French Press Coffee Pot

[Sweetpeamd]

A long time ago, Pete and others were discussing how much they loved their french press coffee pots. Does anyone have experience with these? We are coffee lovers at our house and I was wondering if a french press would work for us. How do they work? What types work well? There are so many different styles and brands available, it seems. I would love your help!

 

[dmwang9]

A long time ago, Pete and others were discussing how much they loved their french press coffee pots. Does anyone have experience with these? We are coffee lovers at our house and I was wondering if a french press would work for us. How do they work? What types work well? There are so many different styles and brands available, it seems. I would love your help!

I've used a french press for years. Personally, I like the ones made by Bodum, but when you get right down to it, they're all glass containers with metal plunger/strainer thingies. (Did I really just type "thingie"?) I can't really back this up with hard data, but I suspect that the brand isn't nearly as important for french presses as it is for drip coffee makers or espresso machines, due to the simplicity of the press pot.

As for usage, the following is taken from the Wikipedia article on French Presses:

Use about 1.25 - 1.5 oz. (35 - 42 g.) of ground coffee in a typical half-liter French press. Place the coffee in the beaker, and fill to about an inch from the top with water "just off the boil"; 205 to 210 °F (96 to 99 °C). At this point the coffee can be stirred if desired, using a wooden implement to avoid cracking the beaker, but this step can be omitted. Put the plunger on top, but do not press the plunger down right away; it is essential that the coffee be allowed to infuse for about 3 - 4 minutes to develop flavor, color, and body. Then, gently but firmly press the plunger to the bottom of the beaker; pressing too hard will cause some of the coffee grounds to leak around the edges of the plunger. Serve immediately.

Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee's flavour and essential oils, which would become trapped in a traditional drip brew machine's paper filters. French pressed coffee is usually stronger and thicker and has more sediment than drip-brewed coffee. Because the used grounds remain in the drink after brewing, French pressed coffee left to stand can become bitter. A typical half-liter French press is considered expired after 20 minutes.

 

[HillPete]

My dad gave me his French Press pot because he never used it. He did not include the directions so I had to google them. I found a website (a blog I think) written by a guy who takes his coffee waaaaaay too seriously. I followed his instructions to the letter that first time. It was the best pot of coffee I have ever had in my life! I didn't bookmark it or write it all down but the most important things to remember are: buy coffee that has been roasted within the last 24 hours (Whole Paycheck labels the bins with roasting dates) and don't grind the beans until the water has already boiled and is waiting for you.

I don't do this whole process too often anymore. I can't take the time or $$ to run to Whole Foods every 2 days. I just grind after boiling and the coffee is magnificent!

--Hillary