Xpress SmartCup: A To-Go Brewing Method You Should Be Worried About




  • There are so many coffee brewing methods out in the world today that it’s easy to become frustrated and confused.

    At first glance a lot of the coffee brewing methods out there look like they’re promising, but for some, the differences between good and bad quality, or brand named products isn’t as easily discernible. Consumers are left wondering who’s brand to go with, or which brewing style is best, but in the end it all comes down to one thing – personal preference.

    Taking a look at the French press, it is one brewing method that a lot of coffee aficionados and coffee professionals agree is a good brewing method, especially one to start out on if you are new to the coffee world.

    One downside to the French press, and all coffee brewing methods in general, is that coffee brewing takes time, and patience. If you want a quality cup of coffee there is no way to skim a few seconds to get that cup of coffee quicker. It just isn’t possible or is it?

    Enter in the Xpress SmartCup.

    The Xpress SmartCup is not news to me, but when I was contacted recently about trying it I thought it might be a good idea to accept. After all, maybe it’s the next coffee brewing method for people with hectic schedules who love their coffee too much to drink poor quality.

    So, the Xpress SmartCup is starting to sound like a good idea, right? Well, I’d like to say so, but unfortunately this just isn’t one of those good ideas. The moment the box arrived it was very clear that this was going to be a big letdown, or maybe I just put my expectations a little too high.

    I’m curious here – are coffee consumers so pressed on time that we need to try to push out a to go coffee brewing method? Even worse, a to go French press?

    I’m sorry, but the Xpress SmartCup is crazy to say the least, ridiculous, environmentally unfriendly, and as Brian from Dear Coffee, I Love You put it:

    Xpress has taken one of the most eco-friendly methods of brewing coffee and given it the finger.

    Now before you go and think that I am on bashing fest here, I did in fact give this product a fair go around before I came to my conclusion.

    I really wanted to like this, but we all know you can’t force someone to like anything. Not even yourself.

    I will say that my initials thoughts of this were actually good. Well, hopeful. It seemed like a good idea, but that’s really all it should be is an idea.

    When I opened the box I was greeted with plastic upon plastic. I was beginning to feel quite disappointed, but more than that I was utterly sad. Brian was right. This really was like giving the French press the finger.

    Breaking the obvious faults down with this product, I can really only think of two.

    1.) It’s plastic.
    Was someone not listening? Any coffee addict, barista, coffee roaster, or just about anyone that knows a thing or two about brewing great coffee will tell you that plastic is coffee’s worst nemesis. A coffee product should never be made where plastic is part of the equation. Plastic + Coffee = very very bad idea. No one wants a cup of coffee that has a plastic taste to it.

    2.) It’s not environmentally friendly.
    I’m sure that there are people out there where something being environmentally friendly or not isn’t in their top priorities list. I for one have to raise my hand and point out that it’s not high on my list, but I highly respect anyone who cares enough about the world to make sure their product doesn’t further the earth’s downfall.

    After making a few notes on the obvious faults I had to get down to business and test on the quality of coffee this makes as well as ease of use.

    Mental Note:
    To get decent coffee out of this thing you need to make sure it has your full attention. When it does, focus even harder because it doesn’t take much to screw it all up.



    My first test with the Xpress SmartCup was a total disaster. The bottom of the plunger where the filter is ended up sideways and all the grinds mixed back with the coffee creating a muddy looking slush. Since this was my first attempt it wasn’t a big deal.

    My second test didn’t happen until the next day. As I was preparing for my second test I was beginning to wonder why I even accepted to test these out. Surprisingly, the second test went off without a hitch and produced a decent cup of coffee with little sediment at the bottom of the cup and did not have a plastic taste whatsoever.

    I was quite proud when the second attempt went smoothly. For my third attempt, I decided to do a side by side comparison with a top quality French press by Frieling. I wanted to see if there were any differences between the two.

    Basically I was looking to see if I noticed first and foremost a plastic taste in the coffee, and two if there was a difference between the SmartCup and the Frieling taste wise.


    While preparing for my side by side comparison I ended up once again falling into the same issue as the first experiment. The filter at the bottom of the plunger ended up sideways again and it became a mess. Instead of throwing it out and starting over I took some cheese mesh and strained the coffee out from the grinds.

    Interestingly enough, I found the side by side comparison to be a night and day difference. The coffee in the Xpress SmartCup was quite heavy and had more of a gritty feeling on the tongue whereas the coffee from the Frieling French press felt cleaner and not near as heavy.

    Both French presses had the same bean/water ratio as well as brew time so the only conclusion I can think of is that the Frieling does a better job at filtering out the grinds whereas the Xpress SmartCup does not which is why I ended up with a heavier much grittier cup of coffee.

    In conclusion, the Xpress SmartCup is far from perfect. For one, I do not understand why the lid, the plunger stick, and filter are all separate parts. The smart thing would have been to incorporate them as one piece instead of three.

    If you are looking for a to go French press ask yourself why you even own a French press in the first place. A French press requires time, and patience, but more so a French press is for the people who don’t care how long it takes to make a cup of coffee, but the outcome of the coffee. Its that moment when the cup meets your lips, the moment when that wave of hot liquid hits your taste buds and your tongue fires up grabbing every note it can detect.

    Personally, I would not recommend this to anyone, but others might find this a perfect fit for them. After all, its all about personal preference here.



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    May 24th, 2011 | Jamie | 3 Comments | Tags: , ,

About The Author

Jamie Ferguson

From sunny Sarasota Florida, Jamie Ferguson has been drinking coffee since a very young age. Jamie is just your average jane who has a serious addiction to coffee, but more so has a bigger love for the heart, and the dedication that is put into growing, processing and roasting coffee. Come and join the adventures...

  • http://www.coffeemakers411.com Billy.411

    I’m with Brian from DCILY on this one…  we already have way too many ways to throw away plastic – why create more? And by the sounds of the reports I’ve read, it doesn’t even work all that well anyway!

    Still… it was nice you tried your hardest to give it the best review you could, despite it’s difficulties.

    • http://thecoffeeadventures.com Jamie Ferguson

      Thanks, Billy.

      I don’t know why I thought there was even a slight chance this was a good idea/product, but I always give the benefit of the doubt for every product.

      Yeah it was hard to keep it from falling apart on me no matter how careful I was. If you have to work that hard to keep something from falling apart on you then it’s really not worth your time.

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