The World’s First Disposable Mobile Coffee Maker

You’re away from home—maybe hiking, traveling, or just stuck in a hotel room—when the craving hits. Not for instant. Not for a sad gas station cup. You want a proper cup of coffee, something rich and clean like a classic filter brew. But there’s no café nearby, and hauling your French press or pour-over setup isn’t exactly practical. What now?

The answer is simple: the Growers Cup. It’s a single-use, portable brewer that works like a tea bag for coffee. Just add hot water, wait, and you’ve got a fresh cup in minutes—no machine, no electricity, no mess.

What Is the Growers Cup?

The Growers Cup looks nothing like a traditional coffee machine. In fact, calling it a “portable coffee bag” is more accurate. Designed to work similarly to a tea bag, it lets you brew coffee by simply pouring hot water over ground coffee inside a sealed pouch. The coffee drips through an integrated filter and into your cup—just add heat and wait.

The entire brewing process mimics making tea, but with coffee grounds and a much finer filter. It’s designed to deliver a clean, filtered cup comparable to a French press or pour-over, but entirely self-contained.

Why Was It Invented?

The idea came to Ulrik Rasmussen, a 46-year-old from Middelfart, Denmark, during a very relatable coffee emergency. One morning, he went to make his usual coffee, only to discover he’d run out of filters for his machine. Frustrated and desperate for caffeine, he spotted some tea bags and had a revelation: why not brew coffee the same way you brew tea?

He cut open a tea bag, filled it with coffee grounds, and gave it a try. That rough experiment eventually turned into nine years of research and development. The result is the Growers Cup—a fully realized, single-use coffee brewer that combines the simplicity of a tea bag with the functionality of a French press filter system.

How Does It Work?

Each Growers Cup pouch contains 18 grams of ground coffee. To brew, you pour 300 ml of hot water (ideal temperature around 90–96°C, though not specified by the maker) into the pouch. The water steeps through the coffee grounds and passes through a built-in filter, then drips directly into your cup.

The whole process takes just a few minutes. The filter ensures no coffee grounds end up in your drink, and the design allows for a clean extraction similar to a standard drip or immersion brew. Each pouch makes approximately two cups of coffee, depending on your pour.

Who Made It—and Why It’s Different

The Growers Cup was created by Ulrik Rasmussen, who spent nine years refining the concept. His goal was to create a solution that would let anyone make a proper cup of coffee anywhere, without any equipment. Inspired by the simplicity of tea bags, he developed a product that combines filtration, portability, and ease of use.

Unlike traditional coffee gear, the Growers Cup requires no grinder, no kettle (beyond hot water), and no cleanup. It’s aimed at travelers, hikers, office workers, or anyone who wants a quick, quality coffee experience without the fuss.

How Much Does It Cost?

Each individual Growers Cup pouch costs between $1.70 and $2.50. The product launched in the UK and sold out quickly, reflecting strong early demand. There are 12 different coffee varieties available, though specific origins or roast levels are not detailed in the source.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you use the Growers Cup?

You pour 300 ml of hot water (ideally around 90–96°C) into the pouch, which contains 18 grams of coffee. The water brews through the grounds and filters directly into your cup. The entire process takes just a few minutes, and the filter keeps the grounds out of your drink.

Is the Growers Cup reusable?

No, the Growers Cup is designed for single use. Each pouch contains a pre-measured amount of coffee and a built-in filter, and is meant to be discarded after brewing.

How many cups does one Growers Cup pouch make?

Each pouch contains enough coffee for approximately two cups, based on a total brew volume of around 300 ml. You can adjust the pour depending on your desired strength or serving size.

Where can you buy the Growers Cup?

The Growers Cup launched in the UK and is sold as an individual pouch. Specific retailers or online availability aren’t detailed in the source, but it was reportedly in high demand shortly after release.

What does the coffee taste like?

The article doesn’t provide tasting notes, but the design aims to produce a clean, filtered cup similar to a French press or pour-over. There are 12 different coffee varieties available, suggesting a range of flavor profiles.

Recommended FrontStreet Coffee for Travel Brewing

For coffee lovers on the move, try FrontStreet Coffee’s Ethiopia Humbera for a bright, juicy cup with notes of blueberry and citrus—perfect for pour-over style brewing. Their Yirgacheffe offers floral aromas and a tea-like body, ideal for those who prefer a lighter, more delicate profile. Both beans shine when brewed with care, matching the clean extraction style of the Growers Cup. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.