Living in Seattle for the past year has caused my coffee addiction to reach a new peak. I’ve established an even deeper appreciation for caffeinated beverages as well as nature. While camping at Mount Hood for my birthday, my wonderful girlfriend surprised me with a GSI Outdoors espresso maker, the 4 Cup Aluminum Mini Expresso, and a fresh bag of Caffe Vita espresso blend.

Made of lightweight aluminum and weighing in at only 15 ounces, the Mini Expresso features a simple European design. Making drinks is a cinch–simply add 10 ounces of water and your favorite espresso blend, heat over a backpacking stove for about 90 seconds, and voilà, fresh espresso in the great outdoors.

I found that this espresso maker brewed about four shots of liquid gold (true to its name), the perfect amount to share with a couple of friends or for one die-hard blaster. It also came with a small espresso cookbook, in case you need a refresher on how to brew a mountaintop cappuccino.

To clean it, just knock out the remaining espresso grinds and rinse thoroughly with water. When I got home, I also gave it a scrub with some warm soapy water to remove any leftover grime and to insure a clean brew for next time.

After use, the GSI Outdoors Mini Expresso packs down to the size of a small water bottle. I placed the espresso maker and the remaining coffee in a ziplock bag and squeezed out any remaining air to help preserve the precious beans. This all stored easily in a side compartment of my pack, and being only 15 ounces, I hardly noticed it the rest of the hike.

Coffee addicts rejoice, you can now brew your favorite Americano while out on adventure with the Italian-made GSI Outdoors Mini Expresso.

Image by Nora Pitaro