Miir Pourigami Review: Best Travel Coffee Dripper?

Last Updated on May 30, 2023 by smiling-coffee-snob

Back in 2019, Miir moved beyond their stainless steel tumblers and introduced a new travel coffee dripper and storage container. As a frequent traveler, who’s obsessed with coffee, I was excited to check them out. In this Miir Pourigami review, I’ll introduce you to the travel dripper, tell you why I think it’s the best option for frequent travelers and help you decide whether it’s right for you.

We’ll go over the unique flat design and whether it’s as easy as it looks. And we’ll also talk about the most important aspect: does it actually brew good coffee.

(Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. However, the links in this post are affiliate links and if you buy something I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you).

Miir Pourigami Review: What is it?

The Miir Pourigami is a small coffee maker that is designed for travel. It has three stainless steel pieces that lay flat when disassembled, but can be put together to make a coffee dripper.

The way you put the pieces together is kind of like a small puzzle. Each piece has a small latch that attaches to the other pieces. After you’ve fully assembled it, the Miir Pourigami is a cone shaped coffee dripper that’s similar to the Hario V60.

Besides the dripper, it also comes with a travel case that makes it easy to store the dripper and filters. The case has two sides, folds flat like a wallet and has an elastic band that keeps it together once folded. You can fit the coffee filters in the bottom of the case and the pieces of the dripper in each of the two sides.

Miir Pourigami Review: Is it easy to use?

Generally speaking, the Pourigami is easy to set up, but there is a small learning curve to it. The pieces can be a challenge to fit together the first few times you use it, but after breaking it in and assembling it a few times it’s easy to assemble.

Disassembly is also a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but also gets easier with practice. Initially, I was concerned about pulling too hard and damaging the coating on the stainless steel, but after breaking it in the pieces come apart pretty easily.

I found the case easy to use right from the beginning. The filters fit perfectly and if you align the pieces right the stainless steel keeps the the shape of it. There may be a crease in the middle of the filters, but I haven’t found it to be an issue. Miir makes their own filters, but you can also use Cafec filters or Hario V60 filters if you prefer.

Does it make good coffee?

The Pourigami can brew great coffee, but it takes a little practice to get it right. Once you perfect your technique you can repeatably make great coffee. I give a recommended recipe later in the post.

While it’s similar to the Hario V60, there are some notable differences that affect how it works. The Hario V60 has spiraling ridges that go from the opening in the bottom up to the top. This design allows air between the filter and the wall which speeds up brewing.

The Miir Pourigami doesn’t have these ridges on the side, which means that the filter sticks to the sides during brewing. This has the opposite affect of the V60. Rather than speeding up the brewing process it slows it down. The slow brewing time means that you need a much coarser grind size, which usually emphasizes different flavors in your coffee.

How to brew with the Miir Pourigami

Since you need to use a coarser grind size, the 4: 6 method that I introduced in my Hario V60 guide works the best. The Pourigami is actually very similar to the Kasuya edition of the V60 that I also mentioned in my V60 guide.

The 4: 6 method lets you alter the balance of sweetness and acidity by adjusting the number of pours you use. For a more detailed explanation, be sure to check what I wrote for the V60.

This is a basic recipe that is meant to emphasize the sweetness of the coffee and can work surprisingly well. It’s challenging without a scale, but you can estimate the weight if necessary. Basically, you want to divide it into 5 pours. The first is the smallest, the second is the biggest and the last three are equal. I recommend you practice a little at home before you travel with it, so you’re technique easy to repeat.

Basic recipe:

1. Assemble the brewer
2. Fold the filter along the perforated line and add it to the brewer
3. Rinse the filter with hot water to get rid of the papery taste and warm the brewer
4. Bring 300g of water to a boil and give it a minute to cool
5. Add 20g of coarsely ground coffee to the brewer
6. Start timer or check watch (you can guess time if needed)
7. Slowly pour 50g of water (just enough to wet the coffee)
8. Let it bloom to release gas (fresh coffee will bubble up)
9. When the timer says 45s add 70g of water
10. At 1:30 add 60g of water
11. Once you reach 2:15 add 60g of water
12. When you get to 3:00 add the final 60g of water

Travel hacks:

As I said, this is challenging without a scale, but I know it can seem a little crazy to bring a scale when you travel. Miir recommends their travel tumbler as a way to pour when traveling. If you have a different travel tumbler you could try that, too. Just make sure it’s totally clean and practice pouring with it so you don’t burn your hand.

Using the right size tumbler will make it easy to use the right amount of water. Then, you can just wet the grounds and divide the other pours using your best judgement.

In terms of the right amount of coffee, I’d recommend using a scoop that’s just the right size. Keep in mind that each coffee is different and dark roasts in particular have more volume which means one scoop of dark roasted coffee will weigh considerably less than light roasted coffee.

Is the Miir Pourigami the best travel dripper for you?

As far as coffee drippers go, the Miir Pourigami is certainly capable of making fantastic coffee. It’s easy to disassemble, packs flat and is pretty straightforward to use.

But, is it necessary?

This is really going to depend on your coffee equipment and preferred taste. Filtered coffee has a distinctive taste, so if that’s your preference and you want to minimize packing space, I think the Pourigami is your best option.