Coulee Coffee EcoPour Filter Review

Bottom Line

The Coulee Coffee EcoPour filters make bold, pour-over coffees in nature without the fuss of a camping and backpacking coffee maker. 

These eco-conscious pouches come pre-filled with 14 grams of Fair Trade coffee – the “golden ratio” for a cup of coffee. They’re custom-made for Coulee’s eye-catching SWIRL Brewing System – a remarkably well-built machine that replicates the movements of a barista to brew the perfect pour-over. They also fit most travel mugs, allowing them to double as ultralight, biodegradable “coffee makers” on outdoor adventures. 

Coulee’s EcoPour filters are even easier to use than Kuju Coffee’s Pocket PourOver packets. Simply unwrap the filter, pop the tab off, and place the filter on your mug. Then, trickle water into the EcoPour in slow circles. It’s easy to brew and a breeze to clean up. The biggest downside is that each filter only yields one cup of coffee. 

We poured several Coulee coffees in the frontcountry and backcountry, and they were a big upgrade over our old standby: instant coffee. All four brews we tried were bold, tasty, Fair Trade Certified, and ready in just three to four minutes. For coffee aficionados wanting a portable, flavorful, and eco-friendly pour-over, the Coulee Coffee EcoPour filters make it easy to enjoy a quality cup at camp. 

How We Tested

After scoring a Coulee SWIRL Brewing System last summer, we took Coulee pour-over packets on all of our campouts and backpacking trips. Our review is based on nine months of testing and roughly 100 cups of Coulee coffee. We also tested the Coulee EcoPour filters side-by-side with other pour-over packets and camping coffee makers to compare their portability, ease of use, brew time, ease of cleaning, and flavor strength.

Portability

Each pre-filled Coulee Coffee EcoPour filter weighs less than an ounce, with more than half that weight (14 grams) being coffee grounds. That’s about as lightweight as a “coffee maker” can get.

This pour-over system isn’t as portable as an instant coffee packet but delivers much tastier coffee for around the same weight. Each pre-filled Coulee Coffee filter comes in a 5-inch-square freshness pouch that packs down almost flat, making it easy to stash in a backpack. 

In our side-by-side field tests of two pour-over options, the Kuju Coffee packets edged out the Coulee filters in portability and weight. The Kuju packets were around 25% smaller and weighed only 17 grams each – compared to 25 grams for the Coulee filters. That said, we had to switch our kitchen scale from ounces to grams to detect that tiny difference. 

Compared with the other coffee makers we reviewed, the EcoPour filter scored near the top in portability. It’s very backpacker-friendly. 

Ease of Use

The Coulee Coffee EcoPour filters are extra-easy to use – no assembly required. 

Most campsite coffee systems require coffee grounds, a filter, and some coffee-making contraption: a press, pot, or stand you assemble to secure your filter. The Coulee EcoPour comes filled with coffee and also eliminates the middle man – the filter itself is the “coffee maker.” 

This makes outdoor coffee-making easy. EcoPour filters already hold the ideal amount of coffee grounds for a single cup, so there’s no need to pack, measure, and grind beans or pour the grounds into a press or filter. Plus, you don’t need to pack a separate coffee filter or assemble a coffee maker at camp. 

The setup process only takes about 10 seconds. During our field tests, we made several camp coffees in the dark with freezing fingers while only half awake. Even in our diminished state, we could follow these easy steps:

1. Open the packet.
2. Pop off the tab on the filter.
3. Place the filter on your mug.
4. Pour near-boiling water over the filter in slow circles.

This process was nearly as easy as tearing open a packet of instant coffee and stirring. But the end result is a much better cup of coffee – one that actually costs less per serving than most instant coffees.

Time to Brew

With the Coulee EcoPour filters, it only took us three minutes to produce a stellar cup of pour-over coffee. It’s as easy as slowly pouring near-boiling water over the filter pouch, so the water extracts the flavor from the coffee grounds as it trickles into your mug. 

As noted above, setup takes about 10 seconds and involves opening the packet, popping off the tab, and placing the filter on your mug. Next, measure out 8 ounces of water, pour it into a pot, and bring it to a near-boil with your backpacking stove. Remove the pot when your water approaches boiling.

