review

[Chase Jordan]

Companion forum thread to: Kuju Pour Over Coffee Review

Kuju pour over coffee singles are direct-trade, ethically-sourced coffee packaged in a single-serving disposable pour over pouch.

[JCH]

Nice review.  I have to admit that nothing beats a fresh pour-over.  However, I also have to point out that at $2-$3 per the price is arguably over the top…and you have to accept Kuju’s choice of bean and roast.

Contrast with purchasing the exact same disposable filter structure for just under $.02 each and using the bean/grind of your choice.

 

[Monte Masterson]

I agree with John, at approx $2.50 per serving I’ll have to pass on the Kuju. I use an MSR Mugmate WITHOUT a filter. Just requires a little water to rinse clean, but I find the coffee has a much better flavor than with a filter (and less waste to pack out). I can’t really see where the waste that goes along with the Kuju is being very green, and again more waste to pack out.

[JCH]

Mugmate is also my choice for pour-over in the field.  Simple, no waste, a quick rinse to clean up.

[Larry Swearingen]

Just put a helping of grounds in your bandana and soak for a bit.
Toss the grounds away from the camp site.
Hae to admit that I use Starbucks VIA. Lighter and smaller package
than carrying grounds.

Larry S

[Vince G]

Chase is missing the blindingly obvious! He is using a MSR Windburner, the easiest and most cost efficient option would be to buy the Windburner coffee press. Less of a hassle (I can’t imagine using that pour over system in a stiff breeze), and less waste to pack out. It’s funny that Kuju touts all this feel-good environmental blather while generating a substantial amount of packaging waste, all to brew a stinkin’ cup of coffee!

[Ken Thompson]

…and an eight ounce cup at that. Hardly worth the bother

[W I S N E R !]

The pop-up/disposable/pour-over novelty is cute and clever, but I agree with others…spare me the environmental signalling when your idea hinges on an expensive, single-use, disposable product replacing a reusable option like a Mugmate or simple cowboy coffee using grounds you’ve already got at home.

[Roger Caffin]

an expensive, single-use, disposable product
It is , isn’t it? I dislike the throw-away society.

What puzzles me is how the “flavour profile” coffee is described by the vendor, for instance “Floral, Nutty and Citrus” or “Oak, Chocolate, Honey”. Am I supposed to believe this ridiculous marketing spin? I would far prefer that my coffee smelt and tasted like … coffee.

Cheers

[Tom K]

“simple cowboy coffee using grounds you’ve already got at home.”

If you’re going to go to the trouble of brewing real coffee, it doesn’t get any simpler, or better, IMO, than this.  If not, then use your preferred instant coffee with its minimal packaging/repackaging.  Simple and minimal is the name of the game, as far as I’m concerned.

[Erica R]

What do you carry your ground coffee in? I had a container which, when I weighed it empty, was 4 oz!

I really try to avoid good smells like coffee in my backpack. Or permeating my food bag. The 4 oz container worked way better than most other packaging, but I haven’t carried it for years.

I recently started having a cup of coffee daily, more often than not. Helps with the energy.

 

 

[Roger Caffin]

I have been known to carry my coffee in a used moisturiser jar from my wife: weight 29 g (1 oz). Basic Sorbolene: unscented. Capacity for the two of us is about 4 – 5 days.
Other times I have carried it in double ziplock bags weight a few grams.

Cheers

[JCH]

Back in the day, we all carried our, ahem, dank vegetative matter in 35mm film canisters. They aren’t terribly big but work the business for containing smells and weight only 5.6g each. Today I use them to carry all kinds of things because they are very robust and don’t open easily in your pack. The positive side of the small size is you can simply carry several and scale to match the length of trip. They work great for repackaged Via/instant coffee or ground bean and you can buy them rather cheaply.

Edit:  I just noticed the reviews of the product I linked to complaining of the lids not fitting correctly.  While I bought the product linked in 2014, they are perfect, functioning exactly as they did in 1978.  There are lots of other film canisters available…I bought these because they were exactly like the Kodak canisters of my youth.

[BlackHatGuy]

“Back in the day, we all carried our, ahem, dank vegetative matter in 35mm film canisters.”

Man does that bring back memories! :-)

[Roger Caffin]

they are very robust and don’t open easily in your pack.
A bit small for their weight maybe?
I have a collection from long ago, but some of the lids have shattered. Just the lids. Most unsatisfactory.

Cheers

[JCH]

Yeah…They are not large but have their plusses and minuses.  May not be optimal size for coffee, but are great for many other things.  I only use the black ones with smooth grey tops. The ones with indented tops do not seal as securely in my experience.

[AK Granola]

I usually carry Starbucks or trader joe instant packets. But I was thinking of bringing the Italian espresso instant coffee that comes in the little green glass jar. I really like the taste of it, and it’s nice and strong. Plus I can repackage and not have lots of small wrappers. But I was trying to think of a better way to package it and also concerned about making everything in my food bag smell like coffee; ziplocks don’t keep strong smells from spreading. Kind of everything in my bear canister smelled like misc spice packets on my last trip. Bleah. When your oatmeal tastes like taco seasoning…

I can’t imagine just dumping coffee grounds everywhere, near where people are going to camp. Just seems slovenly to me. Yes, they’re biodegradable and so is your poo.

[Matthew / BPL]

Shug’s method works well. I just tie the bag off rather than using a twist tie.

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

An OUNCE+ of instant per (12 oz) cup?

 

[JCH]

…sounds more like coffee pudding :)

[Monte Masterson]

Let’s see, Shug says he prefers 1 oz of INSTANT coffee instead of say 0.5 oz pour over coffee, hmm. Guess it’s all a matter of taste, which can change with the times. I remember back when my mom (and most moms) made coffee with a percolator. Of course every aficionado nowadays will tell you that cooking coffee over and over (like in a percolator) destroys it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWEYjEQ75ZM

[JCH]

I may be misinterpreting what Shug said, but given how he measured it out, it appeared that he was saying by cup he preferred 1 oz by volume, not 1 oz by weight.

[W I S N E R !]

Thanks for bringing Shug and the instant Italian espresso onto my radar….going to buy a jar and give it a try.  Never seen him or that brand.

An ounce by volume/weight sounds pretty legit either way…probably helps explain his need to juggle ; )

[Mike B]

Thanks for the write up, food information. I love me some coffee but have transitioned from coffee grounds to instant in the back country. Except for short trips by myself where the ritual of coffee is just as important as the coffee it self. I may give the pour over idea a try again. Most of the time I use a French press either in the jet boil or I have another one that fit one of my titanium pots. The later though does not have the lid that centers the plunger so you have to be careful as you press down.

[Roger Caffin]

Snow Peak Titanium French Press: excellent. Has lid.
SP sells replacement filters.

Cheers

[Author]

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