Espro Travel Press Review

Traveling often poses a problem for coffee lovers like me. While it’s easy to get a great hot drink in some parts of the world, it’s monumentally difficult in others. I’ve lost count of how many awful coffees I’ve had along the way, but now it’s in triple digits.

For a while, I chose to make mine instead, traveling with a little French press in my luggage. It worked well enough in a hotel room, but it was messy, difficult to clean, and I needed a separate portable cup if I had an early start and needed to get my caffeine to go. In the end, I donated it to a friend and resigned myself to the uncertainty of coffee once again.

Enter the Espro travel press. Considered “people who love coffee and tea, and want to take it with them anywhere,” it sounded like my kind of travel accessory. However, would it really live up to the hype down the road or was it more promising than practical? The company sent me one so I could find out for myself.

Characteristics

Travel Press consists of a few different parts. The main section is a double-walled stainless steel 15oz container, rated to keep your beverage warm for 4-6 hours. The press comes with two metal filters and screws into the top of the container. On top of all that, a travel cap keeps the liquid inside where it belongs while on the go.

For those who prefer a pour-over style coffee, the company also includes a pack of paper filters that fit between the two metal filters for added smoothness. Tea lovers have not forgotten: any loose leaf tea can be used in place of ground coffee, as long as it has the right metal filter.

When used as a standard travel mug, the full 15 oz capacity is available. When you make tea, you will end up with a 12oz and 10oz cup when you make coffee. If you like sugar or sweetener with your coffee, you can add it before or after dipping.

The Travel Press is available in white, black, red, and silver, and can be purchased with a coffee filter, a tea filter, or both. Approximately 8 “tall and 3” wide, weighs 6.4 oz.

Real world tests

Using the Travel Press to make coffee was similar to any other press style machine. I dropped a few tablespoons of coffee grounds into the container, added hot water to the proper line inside, and stirred. After placing the second filter and screwing on the press section, I pushed the plunger down slightly and left it for four minutes.

Once the time was up, I pressed the plunger the rest of the way. It was firm but not difficult to push, it required a hand rather than a finger. The extraction stops immediately when the plunger is pressed, which was helpful – I was heading out the door for a day trip and didn’t want my coffee to be bitter when I finished it an hour or two later.

With the plunger down, the travel cap screws comfortably over the top. When it was time to drink, only that lid needed to come out. The press section has four recessed and open holes that allow me to drink straight from the container (or pour the contents into a mug, if that’s your style).

The company says its dual microfilters are 9-12 times finer than a standard French press, and even using an exciting pre-ground supermarket coffee, I tasted an immediate difference. It was noticeably smoother than other coffee presses, with almost no sand, even when I poured the last of it into a mug to double-check.

The exterior of the container was cool to the touch, but the contents remained warm even after nearly two hours of walking and driving. There were no signs of leaks, neither around the lid nor in the backpack where the Travel Press had been stored. The container is solid and durable, and it looks like it would handle the inevitable bumps and bumps without a problem.

Cleaning everything at the end of the day was easy. Most of the grounds fell off with a few sharp touches to the bottom of the press, and by leaving everything under cold water for a few seconds, it was clean enough to use again. Hot water and detergent work best, of course, but not necessary in a pinch.

To test that theory, I filled the container with cold water and used it as my “bottle” of drink for the rest of the day. If there was any coffee residue left inside, I couldn’t taste it.

Verdict

I was impressed by the Travel Press. While not an essential trip for everyone, but for the most coffee addicts, it does what it sets out to do extremely well.

The size and weight are appropriate even for hand travelers, especially as it doubles as a standard drink bottle, and it’s easy to keep the various parts together so they won’t get lost when you’re on the go.

Travel Press is particularly useful for those whose travels take them away from civilization for a time. Like many things in life, camping, hiking, and other outdoor adventures are best with decent coffee, and this unit provides it, without much weight or hassle.

You’ll still need a source of coffee grounds and hot water for the press to be useful, but it’s not particularly hard to find in most travel situations either.

While there are several other ways to make coffee on the go, I haven’t found one that has the same combination of simplicity, convenience, affordability, and quality.

In short, Espro’s Travel Press is a great way to keep your favorite hot beverage on hand, no matter where your travels take you. Recommended.

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