Espro Press- Revolutionary French Press?

Just like any coffee lovers here, I also have my own collection of coffee brewers. Ranging from Aeropress, Moka Pot, and French Press. Among all, French press is my all time favorite because it presents the coffee very well and I just love the ritual in making the press. My last French press maker was a no-name glass vessel which breaks after just a mere 3 months use. (Thank god it was cheap!) I started missing my press soon after that and was looking for a stainless steel substitute.

At that time, I was split between Espro Press and Frieling Ultimo. My usage was making about 6-8 oz for one person at one time so both of them were just equally suitable for me. Silt was also never a big problem for me that make the decision hard. Eventually, I decided to get an Espro Press just because it has glowing feedbacks from the coffee lovers community.

The Espro Press in the hand, has a very high quality build to it. It’s made of food safe 18/8 stainless steel and has seamless vacuum insulator to retain heat well during the 4-minute extraction. Also, worth mentioning is its very shiny mirror polish. Because of this, it’s a very elegant way to make coffee, especially there’s a visiting guest. In another way, it was said to be a fingerprints ‘magnet’ because it would have prints all over it and dull the shininess. Personally, I don’t mind spending a little effort and have a shiny Press Pot in my collection. It’s just a 10 seconds wiping with microfiber cloth anyway.

Above picture: A wipe a day keeps your (finger) print away. Shiny shiny comes with a instruction manual.

Next it’s the filtering system. This is what makes stands out and differentiate it from a normal French press maker such as Bodum. Espro came out with a double filtering system, which filter coarse grind at the first level; followed by an extra microfine-mesh that filters fines in the coffee. As a result, you get a very clean cup with a generous amount of oil. This is a very big plus for people who like the mouthfeel of a French press but disdain the infamous sludge at the bottom. In my experience, there will still be a tiny amount of silt, but it’s insignificant that you could just sip it down.

Above picture: Double filtering system

The cons. Because of the innovative double filtering system, you get some portion of coffee retained behind the filter. I guess this is a price for the cleaner cup. You trade a small amount of coffee to please the god so that you get a cleaner cup. Kidding aside, it does retain a fair amount of coffee depending how much you’re brewing. For me, it retains about 2-3 oz of coffee. The less you make, the more you get retained. This is because the coffee ground is supposed to take up the volume behind the filter in minimizing the retention. So, if anyone’s looking to make less than 6 oz, ”Who makes so little coffee anyway?It’s just you”, it’s probably a better idea to get a Frieling or Aeropress. 

I should mention, there’s a way to get most of the coffee out from behind the filter. But there is a risk associated and it’s bothersome somewhat. I personally wouldn’t recommend it so much. The method is that, you tilt the Espro press 45 degree as if you’re pouring into your cup. Hold it at that and repeatedly pull and push the filter. This should get like 90% coffee out. Though, if you pulled too hard, the filter might slip and all the coffee with ground will spill out. Just be cautious.

Above Picture: An actual Espro press brew. Note the 'faux' crema.

Above picture: This is what I meant. The retention(obtained from using the method above) and the spill. If you're not careful, it can be really messy.  This is just an extremely mild case with just coffee dripping on countertop. So I heartily advise against getting the last drip (2oz) out.I did not spill it on purpose in the photo, it just happens.

Above picture: Very little silt. It actually looks more in the photo. I gulped it anyway.

However, for someone who’s making one cup (8-10 oz) of press pot per session, I can’t think of any cons that prevent you from getting an Espro Press. You get a French press brew, with all the rich oils, and great body, yet, without the annoying silt at the bottom. In the cup, it’s this perfect. Keep in mind though, with Espro, it’s as if you’re making a 12 oz but actually get 10 oz from it. A little waste, yes, about 3g of coffee for 1:16 brew ratio. Worth it? You decide. Sturdy-built insulated stainless steel vessel plus clean but rich cup vs a ~3g of coffee waste everytime.