ESPRO TRAVEL PRESS REVIEW: FRENCH PRESS COFFEE ON THE GO!

If you’re a French press coffee lover, the Espro Travel Press might be just what you’re looking for.

Do you wish it was easier to carry your beautiful but bulky coffee maker on a hike or for your commute?

After testing this portable French press for the last few weeks, I can’t help but be charmed by its simple and functional design. Espro seems to have solved the main issues that can plague French press coffee mugs, producing one of my favorite on-the-go brewers of the year.

The Full Espro Travel Press Review

Canadian brand Espro’s stated focus is achieving better coffee through research, exploring existing brewing conventions to find room for improvement (1). This dedication has led to the Espro P1 French Press Travel Mug. In this review, I’ll discuss my experience with this vacuum-insulated stainless steel mug and brewer to help you decide if it’s worth your money.

Aesthetics And Design

The Espro Travel Press is proof that looks can be deceiving. From the outside, it looks like a normal travel mug with double wall insulation – and a pretty sleek one at that. It’s nowhere near as bulky as competitive models from the likes of Bodum, which has the plunger knob awkwardly protruding from the top. Available in four colors (black, grey, white, and brushed stainless steel), its form factor reminds me of the Ember Travel Mug. 

Unscrew the outer lid, however, and you’ll find a plunger and dual-filter setup, similar to Espro’s standard French press.

The outer lid is spill-proof, which is great for tossing in a purse or backpack. But it needs to be unscrewed and removed if you want to drink, making it inconvenient for sipping on the go. It takes two hands to open, and you have to find a place to set the lid.

I’d love to see Espro add the option of a drink-through lid to expand the P1’s functionality. For example, Fellow sells a separate drinking lid to make the Fellow Carter Cup more user-friendly.

How much coffee does the Espro travel press make?

The P1 Espro Travel Press can brew about 10 ounces of coffee at a time or hold up to 12 ounces when used as a travel mug. It measures 2.8″ in diameter, which is a comfortable size to fit most car cupholders, and it’s 8.1″ tall. 

Espro makes a larger-capacity model, the Espro Ultralight Travel Coffee Press (P0), which brews around 12 ounces and holds up to 16 ounces.

Build Quality And Longevity

Every Espro French press I’ve tested has been extremely well made, including the travel models. The company clearly takes pride in its products. The P1 has lots of bits and pieces, but each one serves a clear purpose, and they all fit together seamlessly.

The vacuum insulated stainless steel construction is built to last. I’ve only had my Espro press for a few weeks, so I can’t speak firsthand to its lifetime. But you can find dozens of customer reviews online detailing five-plus years of use. 

It comes with a 1-year warranty against factory defects, but my interactions with Espro customer service have always been very positive. They’ll continue to assist you with any issues long after the warranty expires. Additionally, the microfilters are sold individually, so if you manage to accidentally tear one, you don’t need to buy a whole new cup. 

Key Features

The biggest problem with most 2-in-1 French press mugs is over-extraction. It’s not so much a design flaw as an inherent system issue. The coffee grounds stay in the hot water as you drink, so they continue to extract, eventually producing a bitter brew.

Every manufacturer has its own method for isolating the grounds from the coffee after brewing. While it’s impossible to completely eliminate the problem, the Espro Travel Mug is the best I’ve encountered. Even the Specialty Coffee Association of America deemed it worthy of one of its Best New Product awards in 2015 (2).

It uses two coffee filters to accomplish the task. The lower one is a fine mesh and the upper is an ultra-fine mesh with a heavy-duty silicone ring around the exterior. 

You might notice some bitterness creeping in if you save your morning coffee for half a day. But in my experience, I always finished my coffee long before over-extraction became an issue.

Double Filtration System

The same system does an impressive job of keeping the coffee sediment-free. Espro claims the ultra-fine upper filter is 12 times finer than a typical French press filter, and I believe it. My coffee had the heavy body and robust flavor of delicious French press coffee without any bitter, silty grains at the bottom of the cup.

You can also add an Espro paper filter (sold separately) for an even cleaner cup. The coffee I made this way reminded me of a Chemex brew.

How Long Does Coffee Stay Hot?

The Espro P1 uses double wall stainless steel with vacuum insulation to keep your coffee hot for hours. The double-lid design keeps heat in much more effectively than a typical French press where the plunger sticks out the top and provides a route for heat to escape.

