Elfo Swissgold Coffee Filter

Fairly lightweight, simple to use, and makes a good coffee.

The elfo swissgold coffee filter makes a good coffee on the go with minimal fuss. It consists of three parts:

1. An outer container with the "gold" filter that you put the coffee into. (The mesh looks like finely perforated stainless steel with gold plating.)
2. An inner container with holes in the bottom you pour water into.
3. A lid that doubles as a drip tray after use.

In use you simply put the outer part with the gold filter on your cup, add coffee to it, insert the inner, and pour water over (there is a mark near the top of the inner representing one mug volume). Put the lid on to keep it warm and wait for it to drip through. Voila! A good coffee.

Important tip: Put the coffee on top of the gold filter outer, not in the black inner container where it will block the holes.

The main downside of this for hiking is that it doesn't collapse. I put my coffee in a ziplock bag inside it to save spaces, but it is still a bit of a hard lump. That aside, it is a great gadget and always travels with me when I go overseas. 

Background

I have had this for years and have tried a number of other ways of making a good coffee outdoors, some more successful than others.

The ELFO brand is no longer available but the item is now exclusively sold in North America as the Coffee-4-me by Designandgrace.

Originally designed in Switzerland and still engineered by a Swiss company, this is a lightweight and efficient way to make coffee by the cup, wherever you have access to hot water. In just two minutes your coffee is ready, with no paper wasted and rapid cleanup.  

Background

20 years experience in the coffee business.