travel french press?

[Toothpick]

Anyone have experience with the travel variety of french presses?

such as this one: http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Insulat...362355859&sr=8-6&keywords=travel+french+press

Every morning I take a coffee to go. I enjoy it on the way to work and also while at work until its gone. I have an auto drip but i've been wanting a french press for a long time. I thought about buying a french press but then i'd still have to pour it out of the press in to my to go cup. I know, whoa.....big deal there right?

But if I can make the coffee right in my to go cup all "problems" are solved!

so i'm just curious before I buy if anyone has used the travel french presses and can recommend a good one. They seem to be hovering around 25-30 bucks so i'd like some opinions before i shell out the dough.

thanks!

 

[garyg]

Haven't tried the travel version, I use a French Press most days and, just my taste, it is better if it is "decanted" right after it is pressed, rather than allowed to steep in the press.

That is, even when I'm not traveling, after the Press I pour it into either a small thermal pot if I'll be home, or a regular thermal to go if I am out the door. The FP I have is insulated, but when I leave the coffee in there more than a few minutes there's a shift in the taste.

One last French Press thought, they require heating the water to a boil seperately beforehand, so it takes some extra time over an auto-drip ..

Does make a great cuppa though

 

[galopede]

Don't know about that Bodum model but I have been using a SmartCafe camping cafetiere mug for several years and it's a brilliant bit of kit. Near enough unbreakble, the insulated plastic mug has a built in plunger/filter.

Here's an example. Seems to be about half the price of this in most places over here, including Amazon, but this has a better photo!

http://store.kitchenscookshop.co.uk/smart-cafe-cafetiere-hot-mug.html

Gareth

 

[dpm802]

The travel versions of just about everything are over-priced and under-performing. Stick with your current travel mug and get a regular FP for home. The difference in taste over an auto-drip is astounding.

 

[Toothpick]

the cafetiere seems like a more simplified french press, at half the price. We have an auto-drip and with 4 people drinking coffee we make 2 pots every morning. I've just decided to buy a FP or the travler FP and completely take myself out of the auto-drip equation. And doing so i'll be able to treat myself to some better coffees rather than the 40oz can coffee.

I have a thread somewhere here about a FP but i'll just ask it here. When I buy a coffee grinder what should I look for to get a grind that is suitable for a french press? Or what setting should I put the store grinder on for a FP setting?

 

[dpm802]

At the store, set the grinder for a coarse grind. I would get an 8oz bag of whole beans and grind it at the store. It would last me about 2 weeks, although it did taste a little stale towards the end, but still was better than a fresh can of auto-drip.

 

[Toothpick]

At the store, set the grinder for a coarse grind. I would get an 8oz bag of whole beans and grind it at the store. It would last me about 2 weeks, although it did taste a little stale towards the end, but still was better than a fresh can of auto-drip.

Thanks! I can taste the coffee now! can't wait.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Another possibility would be to get a French Press for home and an Aeropress for work. I love the coffee from a French Press and I used one at work for a while. In the end, I thought it was too messy and took it home. The Aeropress is a nice option, and much easier to clean and maintain.

If you want to just test the waters with a grinder, there are some good, inexpensive options. Many of the more discerning brewers will probably have some better suggestions, but I have been grinding my morning brew with a Porlex hand mill for a couple of years now and I have nothing but good things to say about it. A buddy of mine has the Kyocera hand mill and likes it too.

 

[Toothpick]

oh! the possibilities! it's head spinning! I was looking at an aeropress a few min ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Aerobie-AeroPress-Coffee-Espresso-Maker/dp/B0047BIWSK

I'm leaning slightly more toward that...

 

[EricBNC]

Anyone have experience with the travel variety of french presses?

such as this one: http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Insulat...362355859&sr=8-6&keywords=travel+french+press

Every morning I take a coffee to go. I enjoy it on the way to work and also while at work until its gone. I have an auto drip but i've been wanting a french press for a long time. I thought about buying a french press but then i'd still have to pour it out of the press in to my to go cup. I know, whoa.....big deal there right?

But if I can make the coffee right in my to go cup all "problems" are solved!

so i'm just curious before I buy if anyone has used the travel french presses and can recommend a good one. They seem to be hovering around 25-30 bucks so i'd like some opinions before i shell out the dough.

thanks!

I received a Bodum travel press for a Christmas present a couple years ago - It does a good job keeping coffee hot and can be used as a regular travel cup too since it comes with a spare "non press" lid.

