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Anybody Use a French Press? (1 Viewer)

SethH

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I use the Frieling from Amazon because it doesn't have any glass in it (nothing to break). I've loved it for just over a year now. Also, look up information about what temperature your water should be. One of the major problems with many cheap drip coffee makers is that they scald the coffee beans. You should boil the water and then let it drop to between 195 and 200 degrees.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=284507
 

Jeff Gatie

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French Presses, if not manufactured cheaply, should be about the same in performance. Grinders are a whole 'nother story. Do not waste your time or money on a blade grinder, or what most cooks call a "spice grinder", because it's good for grinding spices, not coffee. It is impossible to get a good, even grind with a blade and more often than not you get dust. Buy a good to great burr grinder for anywhere from $50-200. It allows you to set the grind by the space between the burrs, not by estimating how long to grind. This is the single most important step for going from good to great coffee, IMHO. I own a less expensive Cuisinart for my regular coffee grinding because I have a Saeco fully automatic espresso machine which grinds it's own, so I don't need a $200 monster for an occasional pot of drip. It's a good grinder, but fairly loud:
http://www.cuisinart.com/catalog/pro...d=415&cat_id=3

I have heard great things about the KitchenAid burr grinder. It's recommended on a few coffee web sites as the best consumer model for the price (until you get up into the semi-commercial stuff from Italy):
http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/pr...&productId=414

It's a little expensive, but it's built like a tank, been around since 1938 and supposedly much quieter than the Cuisinart. Either way, both are infinitely better than a converted spice grinder.
 

Lew Crippen

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I use both a French Press and an electric kettle.

It seems to me however that 220v electric kettles heat water faster than 110—or maybe I’ve just become a bit more impatient.

While I would not claim that electric kettles are common in the States, they are easily obtainable (you can get a selection at almost any appliance store) and many people do indeed use them.
 

Jeff Gatie

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Alton Brown calls it one of the best multi-taskers in his arsenal (what would a food/beverage thread be without mentioning Alton Brown).
 

Lew Crippen

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Good point Jeff--even though our kitchen has two ovens, a microwave and a 5-burner cook-top, I am often using 4 or 5 burners (our central burner is a long narrow one for oval things like a fish poacher or a griddle). Heating some water to the boil is super easy in an electric kettle.
 

Michael Caicedo

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True dat. Our was a gift from my wife's German aunt who couldn't believe we didn't have one and were still using the stove to heat water. Everyone in Germany uses them she said. Much more efficient! So there, Rain :)
I also use it for anything else that requires hot water just to make things go faster, including gasp... -cover your ears up there in heaven abuelita- instant rice. :)
 

Marianne

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We have a nice Cuisinart electric kettle that we bought several years ago (in US).

Be careful with the French Press (Cafetiere) - don't fill it up too high or the grounds block the steam vents at the top!!!

I did this once and the whole thing exploded all over the kitchen. To be fair we had no power at the time and it was dark (after Hurricane Francis 2004)!! We boiled the water over tea lights! :)
 

Rich Malloy

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The burnt taste is usually because electric drip coffee pots sit on a burner... and the coffee burns. Instead of a machine with a burner, get one with a thermal carafe. Keeps coffee hot for hours and never burns.

That said, I also prefer coffee presses. It's been a little while since I've shopped, but BedBath&Beyond had a number of different models at good prices. The ones with the metal handle/top tend to get an unusual smell.

Although coffee presses tend to be rather small (2 very large mugs or about 4 cups worth), I wish there was one with a thermal carafe. When I press coffee for myself, it tends to be a bit too cold when I go back for the second very large mugfull!
 

JeremyErwin

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I owned the same model. Perhap, in my home, things fall apart, but the timing function is broken on mine. Then again, I preferred to grind small amounts for personal use. It generated a lot of static and dust, and the grind wasn't even.
 

DaveF

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It tastes burnt freshly brewed (not having set on the burner for more any longer than it takes to newly fill the pot up). So I suspect the water is too hot to begin. Or maybe just bad coffee grounds to start.
 

JeremyErwin

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Maybe the beans were roasted a bit too long. French roast?

Wait a minute... Grounds? You don't have a grinder?
 

JeremyErwin

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Decant into a thermo--- er, vacuum bottle. A insulated vacuum cafetiere might keep the coffee warmer, but it will also keep it in contact with the grounds, so that it might get stronger and more bitter,
 

Greg_R

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That's another advantage of the vacuum pot... the water is forced up the tube at _exactly_ the correct temperature for brewing. Check out the Bodum Santos Electronic...
 

MichaelBA

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OK, so I got me a Bodum French Press yesterday. Tried it this morning for the first time.

Yay!:)

A f*cking POWERFUL cup of coffee. A kind of a Greekish slant to it in terms of the intensity, which is exactly what I wanted, but no hint of coffee grind residue in the cup. Neat!

I love the flavor and aromas. Wow!

Two sort of minor criticisms:

[1] It doesn't make so much coffee, even though it's a large size. This is my fault because I drink BIG cups. My cups are DOUBLE-sized. So, even though I filled it to the top, I basically only JUST got my two cups. I mean, I DID actually GET my two cups, so that's good. But I always
like a little leeway in case I ever want a third cup or a half cup more. Oh well.

[2] The coffee doesn't stay SO hot for SO long. The French press just sits there, you know? There's nothing to plug in, so there's nothing artificially keeping the coffee warm. This is GOOD, in fact, because when you keep brewed coffee hot you are effectually OVER-cooking it, and
that's BAD. But it just means I need to drink my two cups QUICKLY. The Cuisinart grind & brew I have also does NOT artificially warm the coffee, but its container is all stainless steel, so the coffee retains a great deal of heat a lot longer, as opposed to the French press which is all glass.

So, my bottom line for the French press: a rating of NINE out of TEN!

Ou la la!
 

SethH

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I'm glad you're enjoying your French Press. The complaint you make here I remedied by purchasing the Frieling press from Amazon.com. It is stainless so it retains heat better and I'll never have to worry about a broken carafe. It does pretty good with the temperature thing, but does better if you fill it with hot water for a minute or two and then empty it just before making your coffee.
 

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