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GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup
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GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup

Item # 401040

$29.95

Item qualifies for annual
REI Member Refund (typically 10%)

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Indulge yourself at camp with a cup of steaming espresso--it takes just 90 seconds to make with this Italian coffee maker.

  • Made from lightweight aluminum, this European-style espresso machine is finely crafted with a brass steam pipe
  • Designed for use on low heat over your backpacking stove
  • Tank holds 10 oz. of water and fresh ground coffee

Imported.

Item 401040

GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup Specs

Specification

Description

Weight15 ounces
Dimensions4 x 9 inches
MaterialAluminum/brass

GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews
GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup
 
2.4

(based on 9 reviews)

44%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Stable (3)

Cons

  • Bulky (5)
  • Heavy (5)
  • Not durable (4)

Best Uses

  • Car camping (7)
  • Reviewer Profile:
  • Avid adventurer (4), Casual adventurer (4)
  • What Is Your Gear Style:
  • Comfort driven (6)

Reviewed by 9 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-9

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Jan

24

2009

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

 
2.0

Only if someone else carries it....

By John F

from Maryland

About Me Avid Adventurer

Site Member

Pros

    Cons

    • Bulky
    • Heavy
    • Not durable

    Best Uses

    • Car Camping

    Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

    Too flimsy, bulky and heavy for backcountry use. Makes a nice cup of coffee - definite luxury item if you're in the woods. Better suited for car camping or in a cabin where the fragile tube is less likely to get wrecked.

    • Gift:
    • No
    • What Is Your Gear Style:
    • Minimalist

    Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

    (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

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    Dec

    21

    2008

    (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

     
    1.0

    Needs a new design

    By CPT Ted

    from Nevada

    About Me Casual Adventurer

    Site Member

    Pros

    • Cheap

    Cons

    • Bulky
    • Not durable

    Best Uses

    • boating
    • Car Camping

    Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

    I also bought mine for use on a boat. We do a lot of camping on the lake an coffee in the mornings is a must. Even though I packed it well we hit some rough water and the tube bent, over all it bent twice and broke during the second straitening. I think the tube needs to be detachable and stored inside. The coffee it produced was OK. All in All I am going back to my french press. It makes great coffee and all the working parts are stored inside. It is probably too heavy for backpacking as it is made out of glass and aluminum but maybe they make a light weight one.

    • What Is Your Gear Style:
    • Comfort Driven

    Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

    (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

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    Jul

    23

    2008

    (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

     
    1.0

    Too Fragile

    By Capt Chuck

    from Cambridge, MA

    About Me Casual/ Recreational

    Site Member

    Pros

      Cons

      • Not durable

      Best Uses

        Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

        Arrived with the tube already bent. Didn't survive the initial cleaning. Clearly wouldn't have survived long on a sailboat.

        • What Is Your Gear Style:
        • Comfort Driven

        Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

        (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

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        Jun

        10

        2008

        (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

         
        3.0

        Great coffee, before it breaks...

        By Morocco Mountain Man

        from Marrakech, Morocco

        About Me Professional Guide

        Pros

        • Great coffee
        • Just add fire
        • Stable

        Cons

        • Bulky
        • Heavy
        • Not durable

        Best Uses

        • Anytime you'd like a brew
        • Backpacking
        • Car Camping
        • High Altitude
        • Hiking

        Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

        Although I'd like to think of myself as a minimalist, some things are worth their weight. Coffee is one of those things! A good cup-o-joe turns a **** trip into a ***** experience. GSI's 'expresso' maker puts out a great cup of coffee in any situation where a flame is available. Unfortunately the spout is not so durable and breaks with surprisingly little pressure. This makes it VERY difficult to pack. I have broken and returned mine 3 times now. I think I'm done with it finally. Back to the drawing board on good back country coffee.

        • What Is Your Gear Style:
        • Minimalist

        Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

        (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

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        Nov

        21

        2007

        (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

         
        4.0

        Nice Luxury

        By Bigger Al

        from Auburn, CA

        About Me Casual/ Recreational

        Site Member

        Pros

        • Durable
        • Easy To Clean
        • Stable

        Cons

        • Bulky

        Best Uses

        • Car Camping
        • Hiking

        Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

        This thing is great for a family camping trip or one where weight and packability aren't big issues. It makes a great cuppa Joe, but is a bit messy to clean up.

        • What Is Your Gear Style:
        • Comfort Driven

        Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

        (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

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        Sep

        16

        2007

        (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

         
        4.0

        Great taste, but at a cost.

