I picked up a fairly inexpensive Bodum french press the other day, and I'm thrilled. Mr. Kipper is pondering stealing it when he travels, especially when he goes out into the woods for hunting.

A few questions:

1. Is there one that might be better for travel, especially hunting, than one that's glass?
2. Is there one that would make 2 cups of coffee at once, rather than just one? By two cups of coffee, I mean two coffee mugs of coffee (large mugs), as ours claims it's a 3 cup, but I only ever seem to fill one coffee mug with it.

Thanks!

I use an Aeropress for travel. Technically can do two cups, but I always do one at a time since I prefer to make it like brewed coffee and not like espresso.

http://m.rei.com/mt/www.rei.com/product/820424/rei-table-top-french-coffee-press-32-fl-oz

They come in both Plastic and Stainless for travel, in different sizes. Bodum also makes them (along with others) if you like Bodum products.

I purchased a Bodum initially because it was on sale for $8 or $9, and we'd been discussing trying it. I don't know that I'd insist on staying with Bodum, but I do like it thus far.

Perhaps I'll suggest stainless for travel to Mr. Kipper. I'd actually be thrilled if I could find one that was osmething like 48 oz, because that would probably give us 2 large coffee mugs at one time, although that wouldn't need to be for travel.

I have one made of plastic, and it makes 2 1/2 cups. Not sure where I got it, and it has no markings. I travel with it sometimes.
Doesn't Starbucks make a personal mini press that is also a coffee mug? Thought they did one time...

There's really nothing to a french press that will make one brand different than another one. As long as it's leakproof in a travel one, and as long as it doesn't let the grounds get past the screen, they are all pretty much the same.

I believe the largest french press is 12 cups, which some define as 48 ounces and others 51 ounces, so you should be able to find anything from one to 12 cups.

Thanks. I apparently need to find one that's 48 ounces or 51 ounces.

OK, guys. I own a cookware store, and I buy and sell lots of french presses.
The easiest ones to come by that travel well are a plastic one sold by Starbucks, and a considerable more expensive stainless steel one sold by Freiling. Everything else has glass parts or falls somewhere in the middle. There are also similar apparatus for milk frothing, as well as the sort of battery powered toothbrush style, that I don't like as much.

I have a 12 cup Bodum and it is great. I picked mine up I expensively from a department store, so might be worth trying your local ones rather than a (possibly more expensive) specialty store.

A French Press is nice, but a Napoletana is more fun. You can flip or just pour hot water through. I find the coffee a little too cool from a large french press. Something I read and can't personally verify--when you add hot water to the french press, fresh coffee will foam up, stale coffee not at all.

Sounds interesting, but I find something a bit theraputic about using a french press.

I don't know if they do any more, but they did make two types, and I own both. I disagree that all french presses are the same.

One is stainless steel, and produces about 2 cups (or one large travel size cup) and works very well. I have used it about 300x per year for at least 7 years with it still working as well as when I purchased it. And it keeps the coffee very hot until I am ready to drink it.

The other is plastic. It may be lighter for travel (but more liable to break or crack) It doesn't keep the coffee as hot, and the press part doesn't work well after just a few dozen uses. Others have reported this as well on the thread elsewhere on FT about making your own coffee while travelling.

I have actually searched for a stainless steel version for some time now as colleagues are always jealous of my hot, self-made coffee, but have not found a comparable product.

I believe that this is the one willie wonka mentioned (I was confused by the 'Freiling' as this is by 'Frieling') http://frieling.com/products/coffee-and-tea-essentials/ The small size may be suitable for travel.

I have found this to be accurate though i have not scientifically proven so. The large Seattle-based coffee companies rarely foam. Local small batch works best.

I'm in the market for a new french press ASAP... Mr. Kipper, in typical Marine fashion, while trying to disassemble it to clean it, apparently thought it was much like trying to field strip an M16, and used brute force to tilt the handle away from the carafe, to remove the carafe. In doing that, he managed to break the glass.

As such, I think we've decided that stainless steel is a must. We did stop at 3 different stores this morning, but we were not able to find stainless steel, just glass.

I think I'm just going to order this one.