 

[rxonmymind]

Capresso makes a good grinder. I have this one and it makes consistently even grinds.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000AR7SY/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1362393208&sr=8-7&pi=SL75

My one and only issue and this has been the case is static build up. There are many "remedies " for this but none I've found. This happens with high end grinders unfortunately.

 

[galopede]

To clear up any confusion, what you call the French Press over there is called a cafetiere here in Britain and Europe. Bodum are the best known makers of course. There is no difference between a cafetiere and a French Press! Best coffee makers around I reckon.

Been using them for many years. I used to live in the same village as Bodum's distrubution centre in the Cotswolds and every six months they had sales of old stock. I had so many cafetieres I didn't know what to do with them all. I am still using a set of their saucepans now. They do make other kitchen stuff apart from the coffee makers!

My current home cafetiere is on of Bodum's metal pots, having broken all the glass one over the years!

Gareth

 

[Toothpick]

To clear up any confusion, what you call the French Press over there is called a cafetiere here in Britain and Europe. Bodum are the best known makers of course. There is no difference between a cafetiere and a French Press! Best coffee makers around I reckon.

Been using them for many years. I used to live in the same village as Bodum's distrubution centre in the Cotswolds and every six months they had sales of old stock. I had so many cafetieres I didn't know what to do with them all. I am still using a set of their saucepans now. They do make other kitchen stuff apart from the coffee makers!

My current home cafetiere is on of Bodum's metal pots, having broken all the glass one over the years!

Gareth

learn something new everyday! in this case 2 things!

I'm going to check out FP today at Meijer, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond is right next door. I should be able to find one around $20-30 i'm thinking.

I'll report back with my findings!

 

[Larry C in Texas]

I would think the two issues with a travel press are 1) as others have mentioned, the longer the coffee stays in the press, the worse the flavor, and 2) the clean-up. It's really messy to clean a press at work. I used to keep a 4 cup press at work and make coffee every morning, and the cleaning was a huge pain. You have to be careful and not get any appreciable amount of grounds in the sink, lest you clog it up and catch hell from everyone.

I finally just started making auto-drip Peet's at home and bringing a big green Stanley thermos full and that got me through the morning. That was before the Aeropress came out, and those seem to be a good answer for fresh coffee at work with a minumum of fuss.

 

[Jasonian]

I would think the two issues with a travel press are 1) as others have mentioned, the longer the coffee stays in the press, the worse the flavor, and 2) the clean-up. It's really messy to clean a press at work. I used to keep a 4 cup press at work and make coffee every morning, and the cleaning was a huge pain. You have to be careful and not get any appreciable amount of grounds in the sink, lest you clog it up and catch hell from everyone.

I finally just started making auto-drip Peet's at home and bringing a big green Stanley thermos full and that got me through the morning. That was before the Aeropress came out, and those seem to be a good answer for fresh coffee at work with a minumum of fuss.

You know, OXO has a solution to said problem these days:

http://www.oxo.com/p-1134-french-press-4-cup.aspx

 

[galopede]

You know, OXO has a solution to said problem these days:

http://www.oxo.com/p-1134-french-press-4-cup.aspx

An excellent idea! On the other hand, I always though OXO was a stock cube!

Gareth

 

[Larry C in Texas]

You know, OXO has a solution to said problem these days:

http://www.oxo.com/p-1134-french-press-4-cup.aspx

Yes, that looks like a great idea. When my Bodum breaks, I shall have to pick one of these up.

 

[Toothpick]

I found a couple deals I couldn't pass up today. Both items on clearance, and the Peet's coffee was $9.99 (never had this before, not sure if thats a good price). I went with the whole bean and did a corse grind at the store. You all talked me out of the travel press so i went with the standard french press. then a saw a deal on the hot pot and got that to heat my water up.

I just experimented with it all and holy smokes this coffee is the bees knees! I used the scoop that came with the FP and did 2 scoops and the recommended brew time of 4 minutes. I might do 3 tomorrow and see how it tastes but 2 tastes fantastic! I'm not going to declare the best cup ever just yet, it's only my first with a FP. I need to experiment more with the brew time and amount of coffee to find what I absolutely like best. but overall it is A LOT better than the auto-drip. Not sure if its the Peet's coffee or the FP or both.

 

[_JP_]

The OXO does what otherwise stops me from considering a travel French press, which is the grounds get left in the brew. But for my purposes, I'll probably not go for one.

 

[Toothpick]

I'll primarily be using the FP for coffee to take to work. I'll make the coffee and it will go straight in to my mug and out the door. No coffee left in the brew for me. Cept for days like today when I'm off work and I use it. It stays in the brew long enough for me to finish a cup and get more.