Vancouver coffee equipment company Espro has created what it is touting as “the first major technology update to the French Press in over 50 years.”
The company announced this morning that it will be collaborating with coffee giant Illy of Italy and Chicago’s Intelligentsia Coffee to officially launch their “revolutionary” product, which has been available for one year, at the National Restaurant Association 2013 event on May 18-21 in Chicago.
Espro co-founders Bruce Constantine and Chris McLean, both mechanical engineers, have been developing the product for over a decade.
“In the short year that the Espro Press has been available, it is already helping many Michelin Star and Zagat-rated restaurants serve much better coffee,” said Constantine, the company’s president.
“We are seeing coffee menus mirror wine lists for the first time, and coffee pairings and coffee flight services that are elevating the concept of tabletop coffee service.”
The product is a full-immersion brewer, and uses a double-filtered filtration system that ESPRO said is nine to 12 times finer than those of other presses. The micro-filters allow oils to seep into the cup, which the company said gives the coffee a fuller flavour.
Illy COO Barry Sheldon said, “French press brewing method is a simple and easy way for our clients to serve Illy coffee, but durability of the glass vessels and the inevitable grinds in the bottom of the cup are not ideal.
“We appreciate how the Espro Press removes these issues and allows you to just enjoy the superior flavours of our distinctive coffees.”
