At home it's espresso all the way. But, I'm looking to change my morning coffee prep at work. I'm currently using a Bodum Chambord press pot and Hario Slim with the stepless mod. I know...this is pretty rudimentary equipment. I'll eventually get a better brew grinder (perhaps a Lido 2).

I like the full-bodied richness of french press, but I'm getting tired of the sediment. I know part of the problem might be the Hario's propensity for too many fines at coarse settings.

However, I'm game for a new immersion device. I'm making coffee just for me, don't need a lot, and prefer stronger brew ratios.

So what should I get? All of these seem to have their virtues. But I haven't used any of them:

Sowden SoftBrew
Aeropress
Espro
Or ???

Thanks for your advice!

Or Clever Coffee Dripper, like a filter cone but with a lid on top for heat retention and a valve underneath. You let the coffee steep, then put it on your mug and the valve opens. When the coffee's drained you discard the filter and rinse, or lift out your mesh filter and clean it. Very easy and "clever."

The Eva-Solo used to get a lot of mentions as a better alternative for a french press, but it's rarely talked about nowadays, i think you should consider it as well.

If i were you though, i'd stay with the french press since you're already fond of it, and deal with the sediment by double-filtering it.

Try pouring the coffee after plunging the french press through a cone dripper using a paper filter and see if the kind of clarity you get is to your liking, if not, then try a more porous medium such as a cloth/nel filter of through a stainless steel tea strainer of a finer mesh size than your french press filter, gong-fu tea service strainers work great, i always use one when pouring my french press, it catches most of the sediment and the brew remains full bodied.

I have tried all those and my choice overall is that I really like the clarity and full body that the Espro press creates. The depth of flavor that a press pot creates without the sludge.

I'd like to put in a good word for the Driver metal cone. I've been using one for a couple of weeks with a Lido 1 and a Hausgrind, and I'm impressed. Great body, great nuance, no sediment. This filter will replace paper (Hario, BeeHouse/Melitta, Chemex) and other metal (Bodum, Impress, Abel Kone) methods for me.

I'd go for the Sowden, but I haven't had particularly good results with a Porlex/Hario grinder with it. A Hausgrid/Lido would work well with it.

So if you're sticking with the Hario Slim, it would be between the Aeropress & French press - one cup brewing, quick & easy clean up would steer me towards the Aeropress for work? But then I have both at the office...and a Sowden for communal brews...

I'm not sure I made what would typically be called 'a decision' there?

I second the Eva Solo. Upside down, easier, and more elegant French Press.

I think you'd get far more bang for your buck by swapping your grinder for something better, like a Lido 2 or a Virtuoso. But if you are going to stick with the Hario mill, I'd advise you to go with a paper-filtered immersion system, like the Clever or the Aeropress. They will help to reduce some of the muddiness with is an inherent feature of immersion brewing using inconsistent grinds. A porlex + aeropress was my travel set-up for a while, and while not perfect, I found it produced much better cups than using the same grinder with a press.

I'll second the Driver metal filter cone as it's become my favorite brew method after our syphon pots. Combine it with a Lido 2 or Hausgrind & I think you will be very happy with the resulting brew.

I bit the bullet on a Kalita 185 and filters about 3 months ago. I haven't looked back. Easy to be consistent and very convenient. The clever at work is too messy and harder to clean and I never really grasped it well enough to be consistent. I make coffee at work, I don't prepare it close to the level of prep I do for my espresso at home.

I've had my best coffees using the Kalita at work.