Outdoor enthusiasts are usually the people that wake up before sunrise and start their day. Whether you are fishing or hunting, most of us like to get out early and enjoy that moment when the sun first starts to peek over the horizon. This time of the morning is almost magical to me and most of my clients. It marks the beginning of the adventure with all of the unknowns in our future. Will the tarpon show up? Will the snook crush our topwater offerings today? Will we get to see the first rays of sun glisten off the electric blue tail of a redfish? Will that 8-point buck show up in the clearing today? No matter which scenario gets your heart pumping, you get the picture. There has only been one issue for a lot of us when dealing with these early morning situations: what do we do for the black gold product that makes these mornings easier; otherwise known as coffee?

I have one major addiction in the morning and that is good coffee. Yes, I wake up early, start the auto-drip coffee maker and pour myself a big mug before I head to the boat ramp or the woods. However, a lot of my clients are not local and they don't have that same ability. Instead, they are usually relegated to some gas station coffee, or if they happen to pass one of the donut shops, they can grab a cup there. I have a hard time recommending either of these choices because it seems like making a great cup of coffee has become a lost art form. It either taste like burnt branches from a swamp tree or it has absolutely no flavor at all. The other problem, most of these places only sell a 20-24 ounce cup, which just doesn't always do the trick. I have looked for ways to provide coffee to clients but I've never found a way to really share great coffee and offer a little extra to my clients. Then Yeti decided to come out with a French Press and I got excited.

Allow me to say that I have tried numerous French Press coffee makers over the years. Heck, in Florida, it's almost a mandatory tool to have in your hurricane kit if you really enjoy coffee. I have rarely found a French Press though that didn't have one of the following issues: allowed coffee grinds to end up in your brewed product, made a great first cup but as it sits it gets worse, fragile and broken pieces, didn't keep coffee hot, or it wasn't made for the outdoor world. These are problems that you can live with if you're going to keep your French Press sitting in a cabinet, except for the coffee grounds ending up in the brew, and you only use it in a controlled environment. Still, they never translated well in the outdoor world; especially the marine world. So, I got the Yeti French Press and hoped for the best. If you follow me, you know I have been a huge supporter of Yeti since about their second year in business and I have worked numerous projects with them. Their products have always been built with idea of using them in the outdoors and making sure they are rugged enough to withstand that use. Still, I had some trepidation about a French Press and whether or not they could make it rugged and usable, while still producing a wonderful coffee; most of the really good French Press makers I had experience with were expensive and delicate.

I received my Yeti French Press and immediately put it to use that night, at the house, while having a family dinner. I have an adult son and my mom, who are both coffee "snobs". I offered to make them a cup after dinner, as a test run. They agreed to try it. The one thing I knew, they would be brutally honest about the taste and strength of the coffee. I followed the directions Yeti gave me and utilized some Black Rifle Coffee Company Tactisquatch coffee. The entire process, after you have hot water, takes about 7 minutes; give or take a little based on how strong you want the coffee. I poured the cups of coffee, handed them over and waited. Both cups disappeared in record time and they asked for more. Well, that let me know it made a great cup of coffee. The next test would be using it in the outdoors.

Here you can see how I transport my coffee/celebration package for my clients. It's a Yeti Go30 Dry Box. It holds everything I need for the coffee and some celebration drinks at the end of the day. I'll cover the celebration part in another post. For now, I'll focus on the coffee portion. As you can see, the French Press sits in the bottom, next to the coffee mugs for my clients. The coffee and other materials sit next to it, separated by the divider (yes, in the picture the coffee is next to the cups, because I had moved it). My hot water comes from a 1 gallon Yeti jug. I boil water while I'm getting ready in the morning and fill the Yeti jug with it. It will stay hot enough to make coffee for over 18 hours this way. All of this is loaded into the boat, where I never have to worry about weather conditions the way it is stored.

Now, for how the product is made and works in the outdoors. Here is what I can say: like everything else that Yeti makes, this product was designed to be used in the roughest conditions there are. Everything about the Yeti French Press is solid and made to last. There are no fragile parts that feel wimpy when you use it; quite to contrary, it feels beefy and solid throughout the entire process of using it, even the press part. The way the product is designed is marvelous. There are no coffee grounds in the finished product no matter how fine the coffee beans are ground. In addition, once the press is complete, the finished product is separated from the grinds, which stops the brewing process and keeps the coffee from over brewing or getting bitter, no matter how long it sits. The Yeti French Press also allows you to brew the coffee and let it stay in the insulated "pot" where I have tested it up to 4 hours and it remained hot. The Yeti French Press is one of the finest products I have ever used; I really can't say enough about it. You may look at the price and wonder if it is worth it. The answer is a resounding YES! My clients have agreed, and there is something magical about having fresh brewed coffee on the bow of the skiff, as the first rays of sun start to glow in the horizon and you waiting for the first fish of the day to show up.