Espro

Vancouver based Canadian brand Espro is in the business of making tools to help their customers craft better cups of tea, coffee, and espresso. The company began in 2002 with an idea for improving the design of the coffee tamper; Espro’s Calibrated Tamper. In 2004 the company officially launched. Since that time, the company’s product lines have grown to include several redesigned versions of the traditional French Coffee Press as well as the Espro Travel Press.

Espro set about redesigning the Press with the goals of producing “grit-free coffee”, in a device that would maintain a high temperature without causing over-extraction. Espro achieved these goals through innovation. They designed an advanced dual-filter that is approximately 9-times finer than most standard French Press filters. This effectively reduces the size and quantity of sediment left in the finished product. (There is also a Tea Filter available. This isolates the Tea Leaves and prevents them from over steeping.) Espro also redesigned the Press mechanism to prevent over-extracted coffee from mixing with the beverage once the plunger is depressed. To ensure the correct temperature is maintained, Espro was the first manufacturer to use a double-walled vacuum-insulated press. The Travel Press features all of the innovations of its bigger brother, plus it can function as a pour-over brewer.

Espro's design-work pays off with a richly aromatic cup of coffee, less the usual silt and grounds. As further proof that Espro's innovations have been well received, the company has won the "Best New Product" award at the Specialty Coffee Association of America Expo and the World Tea Expo.