Customer Reviews

Bodum Stainless Steel 16-Ounce Vacuum Travel Press Coffee Maker with Black Silicone Grip

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Bodum travel coffee press is nice. Only issue with it is that the filter part of the french press is made with plastic and has a silicon gasket that seals between the filter and the inside walls of the mug. I really don't enjoy having plastics steeping/leaching in the hot water I'm about to drink, so this is a deal breaker. Would have been nice if they mentioned this in the description. Since there aren't any other good french press travel mugs out there, I think I'm going to try to make my own filter this is all metal. Bummer.

Overall, this is a pretty good but not great product. The strengths: it makes pretty good coffee; I haven't experienced the difference between this and a regular press that another reviewer mentions. It goes in the dishwasher, unlike many other mugs. Because it can make as well as carry your coffee, you can go out the door before your coffee is finished brewing. The weaknesses: I had the same difficulty with the strainer unscrewing from the shaft and getting stuck in the bottom of the mug. It's a pain to get it out. More seriously, if you fill it pretty full and seal it up, it leaks. So when your coffee is hot you have to carry it around with the sippy slightly open. Lastly, being stainless steel you can't put it in the microwave. So -- consider these carefully and make the choice that works for you.

I'd hoped for french press nirvana, but my expectations were a bit too high.

After a number of broken glass beakers in previous presses, I decided what I needed was something I could travel with, plus unbreakable. When this Bodum appeared in my search I thought I'd encountered one of those rare, hop out of the bathtub, run down the street starkers, "eureka!" moments. The reality, when I eventually received the press, was a little less joyous.

Firstly, the silicone seal on the filter is very effective. If you are not careful, it grips the sides of the mug and unscrews from the shaft of the plunger. Easily remedied with a needle nose pliers, but a bit disappointing in something this expensive (it arrived loosely screwed to the shaft, it detached the first time I used it). I recommend other users keep a regular check to make sure the filter is tightly screwed to the shaft.

Second problem. I like to use a lot of coffee, about 2 tablespoons, in very hot water for maximum extraction. I leave that for 15 to 20 minutes before depressing the plunger (this is why I suspect I need not worry that the filter is made of plastic as one other reviewer indicated, the plastic is the least of the unhealthy stuff here) and stopping the brewing. Unfortunately, the thermal efficiency is so good, that the coffee is still un-drinkably hot after all that time.

My second problem (noted above) is not really a fault of press, just an issue of my preference, so I should not mark it down for that. But my third problem, and the major one, is that the coffee that I get at the end of everything, just isn't as good as what I get from the regular press. Perhaps I need to adjust my methods to optimise the brew (I'll report back if it improves in the future) but I have tried several different ways already, varying many of the variables in both directions.

All in all, the 3 stars expresses it best. It's okay. I am not sure a $30 coffee press should be just okay though.

17th March, 2010
Getting closer to the coffee that I know a french press can produce. It takes a bit of work though. Firstly, I use water that isn't boiling hot (I let the boiling water sit for 10 minutes), secondly I used more coffee (2 and a half table spoons) and thirdly I left the cup uncovered for about 10 minutes before adding milk and sugar and depressing the plunger.

I think the two major problems I had before (too hot, taste not great) were remedied. I don't think a french press is really for the person who dislikes finicky procedures. If you like to grab your coffee and go, this is likely to irritate you. Since my purpose was a press that won't break easily and I don't mind the finicky process, it works for me.

Still not worth more than 3 stars though.

Just use some common sense with this product and it will preform at a very high level.

1) The plastic and silicon parts are food safe so don't worry about that, you're not microwaving plastic at +500°, more often than not your water will be less than 200° and falling. You will absorb far more incidental additives from the coffee itself than from the plastic so don't fall prey to the hype.

2) If you over tighten the cap and miss shape the silicon gasket, it will leak. I wipe down the threaded area with a napkin to insure coffee grounds will not interfere with the sealing of the cap, also check to make sure the gasket is properly seated before screwing the cap tight.

3) Over extraction of coffee is a possibility with this press. An advanced technique is to submerge the grounds slightly during the brew process, then after the brew is complete, with a slotted spoon, extract as much of the grounds as possible. Add your cream, sugar or whatever, wipe down the threads, then use the plunger to finalize the process. Works Great. It's still a press so anything after 4 minutes of steeping and the flavor will start to bitter...once again, nothing to do with the plastic parts!

