For this summer’s Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City, Digital Trends teamed up with The Manual to crown the latest and greatest outdoor gear as Best Of Show winners, along with two brand new awards going to the most innovative products. Head on over to The Manual to see the complete Outdoor Retailer Awards.
For most people, the piece of camping gear nearly as critical as a sleeping bag or tent is the one responsible for producing their daily cup of joe — no one likes waking up without access to some form of caffeine. A bevy of camping-friendly coffee devices already exist, but none are as inventive as the Coffee Brew Pipe.
Officially dubbed the Bripe (a portmanteau of brew and pipe), this unique coffee brewer made its triumphant debut at Outdoor Retailer this summer, demonstrated by Costa Rican co-founder Tim Panek. Its light weight and portability immediately set it apart from the portlier java-producing pack. Constructed out of copper and silver, the Bripe requires just a fire source (it comes with a butane-powered quad jet torch), coffee grounds, and water to create a small — yet strong — shot of coffee.
In addition to its copper and silver body, the Bripe also comes standard with a cork handle (to avoid burnt fingers), and an integrated thermometer that allows users to heat to the perfect brewing temperature (185 degrees), and also doubles as a stir stick. Each Bripe package also comes with a companion stand to allow users to easily set it down while they wait for it to cool to the preferred drinking temperature (140 degrees).
To make a shot of coffee, users simply insert the included variable filter into the Bripe, fill it with coffee grounds and water, and heat it with the torch until it reaches the desired temperature. After letting it cool, the brewed coffee is then ready to be enjoyed (sans grounds thanks to the filter) via its built-in straw.
After giving the Bripe a go for ourselves, its efficiency and ease of use made it quickly stand out to us as an incredibly innovative addition to any kind of camping kit. A straightforward device, the Bripe makes crafting a shot of coffee an intuitive experience. Weighing no more than a few ounces, holding the Coffee Brew Pipe for several minutes while heating its contents shouldn’t ever produce a strain — its cork-lined handle also helps prevent burns during the process.
Perhaps the lone nitpick we had was that once our three-minute brew process completed, we needed to wait a few minutes for it to cool to the proper drinking temperature (listed above). Though we would’ve liked to have sucked down our java immediately, avoiding a scorched tongue was a bit of a higher priority. Once it did finally cool to our liking, the brewed shot of coffee was a strong, dark concoction that took a few swigs to finish but produced a hefty boost of energy — not unlike a straight shot of espresso. This convenience and efficiency would certainly be welcome while on the trail.
Currently, it’s only available in a select number of stores across the United States, but the Bripe team does have plans to offer its unique coffee system online soon. Once live, interested buyers need to shell just $85 to net a Bripe Coffee Brew Pipe, quad jet torch, reusable variable filter, thermometer, coffee tube for transporting grounds, and a compact carrying case.
Humans have been brewing coffee since the 10th century, but the Bripe proves there are still innovative new — and better — ways to do it on the go. That makes it a well-deserved winner of one of our Digital Trends Innovation Awards from this summer’s Outdoor Retailer.
