Kickstarter

NEVER SAY NEVER…

Hello all! This may be our final post for this campaign. Never say never, but it could be time to move the party over to our new campaign for the Medium 18 oz Espro® Press…

TWO (MICHELIN) STAR COFFEE

Recently, we heard some exciting news involving the Large Espro® Press, which we would like to share. In most things, two stars are not that great. I've stayed in a few two star hotels – they were adequate, but nothing out of the ordinary.

However, in the world of great restaurants, getting two Michelin stars is AWESOME! In 2012, Geranium Restaurant in Denmark adopted the Espro® Press for their coffee service. They were also named the 49th best restaurant in the world. In the 2013 Michelin guide they earned their coveted 2nd Michelin Star.

So, your large press makes two (MICHELIN) star coffee!

THE MEDIUM ESPRO® PRESS CAMPAIGN IS ALMOST OVER!

Many of you have already supported our second Kickstarter campaign – thank you! It has been wonderful to see so many of you again.

If you were still thinking about picking up a Medium Espro® Press, there are only 3 days left in our Kickstarter campaign, so please don’t delay! It is the perfect size for sharing with another person, and is great at delivering hot coffee for hours of increased productivity – it has certainly helped me!

Here's the link to the new campaign. In the updates for this campaign we are sharing more of the process of launching a new product – from design, to trade shows, to manufacturing. Should be an interesting experience!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bruceconstantine/the-medium-espro-press

We hope you will join us,

Cheers, Chris, Bruce, and the rest of the Espro Team.

A few hours ago we announced the newest ESPRO product right here on Kickstarter - the MEDIUM ESPRO™ Press! It is EASILY the most asked-for product in our history - making 2 Cups (18 oz) of perfect ESPRO™ Press coffee.

With your help, we launched the LARGE ESPRO™ Press here last year. Since then, it was raved about in Popular Science, Wired, Time Magazine, and the New York Times. Thanks to you, it has shipped across the globe, entered Michelin starred restaurants, and gone on many coffee shop menus. We truly appreciate the start we received from you, our Kickstarter supporters.

We also received a lot of great feedback from you, and this new size is in response to your feedback! It has been under development for over a year, and required difficult advancements to achieve the design we wanted, in the size you and our other customers have asked for most. It will serve enough to share, and enough to serve on bar in a coffee shop or restaurant.

We would love your support! Preorder, tell your friends, tweet, facebook, and pin the attached pic to your Pinterest page! We truly appreciate your help in getting the word out! This is the direct link: http://kck.st/XYz3bA

Consider putting it on bar in your coffee shop, or on the table in your restaurant - we'll tell you stories on our blog (http://espro.ca/esproblog/) in the coming days of some of the best restaurants in the world that have done just that this year.

We know you'll love it, and it will work as you expect every ESPRO product to work - perfectly. We will deliver, and warranty any and every issue for a year. This product contains all of our innovation, and elevates the flavors of the finest coffees. Thanks for your support!

Bruce, Chris and the entire ESPRO team

SHIPPING COMPLETE!

Your Espro Presses have been shipped! The last big batch went out April 20. This is the most important milestone of the project – other than you receiving them! This marks the end of many months of hard work by everyone on the Espro Team, and I want to thank them all for their dedication.

If you haven’t received an email with your tracking number, send us an email (info@espro.ca) and we will get it to you.

FEEDBACK FROM KICKSTARTER BACKERS

The proof is in the cup, and it is great to hear your comments. Here are a few!

Wow! It's a completely different tasting coffee. Rich bold full of flavor and. No grit.

…this press makes me want to have coffee 24x7. It's that good.

Got my kickstarter reward for the Espro Press today. The double filtration really delivers a nice cup!

I used my new @esproblog espro press this morning to make amazing coffee. So good.

Made my first batch of coffee today, and fell in love. Great product, and CDN to boot!

Just got my new Espro coffee press via @kickstarter and it is fantastic - brilliant Canadian design.

Wer übrigens mal richtig leckeren Kaffee trinken will, sollte sich dieses Ding hier kaufen - der Hammer!

I'm enjoying a cuppa from our new espro press right now. WHOOT WHOOT!

Got mine yesterday, perfect coffee maker!

I got my Espro Press last week! All I can say is wow! The build quality is beyond anything I've seen in any coffeepress and it makes the best coffee I've ever had. This is the best coffee maker I have ever purchased and I'm serious when I say I don't want any other press. Well done Espro!