4) Cleaning this product is extremely easy, just pick up a bottle brush and scrub away.

Bottom line folks just use common sense and this thing will rock for a long time.

Awesome!

I've used this travel press for awhile and had zero problems. No leaks, no loose screen. It's a great coffee maker/mug on the go. Will it replace a real french press? No, but it's a great on-the-go alternative. I no longer have to drink the horrible generic office coffee.

Before you use your travel press...

1. Screw the screen really tight to the rod.
2. Check the lid's seal ring, make sure it is properly in position. Do not screw the top if the seal is not flush with the top. You'll damage the ring if it's not set.
3. Give it a good rinse
4. Enjoy

I love it. No problems. Keeps my coffee very hot. Do not use crappy Folgers or Maxwells. Use "coarse" ground coffee with hot water around 200 degrees. If you want sugar, add it with the coffee grounds before you pour the water in it. For creamer, I would pour it in the spout (unless you use powder).

FYI, I have the Green travel press, it's very pretty.

I LOVE Bodum products! Ok, I am kind of a coffee snob. I used to have a four-dollar-a-day coffee habit at that place we all know. But then I found Bodum! Bodum, how I love thee. So I am on my third coffee press, my second travel press. The first one was the plastic travel press by Bodum. This one is SO much better! First of all, because it is stainless steel it won't crack like the plastic one or leech plastic into your coffee. Second of all, the depressor is better. On the plastic press, the hot coffee would splash up on me if I didn't push it down slow enough. This one never splashes. As for those who think it is too hard to add cream and sugar, here is my trick. I use the drinking spout in reverse. If you put your spoon against the drinking spout and tilt just a little, the sugar goes right in. Same with the milk. And I use the handle end of the spoon to stir. Works for me. :-) If you are the only one drinking coffee in your house or are a StudentMommyWife like me and are always on the go, this is the BEST way to make and drink your coffee. (by the way, the cute colors don't hurt anything either)

This is a great product of Bodum's. My entire family loves french press coffee, and there is no other way we drink coffee. The travel mug keeps the coffee Extremely hot up to hours after brewed. The colors offered are fun and spunky. Only downside to the travel french press is that it is difficult to add sugar and/or milk. Satisfied with the purchase!

Made great coffee the first time I tried it. The second time it was ok. The third time? The lid no longer screws on. Kind defeats the purpose of it being a travel mug and vacuum press. Now to deal with returning it...

I, too, had very high hopes for the travel press when I got it. I work graveyard shifts and rely on coffee as much as anyone. After buying at a cafe for a year, it dawned on me that I could save money and avoid drinking boiling coffee out of plastic lined cups by buying this promising press. I was so excited about having my own ground beans just sitting in my mug, waiting for hot water at my convenience, that I overlooked the hokey oversized BODUM hand grip. Long story short, after steeping for 10 minutes, I sipped with great anticipation and tasted what amounted too a blend between tar from a hot summer roof and a bike tire. The plastic press and especially the silicone gasket completely ruin the coffee. Completely. I momentarily had plans to retrofit it with an all metal press component that wouldn't leach flavor ruining carcinogens into my coffee (I work on an oncology unit and can't really ever stop thinking about risk factors...) but after realizing I paid 30 bucks for a disappointing metal tube, I took it back. Buyer beware. Anybody want to design a competitor?

First of all I do like this as travel mug. But as a filter it is waaaaay too short (about 2 inches) from the bottom. Yes I realize the bottom is about one inch thick but I have measured it and the filter is actually 2 inches away from the bottom. I first noticed this when I was finishing my coffee and realized there was still quite a bit if coffee left in the mug caught below the filter. I have a regular 8 cup coffee press that is about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch from the bottom. Which is how this should be. I wrote the company suggesting this and they seemed to care less and said it was fine.
I wished I had sent this back because I already have plenty of coffee mugs and this thing is just wasting my coffee and flawed in its design.

P.S. tried to add this on Bodums site for this mug and it was promptly rejected. There are only 6 reviews there and of course they are all good.