I used my new Jetboil PCS w/ french press this weekend while out for some "fun" in the woods. I ground the beans (french roast) myself on the coarsest setting of my grinder.
- In case you're like me, and don't read the instructions first, make sure you turn off the stove before adding your grounds. The water stays plenty hot while it's brewing.
- I tried both methods of using the press - adding the grounds, then pressing them to the bottom, as well as putting the press in first, and then using it to extract the grounds. I didn't notice a big difference. YMMV.
- My first try tasted just like every other crappy cup of a coffee I've ever had out of a canteen cup. The second try I upped the coffee:water ratio to about 1 heaping tsp.:8 oz water and waited about 3 minutes. Tasted a lot more like real coffee.
FWIW, I was pretty amazed at the heating performance of the Jetboil. It got about a cup and a half of water boiling in probably less than a minute. I will say that as I had read, the ability to modulate the flame is pretty weak. The knob is tiny, and the amount of control from full on to sputtering off is very small.
My feeling is that if you primarily want hot water fast, this is a great piece of gear. I admire its engineering and ability to pack into one easy and relatively small package. I understand the complaint of not being able to get fuel for it in remote locations, but for my purposes, I don't think that's a problem. It makes a decent cup of coffee, and for that functionality, you only have to add one piece of small and lightweight kit to the overall package.
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