French Press

Don Baer

Moderator
Staff member
ok loml got a french press so now i need to learn how to use it. my first attempt will be in the morning so wish me luck. I have been doing some online research but nothing beats experience. Who else uses one and what are your secrets.
 
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Pretty easy, Don't grind the coffee too fine, let it sit for a while, press and drink. I use mine when I'm trying to cut back on coffee, but haven't used it for a while!
 
Two co-workers use them daily, they swear by them, but haven't tried them myself. One hand grinds his coffee, says it does a nicer job of getting the flavor out, and gives him a bit of a work-out. ;) I did ask him about the filters (if yours has one), says he uses the same one as long as it's the same roast for several weeks before changing it.
 
I would be interested in at least trying a fresh cup of french press

Stop in any time Leo and my treat

Nice taste if you like grounds in your coffee. I'll stick to my Kcups. :)

Didn't seem to have that problem. There was a tiny bit of fines in the bottom but not enough to fret about.

Came out good not the least bit bitter LOML thinks it was a little stronger than she is used to but certainly not to the point where she need to dilute it. I think with a little practice on the amount and the timing it certainly is a great alternative.
 
Don't over grind your coffee, drip ground is usually OK.

Let it sit if you like strong coffee.

Press down in one motion, don't pour out all of the liquid in the press and you won't get much in the way of grounds in your cup of coffee.

They say, the major advantage is that the natural oils from the coffee beans get into your cup, with a paper filter these are trapped in the filter.

FYI
 
At the risk of hijacking the thread, another press method that really turns out good results is with a device called the aeropress. I don't know if the recipes for one are compatible with the other, but I found bunches of them online. I bet you could search for French press recipes online and find a wealth of opinions ☺


--dave
 
Myrna and I used French Press coffee for many years. The French Press produces a very smooth tasting coffee.

Coarse grind has been said several times in the posts above this one. I say, "Believe them." The person who taught us to use the FP said to "grind the coffee until it is like small rocks." that procedure does work and it makes good coffee. By using a coarse grind and letting the coffee sit for a bit after pressing, you will get a very clear coffee that you can see through in a glass mug. The clear coffee is a bit more expensive because you use more of it for the same density of flavor. A good coarse grind suits me just as well as rocks and it suited Myrna when she was alive.

Summary: Coarse grind is what you want. Let the coffee settle in the water for awhile. The coffee will become basically clear. Decant off of the top and leave most or all of the coffee powder behind as you wish. Don't use a filter. Personally I like the coffee bean fines in the drink. After all we do eat coffee beans in many delicacy confections.

Enjoy,
JimB
 
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Aeropress is also good! You can get away with a bit fine grind with it cause it uses filters. Look for the "inverted method" on YouTube for an easy and clean way to use it.

I mentioned this in a different thread the other day, but if you haven't tried it cold pressed coffee is also fantastic. Fill the French press half full or so of coarse ground beans, fill with cold water and then let sit overnight in the fridge before pressing. Beware that it is both unreasonably smooth and exceedingly strong so a tbsp or two in a cup of hot water makes a nice hot coffee.. Or blend a couple tbsp with a cup or two of vanilla ice cream a squirt of chocolate and a handful of ice for a delightfully refreshing and hyperactive summer drink.
 
Negative Nelly here. Unfiltered coffee (french press) can lead to higher LDL (cafestol or something). I remembered reading this years ago when Brent was using a FP maker. Was glad he switched to filtered. Something to look up if you choose to use unfiltered coffee. Not saying it will affect everyone, but if you already have high cholesterol, would be good to investigate both sides of the coin :wave:
 
Negative Nelly here. Unfiltered coffee (french press) can lead to higher LDL (cafestol or something). I remembered reading this years ago when Brent was using a FP maker. Was glad he switched to filtered. Something to look up if you choose to use unfiltered coffee. Not saying it will affect everyone, but if you already have high cholesterol, would be good to investigate both sides of the coin :wave:

I looked into that and the though from Mayo clinic is that the amount of bad LDL one one get although they are there as long as you don't make a steady diet of unfiltered coffee the effects are so slight that it should not be a concern. My cholesterol is well under control so I am not worried to much. I did discover that the opinion about coffee drinking in general is that it has a lot of positive effect and can actually be a benefit for diabetics and some studies have shown that coffee drinker tend to have fewer heart problems. Of course the same has been said about red wine...:D.

For anyone interested I found this link to be very helpful and very good explanation as to the benefits of this type of brewing.
 
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