Has your need for great coffee found you in a tight spot when on the go—or while stuck at a coffee-impaired friend’s place? Joining the bright-eyed legion of specialty-grade instant and single-serve ready-to-brew solutions is Brooklyn-based startup Dripkit, who just launched a pop-up, fresh coffee brewer you can tuck right into your laptop sleeve.
Unlike freeze-drying-style instant solutions recently introduced to the market like those from Swift Cup, Voilà and Sudden Coffee, Dripkit takes a page out of the Japanese gadget book and offers a collapsible paper filter-and-pourover brewer all in one—but does one better, with pre-ground, small-batch-roasted coffee included.
Zip off the top of a stylish Dripkit pouch (it’s cleverly designed right down to the IKEA-style package and type), and Dripkit folds open into a triangle-shaped paper filter brewer that fits right onto your mug. A fresh and tidy solution for travelers, Dripkit promises the full flavor of “barista-quality” brewed (versus reconstituted instant) coffee. Simply set the little guy up on top of your drinking vessel of choice and add just-off-the-boil water. No grinding required, just access to a kettle and a cup. Offerings come in “light” and “dark” roast profiles and vary seasonally as offerings change—though the Dripkit pack itself won’t identify the coffee’s provenance. Each packet is said to stay fresh for about 60 days, so you have a little shelf life if you’re tossing one in a travel bag.
Is this take-along brewer all it hopes to be? Yes and no. Brewing is straightforward, but getting the volume right can be tricky. Dripkit advises you measure out one cup of water, which may be hard to do in a rustic setting, and instructs you to fill the filter’s receptacle to the top with water three times, pouring in a precise circular motion. Even then, output may be a bit short—expect an 8-ounce or smaller serving, unless you “add more water if desired”. For those travelers living off the land, as it were, or simply trying to heat up water with a hotel coffeemaker, “barista” quality may fall a bit short. The packaging is recyclable, although compostable would be ideal.
What’s for sure, though, is that it’s got some true believers on board already: California’s Verve Coffee have teamed up with Dripkit to deliver two of the roaster’s offerings as portable pour-overs. We’re eager to try what’s next.
