As much as I love riding my mountain bike on trails, I have to admit I equally love exploring the backroads on my gravel bike. Every now and then, when I get bored riding the same local and regional trails, I’ll switch it up to ride the endless ribbons of gravel roads around Oregon and Washington. At the same time, I’ve been experimenting with different brew methods while gravel riding. That brings me to the Ortlieb collapsible coffee dripper.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about brewing coffee outside with the same coffee dripper. But for that article, I pedaled three blocks from my home to set up and brew. This time, it was gravel riding east of Hood River. By the photos, obviously, what I brought was way overkill for a mere 20-mile ride. My focus was on bringing what I needed to stop along the way and brew coffee. So what did I bring?
Jetboil Flash
1L Hario kettle
Ortlieb coffee dripper
Coffee filters (Melitta #4 natural)
Chopsticks (to hold the dripper upright)
Extra water
Oh yeah, and coffee (pre-ground at home before we left)
We parked in Mosier next to my favorite coffee roaster/shop in the Gorge … Randonnee Coffee. Whenever I’m traveling through, I make a point to stop here for coffee. Even though I brought my own set-up, it didn’t stop me from enjoying an iced Americano and pastry. From there, we set off on a 20-mile loop. The goal was simply to get out, enjoy the beautiful weather, and find a place to stop to brew coffee and take photos.
We were 3/4 of the way through our trip before I decided to finally break out the coffee gear and brew some coffee. All along the way, I kept looking for an ideal spot to brew coffee … a stump, a log, or something like that. Instead, we had to simply stop and brew coffee along a side road. The wind happened to be whipping, so it made it more challenging.
While I could’ve heated the water and poured it out of the Jetboil, I opted to bring my Hario kettle instead. I find pouring water out of the spout of the Jetboil a bit clumsy, and I cannot control the pour as much as I’d like. That’s why I went through the extra hassle of bringing the kettle. Unfortunately, it took seemingly forever to heat up the water with the wind hitting us hard.
The Ortlieb coffee dripper … or filter holder … is about as basic as it gets. It’s made from the same waterproof material they make their bags. All you need to do is insert a filter and use a tent stake, sticks, or chopsticks to get it to stand upright on the cup. There are no bells and whistles. It simply holds a filter, and there’s an opening on the bottom for brewed coffee to drip into your cup.
What I like about the dripper is the ease of packing. I can slide it anywhere in my pack. It takes almost no space at all. I don’t have to worry about hurting it. Just stuff it in my bag and go. It’s definitely less hassle and smaller than an AeroPress. Through the years, I’ve had collapsible metal coffee drippers, but with the Ortlieb dripper, since it’s not metal, it can collapse and fit into nearly any opening in your bag.
While the Ortlieb dripper won’t wow you with magical coffee brewing properties, will it ever hold to the esteemed status of an AeroPress? Probably not. However, I’ve surprisingly grown fond of it. It works. It’s bombproof. It’s great for stashing in small places, making it perfect for gravel riding or bikepacking. While I won’t keep bringing my Hario kettle when I explore more backroads this summer, I’ll bring my Ortlieb dripper and make the most of pouring water out of my Jetboil.
Enjoy.
