Coffee and tea are the most widely consumed morning beverages around the globe. Now more and more people want to take be able to take their favorite morning brew with them as they start their morning commute. There are many reasons why the travel mugs are the ideal solution. The Bodum Travel Press incorporates both a mug and french press in one, an idea that turned out to be great, but also and not so great. It has limitations, but it does exactly what it was designed for.
Features:
Environment Friendly: A reusable coffee mug is a great step towards cutting down on use of paper cups. Many people assume that being paper, coffee cups are recyclable and they are wrong. Majority of the paper cups used for hot drinks have a plastic or wax coating to keep you cup of Joe hot and to maintain the integrity of the cup. Due to this, recycling becomes difficult and is not economical.
Retention of Heat: Travel mugs keep your drink hot for many hours, allowing you to enjoy your drink over the course of the morning. Alternatively, you can enjoy a cup at home and make a fresh one for later part of the morning. In any case your drink stays fresh and hot.
Economical: Daily purchase of coffee from an expensive coffee shop can definitely burn a hole in anyone’s pocket. Making your coffee at home and carrying it with you means you do not compromise on quality or taste but do save a lot of money over the course of a month.
Flexibility: Just becaFuse a travel mug keeps things hot does not mean it can’t be used to carry iced beverages. It works well for cold coffee in the summer months too! It also does not have to be used just for travel or the office. Simply brewing some coffee at home works too.
The Bodum Travel Press mug has gone beyond what the standard travel mug offers; it allows you to prepare your coffee fresh on the go! A mug and french press coffee maker in one. For those on a budget, the Bodum insulated clear plastic travel french press with double wall construction, with colored silicone bands, and free from BPA is a good choice. The non-slip hold guarantees you won’t drop it.
For those willing to spurge, there is the Bodum insulated stainless steel Travel Press for a few dollars more. The vacuum seals and double stainless steel walls keep drinks hot or cold for many hours. Silicone grip in bright beautiful colors adorns the belly of the mug to eliminate accidental slipping and provide a comfortable grip. The dishwasher safe mug has a built-in plunger and spill resistant lid.
The french press unit of the Travel Press is decent in both build quality and design, but being that it is small and compartmentalized, it lacks a little space for proper water pour. It operates and brews as one would expect and I have had no issues with too much sediment making it past the mesh filter. I never really tested how long it can retain the heat on my beverages, because I typically drink it no later than ten minutes after brewing it. Many of the new mugs on the market simply surpass the two or three hour mark before considerably lowering in temperature.
Unfortunately, this is where french press coffee makers and travel mugs don’t jell so well. Because the coffee grounds or other mediums remain in contact with the water, it is designed to be consumed after brewing, rendering the hour long heat retention useless. Unless you pour out the coffee into another mug, it will eventually spoil the brew. The Travel Press is better suited for a single coffee on the go. It allows you to make a fresh brew at work, while camping, or any other scenario where other coffee makers would not be available, but hot water would.
Preparing Your Brew in a Travel Press:
To prepare your coffee in the Bodum Travel Press, just add 3 to 4 tablespoons of grounds . Add sugar and milk if desired, top off with water and stir the contents. Let the coffee infuse for three to four minutes, depending on personal preference and just press down on the plunger and your drink is ready. For those who give tea greater preference, the Bodum travel press works just as well. Simply add the tea leaves and water and allow infusing for a few minutes. Then just gently press down on the plunger and tea is ready.
Pros and Cons of the Bodum French Press Travel Mug:
The Bodum Travel Press comes with a number of features that reviewers like. Namely, the “Kung Fu Grip” encircling the exterior of the mug is comfortable and convenient. Then there is the tight fitting screw-on lid with a sip guard which ensure that the drink does not spill. A second lid, the non-press type is also included. The insulation maintains the temperature of the drink. The filter assemble is easy to take apart for cleaning purposes. It should be noted that the Bodum Travel Press is spill “resistant”, but should always be kept upright. Similar to the Travel Mug, it can still leak in case of high pressure. The Travel Press does however do a much better job at eliminating spills when the mug falls over, compared to their simpler Travel Mug.
For all the good things that the mug offers, there are also some negatives. The lack of a scoop makes measuring out coffee a bit of guess work. Three to four tablespoons is what they suggest as their measurement, but I sometimes add a little more for taste. Also the press stops significantly short of touching the bottom. While space is needed for holding the grounds, there is some liquid that gets trapped there and it can’t make its way through the filter screen, which by now is blocked with coffee particulates. While this may not be a significant issue, some of us really enjoy that last sip or two. Some reviewers complain that it does not maintain the coffee steaming hot for extended periods of time. The fact of the matter is that, french press coffee is intended to be consumed as soon as it is made as the longer it remains in contact with the grinds, the longer the extraction continues making the drink bitter.
This is actually my biggest issue with press style travel mugs, your coffee grounds or tea leaves just aren’t meant to be in contact with water for that long. So realistically speaking, the mug maintains temperature for a couple of hours, which is significantly longer than intended for drinks made in this way. So if all you’re looking for is a travel mug that will keep your drink at the right temperature, than the Bodum Travel Mug would be a better and less costly option.