        By Chigger

        from Cheeseville, WI

        About Me Avid Adventurer

        Site Member

        Pros

        • Great taste

        Cons

        • Grounds in cup like perk
        • Heavy

        Best Uses

        • Car Camping
        • Home

        Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

        Great coffee but it's heavy and gets grounds in coffee like a perk. I added a paper filter to remove grounds. It results in espresso like coffee. GSI calls it an "expresso" not to confuse it with an "espresso" maker. My wife uses it at home too.

        Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

        (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

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        Apr

        19

        2008

        (1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

         
        4.0

        LOVE IT!

        By AK Chick

        from Anchorage, AK

        About Me Avid Adventurer

        Site Member

        Pros

        • Durable
        • Lightweight
        • Stable

        Cons

        • Difficult to Clean

        Best Uses

        • Backpacking
        • Car Camping

        Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

        I love my little espresso maker. Contrary to what one reviewer wrote, this is an espresso coffee maker. I would give this 5 stars except it's a bit messy when it brews and is hard to clean. I use a tall cup to help cut down on the splatter when the espresso starts flowing. However, it makes an excellent latte with a little heated milk in winter and iced milk in summer. Delicious! The key is to get coffee ground for a home espresso machine (not as fine as a commercial espresso and not as coarsely ground as drip coffee) and don't tamp the coffee down. The best way I've found to clean it is to let it cool and then use a spoon to scoop out the grounds, then wash it out with soapy water, rinse and dry.

        • What Is Your Gear Style:
        • Comfort Driven

        Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

        (1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

        Was this review helpful? Yes / No

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        Please let us know what kind of issue this is:

        Apr

        17

        2008

        (1 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

         
        1.0

        GSI Mini Expresso Maker

        By Mark_nz

        from Christchurch, New Zealand

        About Me Avid Adventurer

        Site Member

        Pros

        • Compact

        Cons

        • Heavy
        • Not Green

        Best Uses

        • Car Camping

        Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

        The GSI Mini-Expresso Maker is a keen idea but the product has designs faults.

        1. Wiki defines express as requiring high pressure of 0.82 to1.8 MPa which the GSI only produces a small fraction of that pressure. The GSI is a Moka machine not an espresso machine.
        2. The heat transfer from flame to the water is inefficient and wasteful. This could be improved with fins on the bottom and thinner walls up the sides.
        3. When finished brewing the unit is too hot to touch for quite some time. This is a waste of energy.
        4. At 0.43Kg (15 oz) weight may be a bit much for packing/tramping.

        • What Is Your Gear Style:
        • Comfort Driven

        Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

        (1 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

        Was this review helpful? Yes / No

         - You may also flag this review

        Please let us know what kind of issue this is:

        Jul

        7

        2009

         
        2.0

        Not worth it's weight...

        By Flyin Brian

        from Antioch, Ca

        About Me Casual Adventurer

        Pros

        • Compact

        Cons

        • Bulky
        • Heavy

        Best Uses

          Comments about GSI Expresso Maker - 4 Cup:

          First of all, I admit I am a coffee snob. I roast in my garage and have a full espresso setup with professional grinder in my kitchen. I saw this at REI while we were getting a few items for a 4 day backpacking trip and thought "what the heck" even though it weighs almost 1 lb, maybe we can make an exception and splurge a little, just to have a real americano in the morning instead of the cowboy coffee I usually make. The results are it does make a decent espresso, but I am planning to return it as it is not worth the trouble or weight to haul around on a backpacking trip. I spent 4 days waking up and dreading having to use this thing and wishing I had even one paper coffee filter to make some drip coffee. It's not like this is some unproven design, it's the same as the stovetop Moka Express by Bialetti, only it doesn't work as well as my Bialetti. This thing starts off great with a good shot coming out, then it starts sputtering and spitting and blows coffee drops all over the place. I think the funnel inside may be too short, as there is water left inside when it is done brewing - a lot more than in a Moka machine.

          If you are car camping or in a cabin where you aren't concerned about weight, then sure you could use this machine. But you wouldn't use this machine because you could by a Bialetti Moka for the same or less, and have a FAR superior experience.

          • Gift:
          • No
          • What Is Your Gear Style:
          • Comfort Driven

          Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

          Was this review helpful? Yes / No

           - You may also flag this review

          Please let us know what kind of issue this is:

          Displaying reviews 1-9

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