I was impressed with this coffee press’s heat retention, but don’t confuse it with a thermos; it’s not designed to keep your coffee hot all day. When I filled mine with hot coffee at 200 F, it took about four hours to cool below 120 F – the minimum temperature I enjoy coffee.

Using The Espro Travel Coffee Press

Brewing coffee with the Espro Insulated French Press is the same as any other coffee press. For my recipe, I add 15 grams of medium-coarse ground coffee then fill the vessel with hot water at 200 F. I let it steep for 4 minutes (up to 5 minutes for a lighter roast) before pressing the plunger to stop the extraction.

Cleaning

Cleaning a French press is never fun. You need to empty the grounds into the garbage or compost, which involves either a long spoon or some aggressive banging, and then disassemble the fiddly components. However, the P1 is better than average because everything, including the filters, is top-rack dishwasher-safe.

Does The Espro French Press Make A Good Cup Of Coffee?

The Espro French Press delivers a classic French press brew, with a robust flavor, full body, and heavy mouthfeel. The mesh filter leaves the coffee oils in the cup but removes virtually all the grit. I definitely noticed it was a cleaner cup than a typical cheap French press.

I tested this portable coffee maker with both light and dark roast coffees to gauge its versatility, and unsurprisingly, it performed well at all roast levels. Dark roasts were sweet and rich, while lighter roasts were bright and fruity. 

The Espro P1’s ultra-fine mesh filter allows you to grind finer without getting silt in the cup, and the insulated walls ensure your brewing water stays hot throughout the extraction.

Dark roasts are more prone to over-extraction with this style of 2-in-1 French press mug. To avoid any unwanted bitterness, I used a slightly coarser grind size and tried to drink my coffee within an hour of brewing.

A great French press is the perfect tool for the specialty coffee newcomer. It gives you the flexibility to dial in variables like grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and water temperature while being much more consistent than manual drip coffee makers (3).

It Also Makes Tea

The Espro Travel Press also brews loose-leaf tea, though you need to buy a separate filter for the purpose. Just like when making coffee, the double-filter design isolates the brewed tea from the leaves, avoiding the astringent flavors that arise when tea is over-steeped.

Is The Espro French Press Worth Its Price?

The Espro Travel Coffee Press P1 costs $45, give or take. I’ve seen complaints online that this is too much for a mug or a French press, but I think it’s actually pretty spectacular value. Not only are you getting a brewer and a travel coffee cup, but both are incredibly high quality. 

Let me break it down for you. A double-wall stainless steel French press is generally around $50, with the premium models running over $100. Now remember that you can remove the innards of the Espro P1 to turn it into a lovely insulated travel mug, which is easily a $25 value on its own.

The only downside is the small capacity. You won’t get your money’s worth if 10 ounces of coffee in the morning isn’t enough to fuel your day.

Don’t Buy The Espro Travel French Press Coffee Maker If…

• You just want a mug: There are plenty of fantastic travel mugs on the market if you don’t need one that also makes French press coffee. The Fellow Carter Move or Stanley Classic One-Hand are my favorites for keeping my coffee hot for long periods. The glass KeepCup is great for quick visits to the coffee shop, and the Zojirushi Thermos and Contigo West Loop are great all-rounders.

• You just want a French press: On the other hand, if you already have a favorite travel mug and just want a portable French press, check out the Stanley Stay Hot French Press, an ultra-durable stainless steel model. For something better suited to home use, the Bodum Brazil is an affordable classic.

• You want more capacity: If 10 ounces just isn’t enough coffee or tea to fuel your morning, there are a few larger options on the market. Espro’s Ultralight French Press has a 16-ounce capacity, and the Bodum Travel Press comes in a 20-ounce size.

The Verdict

The Espro Travel Coffee Press is one of my favorite ways to brew a quality cup of coffee on the go. I even catch myself using it to make coffee at home on occasion. It feels like a nice insulated coffee mug that just happens to also brew delicious coffee. It’s much sleeker and more comfortable than the competition.

The double-filtration system is the best of any French press travel mug I’ve tested, nicely avoiding over-extraction and sediment in the cup. As long as you’re satisfied with just 10 ounces of coffee, the Espro P1 is sure to satisfy.

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