The Miir Pourigami ($30) is for all the coffee aficionados over the age of 50 who remember that exact moment in their lives when they placed their right hand over their hearts and solemnly pledged, “I will never drink Folgers brewed in a Mr. Coffee again.”
For me it was the late 80’s in a European’esq coffee house in Flagstaff, AZ where I was going to college. That’s when and where I made my pledge. While today you can pick up a bag of small-batch, sustainably grown and roasted whole bean or fresh-ground in any grocery store, in the dark years of the late 80’s, the choice was Folgers or Maxwell House. It would be years before pretentious coffee habits could be had by a visit to the local grocery store.
Today, thanks to the Miir Pourigami, pretentious coffee habits can be had on the trail, at camp or while traveling!
Setting up the Miir Pourigami
The Miir Pourigami is a compact pour-over system comprised of three powder-coated stainless steel panels. All panels have an interlocking edge and groove that allows them to connect to each other, Origami style, to form a little three-sided boat that sits atop a coffee cup. I used a Miir 12-ounce Camp Cup.
And that’s it. The first few times through it was a little fiddly with more misses than hits but now it’s second nature.
Making the Coffee
Like setting up the Miir Pourigami, the first few times were hit and miss, mostly misses. I either made the coffee too strong, too weak, or the grounds splattered and caked to the sides of the filter, making for uneven saturation and an inconsistent brew. One ill-fated trial resulted in only the dripping of boiling brown water into the cup. My pour technique clearly needed work so I turned to Sam Spillman for guidance.
I finally came up with a decent brew that was a blend of pour speed, swirl technique, amount of water, amount of grounds and the size of grounds.
Because I was using a 12-ounce mug, I finally settled on four rounded tablespoons of medium-ground Caribou Coffee Mahogany dark roast. The dark roast is simply personal preference. I like the intensity of it. I poured a bit of water into the filter to make it conform better to the Pourigami and then dumped it out. Next, I added just enough boiling water to bloom the grounds. When the grounds were bloomed, I slowly added more boiling water, evenly and gently, and swirling it from the center out and back to center. Then I added the remaining water, achieving brewvana.
The Result
I don’t usually make pour-over coffee. French press is more my style. But now I get it. Pour over has its place! The blend of the Miir Pourigami and medium-ground Caribou Coffee Mahogany dark roast created a rich, robust, full-flavored coffee.
Clean-up
Clean-up is easy, depending on where you are. If you’re making pour-over coffee at home or in the office, you just toss the used filter into the trash. The Pourigami itself just needs a quick rinse with water.
If you’re making pour-over coffee while camping or backpacking, there’s a few more steps to dispose of the grounds and filter properly. If you live and breathe Leave No Trace, you will need to pack it all out – soiled wet filter and grounds – in your pack. If you have a little wiggle room in your Leave No Trace ethos (e.g. me), dig a hole to bury the grounds and then seal the soiled filter into a Ziplock bag and pack out. Rinse the Pourigami, dry it, pack it into its case and hit the trail.
Weight & Size
The Miir Pourigami on its own is 5.1 ounces (the website says 4 ounces, but it’s 5.1). When packed into its storage case, which is a little smaller than a smartphone, the total weight comes to 5.3 ounces. When I brought this backpacking, I was also carrying the Miir 12-ounce Camp Cup which, at 9 ounces, isn’t featherlight. All told, the Pourigami, storage case, and Camp Cup tilt the scales at 14.3 ounces – on top of all the other gear I carried, like tent, sleeping bag, camp pad, food, etc.
If you’re an ultralight backpacker, 14.3 ounces worth of coffee-making gear is enough to make your lumbar discs bulge and burst. No judgement!
Final Thoughts and a Parting Shot
I think the Miir Pourigami is a brilliant set up. It’s compact, it’s simple, it brews a great cup of coffee no matter where you are. You can use it with any camp mug or cup, too. Filters are required but you can purchase them anywhere and you can stash the filters in the storage case.
But it isn’t perfect for every mission due to its weight. I really loved the flavor of the coffee the Pourigami delivered in the morning. Pairing it with the Miir Camp Cup made it all that more enjoyable because its double-wall construction and sippy cup lid kept the coffee hotter longer. Still, for home or office use, or for travel that does not include having to carry it on your back in a backpack, it’s brilliant.
