Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press Review

Bottom Line

If you have a Jetboil cooking system for camping or backpacking, there’s no need to pack an extra coffee maker when you have the Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press. With this lightweight, portable add-on, you can brew French press coffee using gear you already have.

The affordable accessory is designed exclusively for use with Jetboil pots. During testing, we used it to make coffee in our backyards and on camping trips in the Wasatch Mountains. It produces one to three servings of coffee in a flash and disassembles easily for storage and transport.

The only downside is that you can’t make coffee and boil water for breakfast simultaneously. However, we can overlook that when a coffee-making device is this lightweight and easy to use. If you’d like to explore other options, consider our comprehensive guide to the best camping and backpacking coffee makers.

How We Tested

We used the Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press to make coffee at home, outdoors, and on camping trips throughout Utah. We tested it with various sizes of coffee grinds and timed everything from brew time to cleanup to compare it with other coffee makers.

Portability

In comparison to other camp coffee makers we tested, the Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press ranked impressively high for portability. Weighing just 2 ounces, it can be disassembled to take up almost no space in your backpack. Furthermore, it adds a negligible amount to the overall weight of a Jetboil system.

You should disassemble it to maximize space savings. If left assembled and in place, you’ll lose the ability to stack items like fuel and your camp stove inside your Jetboil. To make the most of the vessel’s interior space, unscrew the two parts of the press’s metal shaft and store them in the plastic cap on the bottom of your Jetboil. Then, stash the filter disc inside. It disassembles and reassembles in seconds.

While the system as a whole isn’t as compact or lightweight as some ultralight stoves and pots, its ability to nest necessities is a bonus.

Ease of Use

The Silicone Coffee Press received high marks for ease of use. To prepare coffee, simply boil water in the Jetboil, add the coffee once boiling is complete, place the lid on top, and press when the brew time is finished. Once the coffee is ready, pour it into a camp mug and enjoy. You can also drink from the pour spout if you prefer (be cautious, as both the vessel and coffee will be hot).

During testing, we found that the filter was a bit sticky during the first couple of presses, but it functioned properly afterward. To ensure the filter is pressed down evenly, make sure the lid is secured on to help guide the press in a smooth motion.   

A few parts and pieces, along with no extra devices, streamlined the process, making it easy to brew a cup or three.

Time to Brew

The Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press performed admirably when it came to brew time. Whether we prepared our coffee at a park picnic table or at the campground, it typically took about 3.5 to 4.5 minutes on average. This duration does not include the time required to boil water, but the Jetboil system handles that quickly.

Why is there such a long variable span of time? It’s recommended that French press coffee steep for three to four minutes, depending on how strong you like your coffee. That recommended time, plus the 30 extra seconds it takes to add coffee to the already boiled water, stir, and pour when finished, results in the full timing window.

Brew time is inactive, meaning that once you add the coffee, there’s no work to be done until your timer goes off and you’re ready to press.

Ease of Cleanup

While the Jetboil wasn’t as easy to clean as some other coffee makers we tested, it wasn’t the hardest either. Since the filter can be completely removed from the lid, you can easily disassemble it for cleaning. However, we still found it needed to be rinsed for about 30 seconds to remove all the spent coffee grounds.

Dunking the pot in a tub of water made washing quicker, but that option wasn’t always available during testing. The Jetboil pot was easy to rinse clean, but we had to ensure all the grounds were removed before boiling water for our next meal; otherwise, we’d end up with grounds in our freeze-dried dinner.

Coffee Strength

The Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press produces medium-strength coffee, but that can be adjusted within narrow limits. Use a finer grind or steep it longer for a stronger brew, or opt for a coarser grind and shorter steep time for a milder cup.

That said, we found that using too fine a grind resulted in excess grit at the bottom of our cups because the metal mesh filter didn’t catch the smallest particles. Additionally, steeping for too long can lead to more bitter coffee.

Should You Buy The Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press?

There’s only one group of people for whom the Jetboil Silicone Coffee Press is designed: Jetboil owners. If you don’t already use a Jetboil system and aren’t interested in acquiring one, this accessory isn’t for you, even though it is affordable and offers excellent value.

If you have a Jetboil, there’s little reason to consider a separate coffee-making device. After all, this press is small, lightweight, packs easily into a Jetboil pot, and ensures you don’t have to sacrifice valuable space in your pack or vehicle for extra gear. It even allows you to nest your backpacking stove and fuel inside your pot.

That doesn’t mean it’s automatically suitable for every Jetboil user, of course. If you’re making coffee and boiling water to rehydrate meals for a whole group, one of those tasks will have to wait. Additionally, since Jetboil pots can only be used with IsoPro fuel, traditional propane-powered camp stoves aren’t an option. Lastly, if you prefer a stronger cup or don’t enjoy French press-style coffee, it may be worth packing a different device.

What Other Camping & Backpacking Coffee Makers Should You Consider?

If you want to explore other options, we’ve reviewed several alternatives in our coffee makers for camping and backpacking gear guide.

ESPRO Ultralight Travel Press Bottle Review: For a single-serve French press to go, consider the ESPRO. You brew directly in the insulated bottle using a French press-style filter, allowing you to enjoy a single cup of similarly strong coffee in about the same time, but in a convenient, ready-to-go vessel.

GSI Outdoors Java Press Review: For the same French press functionality in a larger package that’s better suited for making multiple cups for a group using any stovetop system, consider this coffee maker.

Aeropress Go Review: If you want a device that’s easier to clean between uses and more versatile with various types of stoves, the Aeropress Go is a great choice. It also lets you customize brew strength while remaining compact and portable.