Bought a French press after having the coffee at Kona Café that uses one. Will have to remember to bring that along.
I like French Pressed coffee too, however, if you have High Cholesterol and/or you drink enough coffee regularly, you better be careful with the French Press. I had made MANY modifications in my diet to get off of my medicines (High BP, Elevated Cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes) and much of it revolved around eating right (More natural, less sugar/carbs, etc...), exercising more and just living better. Things were going well except my cholesterol went up. I found out after the fact about Cafestol and how it can really impact your cholesterol.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070614162223.htm
So just be careful if it's a concern.
We don't like our coffee sitting in the grounds as to us it makes it bitter - so we nixed the french press after one use. We also don't like Starbucks as it tastes burned - have had others agree with us on that one. Yes, we are very particular when it comes to our coffee - LOL - and I know it's to each their own!
I understand what you mean about bitter coffee. That said, however, grounds sitting in the coffee in and of itself will not make it bitter. "Experts" will tell you to add a dash of salt to the coffee and it will remove a bitter taste. It's true, but then you may (or may not) have a concern about salt levels. In either case what makes the coffee "Bitter" more than anything else is the quality of the water. Hard water makes bitter coffee. Period. No doubt about it. The harder, the more bitter. If you have an RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter and a descaled coffee pot, you will definitely notice a difference. The salt trick works because it actually takes the "Hardness" out of the water (really it's an ION exchange process). I know all this because I used to sell water systems in a previous life. Salt is actually how the clean water softeners too.
So if you can filter your water before a french press is used, it's better. Lastly, experts will also tell you that you should only allow your grounds to steep in the water for about 2 minutes, press it (slowly - take upwards of a minute), and pour immediately and consume. Don't let it sit in the grounds. Me, I have a larger French press (can do about 40 ounces at a time) that I use. I still run it through a paper filter though because of the whole cholesterol issue (above). (I do this at work because I don't have access to a coffee pot, but I do have access to hot water and it's much easier to press and pour it through an over the cup paper filter.)