Received my Espro press late last week, and I have to say I couldn't be happier with the product. Excellent design. Exceptional materials and construction. Really nice to see such a professional and innovative product designed in Vancouver!

TESTING THE GOODS REVIEW IN POPULAR SCIENCE

In April, we were honored to be in the print issue of Popular Science Magazine.

Popular Science has completed a rigorous test of the large press, and has posted a “Testing the Goods” article.

Their verdict:

I like the press a lot! It's a great-looking press pot to have on your counter, or to impress guests, or to medicate several hungover guests from the night before. The thermal insulating works pretty well, and the construction is solid and impressive. The coffee it makes is very good--it definitely achieves its goal to bring a press-pot cup of coffee without the grit, although since it's noticeably lighter and cleaner I'm almost tempted to put it in its own category, as a non-French press. But either way, it makes delicious, non-gritty coffee. It is quite expensive, but given its construction, it seems like it'll last a lot longer than my oh-so-breakable Bodums (plural, sadly, intended), so if you look at it as a long-term machine, it's not really that much to spend.

You can read the full article here.

Now that Popular Science is Espro Press powered, expect more great content!

SCAA 2012

Every year, experts and consumers gather at the Specialty Coffee Association of America Symposium and Exposition. This year it was held in Portland, Oregon. We met a lot of great people, saw some old friends, and drank a lot of coffee! It was a fantastic experience.

Here are the before and after photos of our booth.

From start to end, the booth was crammed with people. This is a shot of Chris serving up coffee to the folks from Stumptown – a must visit in Portland.

People loved the design of the large press, and the coffee it made. We brought a few large presses to the show, and they were sold out by the half-way point. On the last day, people camped out in our booth to buy the presses we used to make coffee during the show, including the one I was using at home!

We also had an excellent visit from Will and Norm at Tested.com. Will is a big coffee fan – we featured his review of the small press in our Kickstarter campaign. This is a shot of Bruce serving up some coffee from the large Espro press.

This is Chris, Bruce and David Makin, who was 2nd in the World Barista Championships 2008. He uses our Espro Calibrated tamper, and has a café and roastery in Melbourne, Australia called Axil Coffee Roasters.

This is a rare photo of most of Team Espro (especially rare that we are all stationary)!

We had guest brewers as well. Lalo Perez-Varona (who competed in the SW Regional Brewers Cup with the Espro Press) made coffee in the booth for a few hours, and taught us some new techniques. He will be opening up a roastery and café in Mexico City. Jordan Barber (below), NW Regional Brewers Cup winner and USBC competitor, dropped by to check our BIG Press. Jordan has been using the single-serve press in competition this year.

And below is Matt Lewin (Roaster at Axil Coffee in Melbourne, Australia) serving up some gorgeous latte art.

The kind folks at Rancilio loaned us a sweet espresso machine for people to try out our tampers and pitchers. We framed and posted our goal on top of it:

Our goal is to take care of the science of making coffee and espresso so that you can focus on the art.

CONTINUE TO SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK!

Thank you all so much. Please continue to send us your feedback on the press - it is truly appreciated.

Best Regards,

Chris, Bruce, and the entire Espro Team

SHIPPING BEGAN MARCH 29/12, ENDING APRIL 20/12

Presses head out to Kickstarter backers almost every day! We have shipped out 162 already, and our plan is to ship the rest by April 20. We appreciate your patience, as we work hard to get these presses out to you.

So here’s what this should mean for each of you…

  1. You should expect your press to be sent by April 20th, maybe sooner!
  2. Depending on where you live, it could take a week (within North America) or more (international) after that for you to receive your press.
  3. If you have not received your press by May 1st (in North America) or May 15th (International) please contact us directly (info@espro.ca).

We realize that each of you is anxious to receive your press. We can’t blame you – the coffee from it is really good (as some of you have already found out). Rest assured – while we cannot reasonably tell each of you precisely when you will receive your press, it will be very soon!

SO – YOU HAVE RECEIVED YOUR PRESS IN THE MAIL. NOW WHAT?

STEP 1. UNBOX

The box contains an Espro Press and an instruction manual. Wash the press in warm soapy water before using. This is how the micro-filter assembles. Wet the o-ring to ease re-assembly.

STEP 2. MEASURE COFFEE

There are two lines in the container.

A full pot (top fill line) uses about 50 - 60 g coffee (no more than 3/4 cup or 175 ml), and ~1000 ml of water.

