Customer Reviews

Bodum 16-Ounce Travel Coffee Press and Tea Maker, Clear

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've owned this mug for a couple of years and used it primarily for camping. Dan from Rochester got it right with his commentary, so I'll add just a few points.

The concept is ideal for camping and reduces the effort to make really good coffee. However, the bad points regarding the plunger not going down far enough; leaking lid; etc. are all right on. Also, the cup is double-wall plastic for insulation. The inside sleeve on mine cracked when I poured boiling hot water in it!

I would certainly purchase a similar item again, though not this one. Bodum just needs to increase the quality. I would pay twice the price for higher quality.

Overall...not recommended.

I decided to add my comments after reading some of the reviews here. I've been using my travel press for about 2 years. In my opinion, success or failure, satisfaction or dissatisfaction, depends a lot on technique. Here's mine:

99% of my use is for coffee. I grind a small quantity of beans for each use. Initially I used a blade grinder, but have since switched to a burr grinder. It makes a difference. A blade grinder will create coffee dust. A burr grinder, especially when it is set to coarse, makes much less dust. A French press does not like coffee dust. It will clog the filter screen and make the plunger hard to depress. Try operating the plunger with plain water first and get an idea of how much force is required to push the plunger. If it takes much more than this when you're making coffee, the screen is getting plugged. If this happens, retract the plunger a bit so liquid goes back the other direction through the screen. This will help rinse fine particles off the screen. You can feel an obvious difference with a clean screen. By slowly pressing and retracting, kind of teasing it, the plunger will eventually reach the bottom. It sounds complicated, but it only takes a few seconds longer than using a direct push.

If you just force the plunger, especially when it's close to the top, the sealing lip will distort and you will force grounds past the lip, bypassing the filter screen. The inner container walls are tapered for manufacturing, so the lip contact is much less when the plunger is at the top.

The inner and outer containers are welded together at the top. With use, it's almost inevitable that small cracks will occur in the weld seam. Normally, these do not affect the function of the mug. In fact, when hot water is added you may actually hear creaking noises or a pop as the inner container expands slightly. During washing it's possible a tiny amount of water may leak into the space between containers. This is why you don't want to microwave it. The water will turn to superheated steam, build up pressure, and soften and deform and ruin the inner container. This can happen with any double-walled vessel.

I use creamer and sweetener. I simply add both ingredients to the grounds before adding hot water. After pouring in the water and stirring I find that a 'coffee foam' forms at the top. The foam carries coffee grounds with it. If the foam is too high it will go over the top edge of the sealing surface of the inner container. It's nowhere close to overflowing the container, so it's easy to overlook this detail. What happens is that foam and grounds will get above the plunger and into the filtered coffee when you set the plunger in place. So when you add water be sure everything stays a short distance below the sealing surface.

The plunger doesn't go clear to the bottom because there needs to be room for the grounds underneath it. After you've enjoyed the coffee above the filter, there will be liquid trapped below the plunger. It doesn't easily flow through the filter screen because the screen is now clogged with fine particles. If you're really desperate for that last tablespoon or 2, swirl the coffee around to rinse the fines off the underside of the filter and you should be able to be able to tip it and get the rest of the liquid to flow through.

I would call this an insulated mug from the standpoint that you can easily handle it when it's full of hot liquid without getting burned. However, it's definitely not the same quality of insulation you get from a thermos where liquid will stay hot for hours. Thirty minutes after filling it will still be warm, but certainly not hot.

How well do I like mine? I gave 4 others for Christmas gifts this year.

Good points:

-Does a fair job keeping tea warm.

Bad points:

-Large tea leaves get past the plunger. Very poor filtering system.

-Plunger does not work smooth requiring that you pay close attention when you push it down.

-It is made out of plastic. All the previous Bodum products I have purchases were glass. I did not see the material listed on the Amazon page.

-It will still leak, even when the top is fully closed.

-The plunger does not go down far enough wasting a lot of tea.

-I have purchased Bodum products in the past and they were European made and very good quality. This was made in China and feels very cheaply made.

-Stickers put by Bodum on the side and bottom of the container will not come off. This is great if you want to read the "directions" and country of origin information for ever. These stickers were put on crooked too.

