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There really is some truth behind French Press coffee

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vi edit

Elite Member
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My wife got me one of these little 12oz Bodum French Presses for Christmas.
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Ch...&qid=1230652298&sr=1-3

I'll be damned if that little bastard doesn't make one of the best cups of coffee I've ever had. The richness and smoothness of the coffee that comes out of that vs. the same grind in our drip machine is pretty indisputable.

And the best part is that it's pretty convenient for making a lone cup of coffee in the mornings. I find that our drip machine doesn't work well with short pours (like 4 cups) as it doesn't seem to make a very strong brew. You have to move up to 8 cups for it be "full strength". But with this little guy I drop some water in the microwave for 2 minutes, grind, pour, stir, and let it brew for a few minutes and I have an excellent cup of coffee waiting for me in about 5 minutes.

And since this thread is about coffee...I give a big thumbs up to the Sumatra whole bean roast you can buy at Target. For $6 a bag, it easily trumps anything else I've ever bought at big name grocery store. Nice earthy, rich flavor with almost no acidic bite to it.
 
Target Sumatra rocks, have you tried the World Market Sumatra?

I don't own a french press, but I have an ex that loved to talk about it but the bitch never even made it for me ....
 
I have the exact same press and I also love it. I think most machines don't heat the water sufficiently to make a really strong brew unless you have a pretty good one.
 
We have a couple of them. They work great, I love coffee that stains styrofoam cups 😀

It is also good for making loose leaf tea.
 
Nice to see a convert to great coffee.

I know I harp on this in every coffee thread, but you'll experience another profound realization when you switch to fresh roast. Support your local roaster, or buy online from a reputable one, and get coffee so delicious you'll ignore how the caffeine makes you feel dizzy after drinking so much.

A tip on using a press pot: Moderate the temperature according to your coffee if possible. Lighter roasted coffees tend to be brighter, more acidic and have less chocolatey sweetness to them. To bring out this quality, slightly lower temperature helps; likewise, higher temperatures helps bring out the darker, dried fruit qualities. The former would be more for your Ethiopian (delicious), the latter more for your Kenyan (also delicious).
 
Originally posted by: Anubis
Originally posted by: Ns1
Originally posted by: Anubis
Originally posted by: Ns1
yep, I use it everyday 🙂
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im guessing you as well dont care about the issues with unfiltered coffee
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tastes great?
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health issues, i need more coffee as i cant type correctly yet
ill BRB
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do elaborate, as french press coffee is a way of life for millions of vietnamese people =P
 
Originally posted by: Anubis
Originally posted by: Ns1
yep, I use it everyday 🙂
Click to expand...

im guessing you as well dont care about the issues with unfiltered coffee
Click to expand...

I remember those studies, and I don't remember them being conclusive. All they showed was a correlation between coffee consumption and higher cholesterol before filters were widely used. That's a pretty large assumption.

Anyway, of all the things that can increase your cholesterol, I don't see coffee having a dramatic impact. Might as well cut out cheese, meat, etc.
 
Originally posted by: Descartes
Originally posted by: Anubis
Originally posted by: Ns1
yep, I use it everyday 🙂
Click to expand...

im guessing you as well dont care about the issues with unfiltered coffee
Click to expand...

I remember those studies, and I don't remember them being conclusive. All they showed was a correlation between coffee consumption and higher cholesterol before filters were widely used. That's a pretty large assumption.

Anyway, of all the things that can increase your cholesterol, I don't see coffee having a dramatic impact. Might as well cut out cheese, meat, etc.
Click to expand...

yea basicially that the filter removes cafestol, which increases serum cholesterol by a fairly significant margin. If you have high cholesterol, or are at risk for heart disease generally it is best to stay away from unfiltered coffee. was the main arguement, i ignore it also however some people get really bitchy about it
 
Just used it today. Although I think using a Bodum uses quite a bit more coffee than my regular cup-at-a-time dripper.

French-pressed coffee does taste smoother but I don't think it's strong enough... perhaps I still need MORE BEANS?
 
