Coffee on the go

I bought a Bodum double wall travel coffee press a few months ago to use with my Hario mini mill for travelling or for making coffee at school.

I have access to a Bunn drip machine with a hot water tap so I figured that I would start brewing my own coffee instead of purchasing mediocre coffee from on campus coffee shops everyday. I didn't want to do pour over because it requires more precise pouring and I didn't want to bring a regular French press because of the additional mug it requires. I saw the travel press/mug combo and decided to give it a shot.

The mug is double walled and made from a pretty robust plastic. It comes with a press lid and a regular lid that lets you use the mug like any other insulated mug. The press uses a fine metal screen in conjunction with a silicone ring that seals against the sides of the mug. 

The quality of the mug is slightly disapointing , especially for a Bodum product. The seal between the two walls of the mug started to fail after about two months of use, so that now water can make its way into the double wall chamber. The plunger screen is a good size but the silicone ring does not work well compared to the more common screen/spring perimeter. Grounds are always a potential issue with French press, but this silicone ring lets more coarse grounds past than most presses. 

It is capable of producing good coffee and the double wall helps by keeping the coffee up to temp while steeping. The obvious issue with the mug and press combination is the presence of grounds in the mug. Unless you pour the coffee into another mug after pressing, you are left with overextracted grounds in your cup for the duration of your sipping. The coffee is still better than what I can buy on campus, but not worth the effort.

If I try to do a mobile solution again I might go with a Clever dripper and a  normal mug. No fancy kettle required for the Clever dripper and it looks pretty easy to clean.