Espro Travel Press Review

For you coffee geeks who want it all, check out the ESPRO P1, a unique French press that serves up one of the better tasting brews of our entire test suite.

Performance Comparison

Brew Features

Brewing with the ESPRO is slightly more involved than a typical French press, but not by much. The double filter must be fitted together correctly, either by itself or with a paper filter between each piece. From there, it's the same as any other press — add your grounds, add some water, stir, cap it, and wait. Pressing the plunger on this device takes more muscle than most other presses because it is a tight fit that entirely separates the grinds and completely stops extraction. Once ready, you can either pour your brew out into another mug or sip it straight from the lid — just be careful, it stays hot in there for a long time! You can also cap the whole thing with the leakproof lid and save it for later. So many options!

One issue that came up in online customer reviews is that — despite this being a travel press — there's really no way to add cream or sugar unless you pour your brew into another vessel. For that reason, this is best suited for those who prefer black coffee, though you could add sugar in with the grounds and steep it all together.

Taste

Hallelujah, a clean and delicious French press coffee has arrived! The ESPRO P1 scored nearly as high in our taste-tests as some of the most sophisticated brewers in our review. We are definitely impressed!

The P1 offers two filters that are reportedly 9-12 times finer than your typical French press filter. What this means is that more grit and sediment are removed from your cup — whatever the first filter doesn't get, the second one does. Taste-test after taste-test, the brew from this device was chosen as the best or one of the best. We appreciated that our coffee still retained some of the oils — an aspect that French press drinkers love — while also removing all the icky sludge that normally ends up in that final pour.

As if all that wasn't enough, the ESPRO also offers paper filters for folks who crave a clean and bright flavor like a pour-over. Simply place a round filter between the two mesh filters and brew as you normally would. We couldn't find a single complaint with our results.

Ease of Use

As mentioned above, this brewer is a little bit more involved than a standard French press. But, as with any system, once you learn the ropes, it's completely straightforward.

With all French presses, the main issue that can slow everything down is cleaning. Because of the tall and narrow shape of this vessel, knocking all the grinds out is tricky and works better if you have water for a rinse. You will also need water to rinse both filters, even if you've used a paper filter. All our other models with a paper filter simply require lifting the filter out and tossing it to get mostly clean. Because the ESPRO requires a few extra steps and a bit more water to get cleaned up for round two, it really isn't an ideal coffee-maker for backpacking or for extended car-camping trips in the desert. If you have access to sufficient water, however, this is a rad way to go for delicious coffee.

Group Cooking

This device is optimal for one person at a time. It only brews 10 ounces and, while you can pour that out and make more, the system is housed within a travel mug meant for one.

A perk of the ESPRO P1 is that the insulted vessel can keep some extra coffee hot for hours if you and your crew want to get moving quickly. It will only be 10 ounces, but sometimes that can make all the difference when you're jonesing for just a wee bit more caffeine on the trail or out on the road.

Portability

The leakproof travel-mug design of this press allows you to take your brew on the road. The double-wall vacuum insulated sides will ensure that it's still warm hours later, and the excellent filtering system means your brew will still taste good instead of being bitter and over-extracted.

Slim and sleek, the P1 can easily fit in a backpack pocket or cup holder. There are more pieces to contend with than most other options, but they all fit together snugly, lessening your chances of losing anything. Sadly, it weighs on the heavy side, which makes it less ideal for backpacking, but the slim shape of this device makes it an incredibly portable car-camping or travel brewer, and there's an ultralight version available if you need to shed your ounces by half.

Weight

At 12.3 ounces, this is on the heavy side for sure.

We realize that the weight on this press is not particularly conducive to backpacking, though for car camping it's perfectly fine. If the weight makes you feel woozy, check out the ultralight version. It is still quite heavy for backpacking, but perhaps reasonable if you are down to make an exception for a delicious cup of French press coffee.

Value

The ESPRO P1 is on the pricey side but offers a lot of bang for your buck. You get an excellent press and an insulated leakproof travel mug all in one. The ticket price is worth it if you love a properly clean French press, are on the move a lot, and like having the option to rebrew later in the day, no matter where you are.

Conclusion

The ESPRO P1 offers superior flavor and a whole host of other features that are easy to appreciate. It functions as an on-the-go travel mug, keeping its contents warm for hours, and is also completely leakproof. While it is heavy and a bit of a pain to clean, this is a top-notch option that produces an excellent flavor. For folks who love a French press but don't want sludge or grit in their cup, this is a great option for car-camping and travel.