Feb 23 2009
Zelco Brisk Brew Portable Travel Coffee Maker - Mighty Midget Coffee Maker
The Zelco Brisk Brew portable coffee maker caught my eye as I was browsing window-shopping through the coffee makers and coffee gadgets at Cooking.com.
I’m all about neat new products for making coffee, and this one is a nifty little machine. The Zelco Brisk Brew coffee maker is billed as a portable travel coffee maker, and it’s aimed at those who hit the road for business and other trips, but hate leaving their coffee at home. It’s a great alternative to hotel coffee.
Now, you can’t really see just how neat the Zelco Brisk Brew really is in this picture because you’ve got no comparison picture. At 4″ by 5″ by 3″, it’s a little bit bigger than two packs of index cards stacked together when it’s all put together and tucked into the little carrying bag that comes with it.
It comes with a permanent filter that sits inside a brew basket and all of that packs inside the water receptacle when not in use. The included 8 ounce cups slides over the top of the brewer, making a compact little package that takes up less room in your suitcase than a single shoe.
The reviews on the Zelco Brisk Brew are almost uniformly positive, especially among people who travel a lot and often end up in rooms with no coffee maker. It has a switch to convert it from 110v to 220v power so that it doesn’t grumble about being used in European hotel rooms. In fact, according to most reviewers, the Zelco Brisk Brew brews up a cup of coffee even faster with the higher power delivered by European outlets. Cleanup is easy - just empty and rinse the filter, rinse out the brewer an put it back together. The Brisk Brew can be used with E.S.E pods and standard coffee pods, making cleanup even easier - no grounds to dispose of - just the used coffee pod.
Brew time is a little slow - about 3-5 minutes to brew an 8 ounce cup, but the second cup brews faster. At under $50, it can make up its cost in just one trip if you’re a big coffee lover and your tastes tend to run toward Starbucks and coffee shop coffee.
I’m a sucker for coffee gadgets, so file this one under my Wish List - even though my travel these days tends to be limited to walking distance radius.
I’ve had my fill of coffee for the day. If I have more I’ll be shaking like a leaf. lol Then I couldn’t type or knit. Should have stopped in for a visit earlier this am. Will do so tomorrow, so pour a cup for then.
Just bought a new coffee pot, seems we go through them frequently. Sometimes we break the glass pot, mostly though something starts leaking. Paid a bit more this last time; but think it’s gonna work out well. Cuisinart, the metal craffe (sp?) Keeps it hot a good long while, and has a timer on it, so it’s nice to wake up and smell the coffee!
Sandy
As always, swing in for a visit
I have been looking for one of these thank you for posting this review
Glad you found it helpful, Jason!