For coffee lovers everywhere, almost no tool is as sleek, sophisticated, and sublime as the French press. But many coffee lovers – from newbies to connoisseurs – have trouble finding just the right version for them.
Coffee Gator is a popular trending brand that cares a lot about your morning brew. But does their French press hold up?
We’ll answer that and many more questions here in our Coffee Gator French press review.
Things to Consider Before Buying a French Press
If you are new to French press coffee makers or claim yourself as a longtime French press coffee enthusiast, you must consider a few things before you make your next purchase.
The most important thing to think about before you buy a French press is what kind of coffee drinker you are. Do you want a carafe that can keep four cups of coffee warm at a time? Do you need something you can take on-the-go? How hot do you like your coffee? How much does a stray coffee ground drive you crazy?
Knowing what you want from a cup of coffee is the first step. Knowing your budget is the second. French presses can range in price from as cheap as $25 to as expensive as over $100. In that range, you’ll find all types of materials, features, sizes, and brands.
If you’re new to the French press scene, you might want to start small – or you might want to go big with the highest quality items out there.
Check out our extensive review of the top French presses on the market.
Coffee Gator French Press – The Basics
The Coffee Gator French Press is built with durability in mind. Professional-grade stainless steel protects the glass carafe, and its thermal technology aims to keep your coffee warm for longer. A double-screen filter keeps your cup of coffee clean of grounds. Each of these features aims to make your at-home experience better.
Overall, the Coffee Gator delivers on its promises, keeping your coffee warm on-the-go, and brewing a good strong cup that’s clean of sediment. It’s a great model for a coffee drinker with an active lifestyle or a busy family.
Things We Like
- A vacuum-layered carafe keeps coffee hot longer
- Durable stainless steel ensures you basically can’t break this one
- Double-screen filters help ensure a clean but strong cup of coffee
- Attractive, sleek design
- Striking color options
- Affordable
Room for Improvement
- Slightly smaller capacity than most glass 32-oz carafes
- Paint can chip on the outside
Coffee Gator Features and Benefits
If you, like me, have ever shattered a glass French press while cleaning it – then you already know what I love about the Coffee Gator French Press. The company creates a reliable product that’s nearly impossible to break and insulates your coffee into the second cup. Here are a few of the top features.
Durable Stainless Steel Carafe
Made with double-walled 304 rust-proof stainless steel, the Coffee Gator is 33% thicker and 20% heavier than most other French presses. One drawback to the thickness is that I found the carafe held a slightly smaller amount of coffee than other 32-oz French presses.
I love the material and weight because it’s so easy to clean, and you’re not stressing the whole time about breaking glass everywhere. It’s stable and easy to carry on-the-go if you’re late for work or just like to bring home-brewed coffee with you.
Stainless steel is also easy to clean and usually dishwasher safe. I’ve put the Coffee Gator in the dishwasher, and it washed well but hot water and soap will work just as well.
However, if you’re looking for something durable enough for camping or to heat directly over a flame or heat source, this is not the carafe for you.
Vacuum-Sealed Insulation
A common feature on thermoses is a double-walled vacuum layer designed to keep the contents warm longer. Coffee Gator claims that their vacuum layer can keep your coffee warm for up to an hour longer than other models.
I usually love a double-walled thermos because the layering works. With the Coffee Gator, I found that the thermal qualities lived up pretty well to the hype. The carafe keeps my coffee warm for up to an hour as long as I keep the lid tightly sealed between pours.
If you forget to seal the lid, you may find you need to reheat your coffee by the second cup.
Cool-Touch Handle
With its ability to hold in heat, one downside is that the carafe can be very hot to the touch. Sometimes with stainless steel French presses, that heat is conducted right into the handle, making the whole thing way too hot to pick up.
The cool-touch handle on Coffee Gator solves this issue. It’s also effortless to grip, with no slips.
Double Filter
The spring-loaded double-screen filter ensures you won’t get extra grains of sediment in your cup – but you do get the full flavor of the beans.
Most French presses on the market have single-screen filters. I’ve had many French press coffee experiences where I get grounds in every cup or just a fair bit of sludge at the bottom of my mug, so this was a winning feature.
I thought the double-screen might be tough to clean, but a simple rinse does the trick. I didn’t find that grounds got caught between the two screens – instead, the filter just seems a lot thicker than other French presses.
Easy-Pour Spout
The easy-pour spout seems slightly like a throw-away feature, but it’s something I like. The spout is longer than most French press carafes, which makes it a little awkward to pack on the go, but is really worth it in terms of avoiding spills.
I find that glass French presses, like Bodum’s famous model, tend to drip excessively when you first start to pour. With Coffee Gator, I didn’t notice any spills and felt a lot more confident pouring from a full carafe.
Free Mini Coffee Container
Coffee Gator makes a big deal out of this free mini coffee container – but it’s not much of an addition. The idea is that it’s precisely the right size to hold two coffee cups’ worth of coffee beans so that you can bring the beans, or coffee grounds, with you on-the-go.
The small container is about the size of a 4-oz mason jar with a metal casing. The edges are quite sharp, and the lid doesn’t screw on very tightly.
Overall, it’s not a high-quality container. Unless you like to carry a cup’s worth of beans with you every day, you may not use it.
However, it’s free! So in the end, it’s not a drawback.
Attractive Design
While aesthetics are very subjective, I love the design of Coffee Gator’s products. The shapes are streamlined and minimalist, but the materials and colors give a bold edge to it.
With the French press, Coffee Gator continues to reinvent the colors and finishes. They have run models with gunmetal, pure stainless steel, bright orange, and more. I love the matte orange finish.
Excellent Customer Service
Coffee Gator’s products are generally high-quality and durable. However, I have had a few instances of wear and tear or simply a faulty product.
Each time, Coffee Gator’s customer service has been excellent. They are responsive, professional and have always been able to solve my problem. A little customer service goes a long way, and this company shows that they value their reputation and their customers.
A Few More Options
If you’re looking for a durable, portable, nearly-unbreakable French press, the Coffee Gator checks the box. The company prioritizes professional-grade materials and high-quality flavor and delivers on both. For some people, the uniquely modern look is also a strong appeal.
Coffee Gator brings a lot to the table with its commitment to quality and excellent customer service. The French press brews a clean, well-filtered cup of coffee.
But if you feel like it might not be the perfect fit for you, here are a few recommended alternatives.
- For coffee connoisseurs looking for a more precise brew, the Barista Warrior Double Wall French Press is our top choice. The Barista Warrior includes precision features like a built-in thermometer and the same long-lasting thermal insulation you find with the Coffee Gator. In our French press reviews, the Barista Warrior always wins.
- Some coffee lovers swear by the glass French press. After all, coffee is an all-senses-in experience – and some of us love being able to see our brew as it gains deeper color. For the best in glass French presses, we recommend the Yama Glass 6 Cup French Press.
- If you love the Coffee Gator’s stainless steel but want a more classic stainless steel look, try the Frieling French Press. This stainless steel carafe has possibly the most beautiful style of any French press, sleek and simple. The material is of the highest quality, and the brews are consistently delicious.
Whatever French press you choose, you are well on your way to a heavenly cup of coffee.
Happy Caffeinating!
Coffee Gator French Press Review: Strong Appeal And High-Quality
For all the selfish coffee lovers out there, we've made this Coffee Gator French press review for you. A coffee press that tends to you!
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