Once your water is ready, pour a small amount into the coffee packet using a circular motion. Let it sit for 30 seconds, so the coffee can “bloom” (release carbon dioxide). Once the coffee has bloomed, slowly trickle more water into the filter, again using a circular motion from the center to the outer edges. Pause to allow the water to pass through the filter. Repeat until you’ve poured 8 ounces of water through the Coulee EcoPour filter. 

This process is slower than making instant coffee but quicker than using a coffee press. 

Ease of Cleanup

There’s little preparation – and virtually no cleanup – with the Coulee Coffee EcoPour filters. There’s only the filter packet – no coffee maker that needs to be cleaned, dried, and packed away in your backpack or campground kitchen crate. “Cleanup” consists of pitching your used paper filters and grounds into the campfire or packing them out in a Ziploc or waterproof container. 

Coulee Coffee stresses the eco-friendly nature of its pour-over coffees. Calling out the plastic waste (and inferior taste) of pod-style coffee makers, the company developed the EcoPour filters with compostable materials to minimize its environmental impact. Our initial samples of Coulee coffee were completely biodegradable. Our second batch included plastic tabs (which are less eco-friendly). 

At home, you can compost these paper filters. In the field, you can burn them in your campfire (where permitted) or pack them out. We fueled an early-morning campfire near Taos, New Mexico, with our used grounds and packed them out in a Ziploc bag at campsites under fire restrictions. 

Coffee Strength

Whether you’re in a cafe or out in nature, one of the draws of pour-over coffee is its flavor. In our field tests, press-style coffee makers produced the strongest brews, though the Coulee Coffee EcoPour filters made some of the tastiest coffees. 

If you know what you’re doing, a pour-over can give you more control over your coffee’s flavor than a drip- or press-style coffee maker. You can manipulate the water temperature, flow rate, and other variables. Plus, it’s arguably the purest, cleanest way to brew coffee. 

While pour-overs don’t always produce the strongest brews, you can play with your grounds-to-water ratio and seep times for bolder flavors. That said, you can play with your grounds-to-water ratio and seep times for stronger flavors. 

Coulee sells its EcoPour filters pre-packaged with premium, Fair Trade coffees sourced from the Americas. You can also buy empty filter packets if you’d prefer to source, grind, and measure your own beans for the freshest flavor. 

We found all of the Coulee Coffee varieties to be robust and easy to drink:

• O.G.: a medium roast sourced from Antioquia, Columbia 
• Doc’s Blend: a medium/dark roast sourced from Brazil and Honduras
• She-Devil: an organic, medium roast from Chiapas, Mexico
• B.I.O.N.: a decaf from Honduras that’s so tasty you won’t believe it’s decaffeinated (B.I.O.N. = Believe It Or Not)

We preferred the flavor of Coulee coffees to Kuju’s Pocket PourOver packets – even though Coulee’s coffees cost considerably less per serving. 

Should You Buy The Coulee Coffee EcoPour Filters?

Coulee Coffee’s biggest claim to fame is its SWIRL Brewing System – which we also recommend – but its EcoPour filters work remarkably well for pour-over coffee in frontcountry and backcountry campsites. The EcoPour filter is not a true “coffee maker,” but each pre-filled, single-serve packet provides a highly portable pour-over system that’s easy to use and a breeze to clean up. These filters fit every travel mug we own and are best weighed in grams – not ounces – which is appealing for backpackers. 

If you drink a ton of coffee, these single-cup filters aren’t the best choice. They’re made for those who savor rather than gulp. The Kuju Coffee packets are lighter and smaller, but the Coulee filters are easier to use and brew tastier coffee (in our opinion). We like these pour-over filters as a convenient, more flavorful upgrade to instant coffee when we’re away from home. 

What Other Camping & Backpacking Coffee Makers Should You Consider?

For a range of campsite coffee options, see our full guide to camping and backpacking coffee makers. 

Kuju Coffee Pocket PourOver Review: The closest competitor to the Coulee EcoPour filters, Kuju’s Pocket PourOver packets are even lighter and more packable, but not quite as easy to use. 

GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip Coffee Maker Review: We like the GSI Ultralight as another lightweight, inexpensive way to make coffee away from home. It packs nearly flat, weighs less than half an ounce, and makes it easy to customize your coffee strength. 

AeroPress Go Review: If you’re open to a more sophisticated camping coffee maker, the AeroPress Go earned our top spot for its ability to make espresso, French press-style coffee, and cold brew in a compact package.