Overall: Buy another product. I would have given it 2 stars if it was so low cost.

UPDATE: I decided to see how long this really keeps liquids "hot". Unfortunately, not very long. The tea seemed to go from "too hot to drink" to "room temperature" within minutes. This was even after preheating the cup as suggested.

I also spilled the cup, tea comes out so fast if you tip it with the lid closed, you can drink out of it.

If I could drop this to 2 stars, I would. Save your money!

I own 4 different brands of travelling mugs. I am a big coffee and tea drinker. There is no one brand that satisfies me completely. But this one has its pluses. It is dishwasher safe, and most starbucks mugs are not advertised as so. It does not spill when I am running. The Nissan one might be safer if you completely invert it quickly, but running and moving it at all angles in between is what counts for me. Also, since there is no metal, I throw it in the microwave for the milk while I wait for the espresso. It saves me a cup to hold the milk in. (I screw the filter off when I don't want to use it as a press. So it is really a 2 in one if you use loose tea or a bag.)

It doesn't hold warmth for as long as the Nissan though...

I bought this as a gift for my step-mom who is a devout coffee snob. She loves Starbucks, etc. but she's really hooked on Kona and her french press at home. She's always running here and there and she takes this little cup everywhere with her. I'm completely glad that I bought it and she loves having it. Excellent product

This is a great product but it as other reviewers mentioned there are some small drawbacks. HOWEVER, in my opinion this is still a great product.

- The plunger doesn't go all of the way down. I think they did this in order to make sure the plunger will fit down in the lid no matter how much coffee grounds or tea leaves you have in the mug.
- The seal on the plunger isn't perfect - you'll need to press down slowly instead of just pushing the plunger as fast as you can.
- It is close to a perfect seal but if you hold it upside down it will drip drip drip. For most purposes this is fine but I've got some OXO travel mugs that create a perfect seal (though they don't double as a coffee press.)

So here's how I brew my coffee in the travel press:
1) Boil water in another container either in the microwave or on the stove.
2) Add grounds for about 1.5 servings. If you ground your own beans go for a courser grind instead of a fine powder here. I also go ahead and add any sugar and cream I want before adding the water. This resolves some of the problems other reviewers were having with trying to add these after pressing the grounds.
3) I add enough boiling water to cover the grounds and wait a few seconds. Sometimes I swirl it a bit to make sure the sugar dissolves at this point. Then I go ahead and add the remaining boiling water.
4) Close the lid and wait about 3 minutes for the coffee to brew. More for even darker and less for a lighter brew. You'll probably need to experiment a little to get the coffee brewed to your liking (I basically made some good tasting espresso my first time with too many grounds and too long on the brewing time.)
5) SLOWLY press down the plunger. As with most press pots you may have a few grounds sneak through and also if your grounds are too fine they may go through the filter and into the coffee you'll drink.

I'm really happy with this - it brews my coffee better than my existing coffee maker so I've been using this and making one cup coffee for myself every couple of days or so for the last two weeks. For about $10 it's a great deal.

This travel French press is perfect for everyday use, especially on the go. I have never had any problems with grounds getting into the coffee. I use course grounds and do not fill it past an inch from the top, just like the instructions say. After it brews, I press it, mix in sweetener and creamer, and then fill the remaining inch of space with more hot water to make it completely full. You can't ask for better coffee.

I find this perfect for going to work in the mornings, all you need to do is bring a mason jar or some other microwavable container along so that you can heat the water in the microwave, then pour it in. This saves you from drinking cold coffee brewed at home or the stale office coffee.

To the people that have given this product bad reviews because they are eating coffee grounds: use course grounds only and do not fill it more than an inch from the top before pressing! You can always add more water later.

This is extremely convenient for me. Plus there's only one container to wash. Perfect if you're only brewing coffee for yourself on the way out the door in the morning.

Bought a bunch as gifts.. Many arrived broken and most friends said they lasted a month. Not a well made product.. Not great shipping either! No protective packing inside box at all!! Overall disappointed.

Really lets too many grounds through. And it is best to find one with the screw cap grooves on the outside, not on inside.
Oh. The cream and sugar go in BEFORE you put the lid on (ref to previous review.