A 3/4 pot (bottom fill line) uses about 38 - 45 g coffee, and ~750 ml of water.

STEP 3. GRIND COFFEE

Use a coarse grind, for a French press. The grind should look about like this.

Grind with a burr grinder, not a blade grinder. Blade grinders don’t control grind size, so every brew will be different. Grinding just before brewing is best.

STEP 4. HEAT WATER

Coffee brewed with boiling water is bitter, and brewed with cool water is sour. Use some of the water to preheat the press, and let the kettle sit for a minute or two. Ideal brew temperature is 195 – 205 °F (91 – 96 °C).

STEP 5. BREW

Start a timer for 4 minutes, put the coffee into the press, and fill with water to the appropriate line. We like to give the grinds a slight stir (or swirl) half-way through, to mix the floating grinds. Insert the filter and lid (don’t press down yet!) to keep in the heat.

STEP 6. FILTER

Press the filter slowly to the bottom. Hold onto the handle of the container and press straight down to keep it stable.

STEP 7. ENJOY!

Enjoy the aromas and flavours of the coffee you have brewed! We deliver the science of making coffee, so that you can master the art.

Please be careful, as coffee from the Espro Press is HOT! Also be careful, as the lid and knob at the top can get hot after pressing.

STEP 8. WHEN YOU’RE DONE, IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP

Remove the filter (carefully, as it may be hot). Pour out the grinds, and wash the container with a soapy cloth. Clear out the sink – the press won’t break, but glasses in in the sink might!

There are three options for cleaning the filter.

  1. Separate the top and bottom filter, and clean with a soft bristle brush
  2. Dishwasher, top rack only
  3. Fill press with soapy water and press filter up and down, rinse

Assemble the top and bottom filter when wet, to ease assembly of the o-ring.

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

For those that would like a sneak peak at the instruction manual, you can see it here.

Let us know your thoughts (info@espro.ca)!

Best Regards,

Chris, Bruce, and the entire Espro Team

POPULAR SCIENCE

We are incredible excited to be featured in the April issue of Popular Science! We were interviewed a few months ago, and we have been waiting (very impatiently) for the magazine to come out. Pick one up and check out pages 12 and 13. There is a great photo of the press and filter.

Both Bruce and I (Chris) are big science geeks, and have read Popular Science since we were kids, so this is a career highlight.

You can also check it out on line here.

WRAPPING UP PRODUCTION

Our last update covered the lip seal and o-ring. This time we are updating you on the container and the top (secondary) filter.

The Container

Containers are complete and in our warehouse. We are extremely happy with them, and we think you will be too.

Most common French Presses are made of single wall glass, which is easily broken, and loses temperature quickly. There are some double wall stainless steel presses, but they are typically not vacuum insulated.

The Espro Press is double wall stainless steel with vacuum insulation. This has three benefits.

First, the brew temperature stays very consistent during the brew process, which means you can extract a very precise flavour profile. As you vary the brew temperature, different flavours are emphasized, and you can tune the temperature for the optimal flavour.

Second, the coffee pours hot, and stays hot. Please be careful when you pour, and let the coffee cool slightly before your first sip. The double filter also isolates the grounds from the coffee, so there is less extraction after filtering. This means you can leave the coffee in the press longer than with a common French Press.

Third, this container will be around for a long time! They are incredibly durable. Each press weighs 2.6 lb (1.2 kg) total. This means no more glass to clean up and replace.

Here are the presses stacked up and ready for packaging.

And here they are ready to ship to our warehouse.

The Top (Secondary) Filter

Top filters were molded last Thursday, and the lip seal and o-ring assembled to them. Here is a picture of the first batch.

The top filter is your second line of defence against grinds in your cup. It also holds the lip seal, o-ring, and the nut that the handle screws into. There is a lot going on in this part! Many thanks to our Vancouver vendor - they have worked very hard to get this part right for you.

Next Steps

The bottom (primary) filters will be molded on Monday March 26, and the brace will be molded on Tuesday March 27. Wednesday March 28 we complete assembly by putting the filters into the presses.

The first units are scheduled to ship on March 29! We won't be able to get them all out in March, so please be patient with us, as we work hard to get them out as soon as we can.

SURVEYS

Surveys are out! We need your shipping information so we can get your press out as soon as it is ready.

Thanks for your support!

Best Regards,

Chris, Bruce, and the entire Espro Team