Table Top French Press with Brü-Stop by Planetary Design
Editor: Johnny Lemaster
Just the Facts:
These stylish French presses serve up an amazing brew, with a double-wall, vacuum-sealed exterior which provides superior insulation and durability over traditional glass French Press models. With the patented Brü-Stop press screen, the extraction process is halted once pressed down, resulting in an amazingly fresh tasting cup, from the first sip, to the last.
The Brü-Stop features a precisely placed barrier plate that hovers over the French press screen. It allows the brewed coffee (or tea) to freely flow until fully pressed down. Then the plate recesses into the ultra-fine mesh screen frame and creates a physical barrier between the grounds and brewed coffee. This halts the brewing process and prevents coffee from becoming over-extracted, and bitter – no matter how long you let the coffee stay in the French Press.
Specifications:
- The French Press by Planetary Design is stylish, functional and durable–perfect for every day use!
- Planetary Design’s new patented Brü-Stop ultra-fine mesh press screen technology provides a flavorful, clean brew that will always taste fresh, never bitter.
- The double-walled, vacuum-insulated, 18/8 restaurant-grade stainless steel provides superior insulation and durability over traditional glass French Press models.
- The unique carafe design is virtually spill proof with a rubber non-skid base, the Planetary Design tabletop French Press is perfect for brewing coffee, loose-leaf tea, maté, cacao and more – anywhere!
- BPA-Free components. Easy to clean. Hand wash recommended. Other colors, textures and sizes available. Measures: 5.5″ x 9″
My Story:
As a coffee addict I have to have my coffee in the morning to function. It’s best for everyone if I have a cup or two prior to interacting with others. I have even had someone go as far as to make me a cup out of the blue and tell me I need to drink it. It’s not that I am a grumpy person, I just need a little pick me up to get me thinking clearly and moving so that I can be prepared to deal with people. I wouldn’t consider myself a coffee connoisseur, but I drink enough that I can appreciate a good cup. When you don’t find me with a cup of coffee nearby it’s a cup of tea that keeps me going. This is why I was excited to try out another product by Planetary Design, the Table Top French Press. Previously I had the privilege to test and review the Big Sky Bistro travel French press. It was a good product for when you need a single cup on the go or at the office, but now with the 32 oz Table Top French Press I am able to enjoy multiple cups with a single brew.
More often than not, one cup of coffee is never enough. With the ability to make a larger quantity of quality coffee per brew, I have been able to enjoy my liquid motivation throughout the work day, with minimal time spent preparing each delicious cup. The Table Top French Press is honestly one of the best French presses I have used. The Brü-Stop that Planetary Design came up with is really what I believe makes the press one of the best you will find, and sets it apart from the rest. The Brü-Stop is made with a rubber outer frame that creates a good seal along the 18/8 stainless steel wall, and has a fine mesh screen that keeps the grounds from ending up in your cup. The Brü-Stop also has barrier plate that pushes down against the mesh screen creating a seal with the rubber outer frame when the plunger is depressed to keep your coffee or loose leaf tea from over steeping and making a bitter drink. The Brü-Stop truly helps to make it so the Table Top French Press provides you with a good cup of coffee or tea from the first cup to the last cup of the pot.
When I first looked at the Table Top Press I was a little excited and wary to see that besides coffee Planetary Design also boasted that this press was good for tea, and specifically mate. A friend of mine from Argentina introduced me to yerba mate a few years ago and got me hooked. I have always drank it out of the traditional small gourd. This allows you to only put a small amount of hot water on the mate at a time so that it does not over soak and make the drink very bitter. You can see where using a typical press could cause a little bit of an issue here. Most presses push all of the grounds or tea to the bottom keeping most of the water out of them, but still allowing some to intermingle. With a 32 oz press by the time you get towards the bottom of the pot your tea or coffee is starting to get bitter from the constant steeping. With the Brü-Stop you are able to stop the steeping when it is ready. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to make such a large quantity of mate that wasn’t ruined by steeping for too long. The insulated stainless steel walls of the pressed kept my drinks hot until the very end, which when making 32 oz at a time is integral to an enjoyable experience.
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What Can Be Done Better:
Honestly I was very happy with this product. I think Planetary Design did a great job with it. From my usage of the Table Top French Press I do not see anything that I would like to see different. I would give this product a 5 star rating.
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