REVIEW | ESPRO TRAVEL PRESS

The concept of the Espro press is an intriguing one, as it claims to offer a modified French press style brewer resulting in cleaner cups than usual for such a brew method. By use of two microfilters, each 9-12x finer than that of a standard French press, the result is less sediment in your brewed cup while still allowing the passage of oils through for that fuller body & mouthfeel that you may be looking for in French press brewed coffee.

For those who prefer cleaner cups—similar to what can be achieved with pour-over style brewers—the Espro press also offers a paper filter press option. The paper filter is inserted between the two microfilters and absorbs the oils of the coffee as well as filtering out additional sediment that is able to pass through the microfilters alone. Sounds promising, right?

I ordered the Espro travel press because I wanted a quick, quality brew option for those mornings that I’m running late for class. I was excited and hopeful that this would fulfill those needs, but honestly also pretty skeptical as I figured it might turn out to be one of those “too good to be true” cases.

I opted for the brushed stainless version because I usually just throw everything into my backpack and so even some of the better quality matte black travel thermoses of mine have slowly had the paint scratched or chipped away at. So while I can’t speak for the quality of the black finish Espro travel press, I do suggest that you consider how you handle and care for your possessions before selecting the model you want.

I like the simple & sleek design of this vacuum insulated tumbler, and have found that it has a good quality build. In short, Espro has created a lightweight yet durable design (I have yet to drop it, but it certainly seems pretty durable) that brews great coffee—and yes, it produces a noticeably cleaner cup than the average French press, though not entirely sediment-free. Capable of brewing up to 10oz of coffee (or holding 15-16oz if not using the removable press), the Espro travel press is a simple and functional option for brewing and/or drinking on the go.

To really put the more dubious of Espro's claims to the test, I conducted a taste test between coffees brewed with the travel press with paper filter option and with the Hario V60 pour-over brewer. It was immediately apparent just by looking at the two carafes of coffee that the Espro is not able to achieve the same level of clarity as the Hario V60 (that’s ok—I expected that much), however both brews were able to deliver balanced flavour profiles with the V60 resulting in a cleaner and more distinct cup but the Espro not far behind.

In the end, Espro has done a great job of providing a quick 'brew & go' option suitable for everyday use. I’ve come to use this press as my daily brew method rather than only when I’m running late since it’s so quick & easy and is truly able to brew great tasting coffee.