Originally posted by: sniperruff
Just used it today. Although I think using a Bodum uses quite a bit more coffee than my regular cup-at-a-time dripper.

French-pressed coffee does taste smoother but I don't think it's strong enough... perhaps I still need MORE BEANS?
Click to expand...

i have the 8 cup version of the one the OP linked i use 4 heaping coffee scoups (yes i own a coffee scoup) per 8 cup french prees (which only takes 4 cups of water to fill) and it makes a pretty strong cup
 
Originally posted by: sniperruff
Just used it today. Although I think using a Bodum uses quite a bit more coffee than my regular cup-at-a-time dripper.

French-pressed coffee does taste smoother but I don't think it's strong enough... perhaps I still need MORE BEANS?
Click to expand...

You need to use about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee or about 10 grams per 6 ounce cup. Most people use far, far too little.

"Strong" doesn't make much sense in coffee, though a lot of people use this term. Most people think strong == darker roast and more roast flavor. If these are the flavors you want, then make sure you use the right quantity of coffee and get your water to the correct temperature (start with ~200F); you're likely using water that's too cool.
 
Originally posted by: sniperruff
Just used it today. Although I think using a Bodum uses quite a bit more coffee than my regular cup-at-a-time dripper.

French-pressed coffee does taste smoother but I don't think it's strong enough... perhaps I still need MORE BEANS?
Click to expand...

How long do you let it brew for (time between adding water and pressing)?

 
Originally posted by: scott916
I've been using my Aeropress religiously. It goes through a shitload of coffee, but it's awesome.
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This.

I used a french press for a couple of years but haven't touched it since I got an Aeropress. It makes coffee in the same fashion as a french press but without the dregs and, imo, it tastes better too. Very smooth, no bitterness.
 
give yourself a treat, and find a local roastery. coffee roasted within the week, ground within the hour cannot be beat.
 
I have the 34-oz New Kenya, and so far I've tried 2 kinds of coffee:

Caffe Appassionato

Mr. Coffee

I know that Mr. Coffee is cheap stuff, but I didn't really taste the difference with either brand.

I use about 3 scoops for 16-20 oz of coffee, coarse-grinded, and I let it sit in water that's right from the stove for 3-5 minutes.

If I let it sit closer to 5 minutes, I do taste a little of sourness, like coffee that's been brewed for a little too long.

Maybe I am using too little coffee.
 
Originally posted by: sniperruff
I have the 34-oz New Kenya, and so far I've tried 2 kinds of coffee:

Caffe Appassionato

Mr. Coffee

I know that Mr. Coffee is cheap stuff, but I didn't really taste the difference with either brand.

I use about 3 scoops for 16-20 oz of coffee, coarse-grinded, and I let it sit in water that's right from the stove for 3-5 minutes.

If I let it sit closer to 5 minutes, I do taste a little of sourness, like coffee that's been brewed for a little too long.

Maybe I am using too little coffee.
Click to expand...

1) Forget both of those coffees. Get better coffee from a local or online roaster. Even Starbucks would have better coffee.

2) You're using far too little coffee. A "scoop" is probably around 2 tablespoons, but even then you should be using at least 4 scoops for 20 ounces.

3) Sourness can be the result of too low a brew temperature as noted above.

Stick within these parameters and you'll be fine.
 
All this coffee talk made me fire up my drip coffee maker...haven't used it in months- this pot turned out better than expected :thumbsup:
Never tried a french press, I'm also curious about the Ikea one just because it's so cheap and also very close to where I live.
 
I had one back in the US and it took me a while to get down the right amount of grounds and brewing time that I needed to make a good cup. I bought another one when I came out to Hong Kong, they have almost the entire Bodum line and the Moka line at department stores here (but rather expensive). I keep that at the office and mainly use it for loose tea.

I bought a stainless steel Moka pot (needed steel for induction stove) that was on sale for a good price and I use that at home now. The Moka is easy, you don't have to worry about the amount of grounds or brewing time as much and it puts out a pretty good cup of joe.
 
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