GSI Outdoors Personal Java Press Review

The GSI Outdoors Personal Java Press is a fantastic option for camping and backpacking with friends. It is a bit on the heavy side, so it isn't ideal if you are trying to go ultralight, but it does come with a mug so that you can share coffee with your compadres.

Performance Comparison

The Personal Java Press comes with a mug that stashes inside the main press, and both are insulated with a nylon coozy and a lid.

Photo: Jared Ross

Brew Features

The Personal Java Press is a typical French press, but the price includes a cup with a lid as well! Both the press and the cup have nylon insulators to keep your coffee warm longer, especially on those frosty outdoor mornings.

Taste

Coffee brewed in a French press has a distinctively strong taste with a thicker (sometimes even muddy) consistency. Some coffee drinkers love it. Some hate it. But on those crisp camp mornings, when you wake up to a dew-covered sleeping bag and the scent of pine needles, sometimes a strong pot of French press coffee is just the thing you need to start your day off with a bang. While the Personal Java Press did not score particularly high in our taste tests, it provides a decently tasty brew for those of us who prefer strong French press coffee.

In head-to-head taste tests, the Personal Java Press didn't earn the highest marks, but the silicone gasket on the press keeps muddy residue to a minimum and produces an utterly drinkable cup.

Photo: Jared Ross

Ease of Use

A French press is one of the easiest methods for making coffee, and the Personal Java Press is no different. Just throw some grounds into the bottom of the press, add water, stir, and wait for the magic to happen. If you want to hone your French press skills, you can time how long you steep for a more consistent flavor, but this is not a necessary step. There were, however, a couple of noteworthy issues with this brewer that made it slightly more difficult to use than your average press. For one, we struggled to remove the lids on both the cup and the press — both of which got easier over time but were never quite easy. The press can also be a little sticky while plunging. Finally, one of the main concerns with a French press is the cleanup. Scooping and rinsing out the grounds is messy, and it is hard to leave no trace with this method — the grounds usually end up somewhere on the ground. Keep in mind, this is not allowed in bear country, so do your research about the area you're heading into beforehand.

Using a French press is super straightforward. Simply add water to your grounds, stir, wait, and press. It requires minimal expertise and finesse - perfect for bleary-eyed camp mornings.

Photo: Jared Ross

Group Cooking

This press can brew 20 ounces at a time, plenty to get two people at least partially going in the morning. Nylon sleeves insulate both the press itself and the additional mug, so your brew will stay warm while you break down your tent.

The Personal Java Press is designed to make coffee for one or two, but given how easy it is to make a French press, you can always rinse and repeat if you want to share with your friends.

Photo: Jared Ross

Portability

The Personal Java Press comes with a separate cup that stacks conveniently inside the press, like Russian nesting dolls (though you have to disassemble the screen and rod first). We like this feature because it means that the mug and press pack down neatly and command very little space in your camp kitchen bin. Despite this great feature, this press is a little too bulky and heavy to be ideal for backpacking.

Being able to nest all the parts together helps keep your camp kitchen nice and compact.

Photo: Jared Ross

Weight

Including the cup, the Personal Java Press weighs 12 ounces, which is on the heavy side for coffee makers in this review. While not the best option for most backpackers, the die-hard lover of French press coffee could make it work. For the rest of us, it is a great and durable option for car camping or van-living.

The Personal Java Press isn't the lightest-weight brewer in our review, but it is compact enough to leave us smiling and earn an easy home in your camp kitchen kit.

Photo: Jared Ross

Value

The Personal Java Press certainly isn't the cheapest option to be had, but the fact that it includes a mug and doesn't require filters is a significant bonus. It's also mega durable, insulated, and quite packable — even for its size and weight — so, for the right user, this is a slammin' deal.

Conclusion

For the French press lover who wants a decently compact and burly setup, the GSI Outdoors Personal Java Press with its accompanying mug is a solid choice. Due to its weight, it's probably better suited for car camping than backpacking, though for short trips where you want all your favorite luxury items, it might be just fine.

We were impressed by the stackable and portable design of the Personal Java Press, which makes for a great car camping French press!

Photo: Jared Ross