****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Alrighty, let me start this by saying that I was born and raised on coffee! When I was a baby, instead of Infamil, my folks used to put Maxwell House in my bottle and yes, Juan Valdez finally named his donkey after me (that's called tongue-in-cheek humor for those who don't have a sense). Seriously, I'm a coffee lover to the N'th degree and always have been. Hot coffee, iced coffee, latte, cappuccino...in my world, coffee -IS- the spice of life! As such, I know a little something (more than a little) about coffee makers. In my not so humble but highly experienced opinion, this has to be the single greatest invention since coffee itself...or at least since the advent of French Vanilla flavored creamer!I had purchased this product for use in my camper after some less than successful experiments with more traditional coffee makers (including a small 12 volt unit). While I don't mind "roughing it", I just can't live without my morning coffee. Unlike many people who take their campers to a campground and just plug into the 110, my camper is rigged to be self-sustaining (including a solar panel system) so we can actually camp in the woods and get away from people. I never really understood the point of a "camp ground" where people are loud, rude and obnoxious...the reason I go camping is to get away from that. Anyways, while my camper does have a 1000 watt inverter, a typical 900 watt electric coffee maker is just a bit more than the system can handle (at least at present), so I needed an alternative. The small 12 volt technically worked, but it took forever and only produced one cup (small cup by my standards) at a time. I should also add that I just do not like "percolated" coffee either. I love my coffee...and I love STRONG coffee...just not "chunky style". I was getting desperate, so even at the retail price of $40, after having looked at them for a couple of weeks I figured this Coleman unit worth a shot.Now I have to say here that this Coleman coffee maker is -REALLY- easy to use...so easy in fact, that I had to read the instructions because I couldn't figure out how it worked! After nearly 50 years of having to "plug in the coffee maker" (including the little 12 volt), because this thing (more or less) looks like a pretty typical coffee maker, right out of the box I was totally befuddled by the lack of a power chord! Really..."How does this damn thing work???" LOL!!! Seriously though...ya just set this thing over a burner on your camp stove, put a filter in and add coffee, fill it with water, light the stove and presto! Fresh coffee! It really is THAT easy. The instructions say this unit works with one or two burners stoves but honestly, I haven't had to fire up a second burner...with just one burner this thing actually makes the coffee FASTER than my Proctor-Silex or my Mr. Coffee. While I haven't tried it yet (maybe later this summer), I suspect this thing would work equally well with a can or two of Sterno.As for the unit itself, it's well made and with average care and cleaning, I suspect it should last a good many years to come. The bottom of the unit is metal, obviously for use over a stove burner and the plastic portions seem to be a bit heavier than your average coffee maker. The carafe or "pot" is....well....ummm...it's a coffee pot. The pot itself is made of glass, so extra care during transport should probably be observed (as with globes on camping lanterns). Personally I wrap the pot in the sleeping bag while traveling to keep it safe. I would also add that unlike my electric Proctor-Silex, this one doesn't "dribble" when you pour a cup!While this is probably a bit subjective, I also have to say....as a person who's had a fair deal of experience with coffee makers...this thing really makes a lovely cup of coffee! I don't really know if it's just the higher heat of the camp stove, maybe the quality of the plastics and glass Coleman uses or simply the fresh woodland air I like to wake up to when I'm camping, but the coffee that comes out of this thing really does taste better than the stuff I have here at home every day (and the wife has said the same).Seriously...I just can't say anything bad about this unit. A decent little camp stove is all this thing needs to work. If you're looking for a coffee maker that doesn't require electricity, look no further. ..this is the one you've been looking for!
