The Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set pairs Stanley’s popular Legendary Camp Mug with a stainless steel coffee filter and matching coffee pour-over dripper.
The Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over camp coffee-making kit lets you brew a real cup of coffee on the go, quickly and easily. How does it work? Is it worth it?
Let’s take a closer look.
Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set
The Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set includes a rugged dripper with a removable stainless steel microfilter for easy coffee brewing — anywhere!The whole point of the Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set is to deliver a paired system that’s rugged and outdoor-ready. It’s simple, doesn’t require a lot of space, and it brews a great-tasting cup of coffee — that’s generally better than typical cowboy coffee sorts of brews that leave you spitting out grounds.
Perhaps even more importantly, it makes a great gift for coffee-loving outdoor adventurers. In fact, it’s one of our favorite top 5 gifts in our guide to the best gifts for outdoor lovers this year.
Competitive pour-over cones or drippers are easy enough to find, but few companies have blended mug/pour-over sets that are purpose built for camping, hunting or day-tripping.
And while you might think the heart of the set is the pour-over dripper, it’s not: The real point is drinking your cup of hot fresh coffee from the Stanley Classic Legendary Camp Mug. The mug is a utilitarian beast that evokes the outdoors every time you look at it. It has a double-wall vacuum-sealed insulation design paired with stainless steel and a perfect 12 oz capacity. The no-nonsense Tritan lid keeps your coffee warm and is easy to clean — and the whole set is dishwasher safe.
Stanley now makes the pour over set in four color options — Stanley’s traditional Hammertone Green as well as a rich Matte Black, Polar or Maple.
Stanley now sells its popular pour-over set in four color options, including Maple (above).Shop the Stanley Pour-Over Set at Stanley for all the color options!
How Do You Brew Pour-Over Coffee?
The dripper includes a filter for brewing without a paper filter.Brewing a cup of coffee with the Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set is pretty simple. The interior of the dripper — which is the funnel-shaped cone section — includes a removable stainless steel filter with micropores. You add 2-3 tablespoons of ground coffee to the dripper, then pour recently boiling water over the top of the ground coffee.
Add coffee grounds.Stanley recommends that you pour about half your water over the grounds in a circular motion first, letting it rise and “bloom.” Then you pour the rest in a circular motion from the inside out. Unless you’re a high-maintenance coffee nut, I’m not sure your technique matters all that much — at least, I don’t think it’ll matter to most people and it doesn’t for me. The coffee tastes great when you follow the directions and it tastes great when you just pour the water over the top and walk away.
Stanley Pour Over Details
Your coffee grounds will swell, a.k.a. bloom when you add hot water.If you fill the mug with water then dump the mug of water into a pot to boil, you’ll end up with a near-full mug of coffee. However, I recommend that you boil just a bit more water because the grounds will absorb some of the water. And you’ll likely not want to wait for all the water to drip through.
Stanley says it takes 2-3 minutes for the coffee to brew and filter through to your mug, but in my experience it takes 3-6 minutes depending on how fine your ground coffee is. I prefer a slightly courser grind because it goes a bit faster and seems to taste just as good. (Obviously you can mess around with the amount of coffee and grind you appreciate most.)
Here’s a tip: If you’re impatient, after most of the coffee has dripped through, you can lightly shake, tap or tip the dripper to speed the rest through the stainless steel filter.
Easy to Clean?
You can rinse and wipe out the coffee grounds.The Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set is sort of easy to clean. It’s super easy to clean at home with running water. Outside at camp, it’s a bit harder. You can tap out the bulk of the wet grounds and wipe out quite a bit with a paper towel. Or you can rinse it with water depending on where you’re camping and what sort of kitchen sink you have.
I think the simplest way to clean it is to tap out the bulk of the grounds into the garbage or onto a napkin or paper plate. Then unscrew the filter. Tap and wipe it clean. Wipe the interior of the funnel. If there’s any residue you’re worried about, give it a final rinse and wipe it with a napkin or paper towel.
It’s not that hard, and it’s not any more difficult than cleaning out a percolator coffee pot.
Of course, because the stainless steel filter is removable, you can always remove it and use a paper filter with the dripper if you’re going to be someplace where cleaning would be difficult.
The Perfect-Brew Pour Over Is Sold Separately, Too
While the full set is easiest to find to buy, Stanley also sells just the Pour Over dripper on its own.In case you’re wondering, if you already have a Stanley Classic Legendary Camp Mug — or some other favorite mug — you can buy the pour-over dripper separately.
Competitive Alternatives & Options
There are lots of ways to make coffee outdoors, and they all have their pros and cons. If you’re looking for coffee solutions for camping or day trips, here are a few competitive alternatives to also consider:
GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Steel Percolator — GSI Outdoors makes its Glacier Stainless Steel Percolator in multiple size options, including a tiny 3-cup version. The key benefit is that you simply fill it with grounds and water and then heat it on your camp stove, letting you pour out the amount of coffee you need for each mug.
GSI Collapsible JavaDrip — This collapsible cone takes up little space in your vehicle or camp box. One key drawback is that you need to use it with a filter, such as standard #4 paper filters — which could also be a benefit if you don’t like any bit of coffee grounds getting into your cup.
Hario V60 Plastic Coffee Dripper — This cone-shaped coffee dripper wasn’t made for camping, but hey, the shape and perfectly sized cone paper filters specifically made for it make brewing a cup of pour-over coffee super easy. Because it’s plastic and not the ceramic version, it’s more likely to survive bouncing around in your camp kitchen box.
Snow Peak Titanium French Press — If you want a real cup of coffee while backpacking — not instant — consider the Snow Peak Titanium French Press. It weighs just 6.3 oz! One benefit is that you can use the pot for typical backpacking water boiling.
Kuju Coffee Single Serve Pour Over Coffee — For roadside or campsite emergencies, check out Kuju Coffee’s Pour Over Singles. These specialty-ground coffee packets have a built-in disposable package that attaches to the top of your mug when you open it. The biggest benefit is they are easy to use. The drawback is the price per cup.
The Bottom Line
All-in-all, the Stanley Classic Perfect-Brew Pour Over Set pairs a rugged camping mug with a high-quality stainless steel pour-over coffee dripper. It’s easy to use, relatively easy to clean, and it brews a great cup of coffee. Because the quality and design is so good — and because the price is just a bit higher than most people want to spend on themselves — we think it makes a great gift for coffee-loving outdoor adventurers. Very highly recommended.
Get the Gear:
Check pricing & availability:
