You are right, I am talking about the famous French Press!
The first time I saw one of them was at my
girlfriend’s house in Monterrey in 2008. This was the first time I talked to
her dad and he offered me a cup of coffee. He prepared the coffee on one of
these coffee makers and I was intrigued by the little glass and metal artifact in
front of me.
Since I just met him I wanted to leave a good
first impression and I did not ask anything about the coffee maker. However, months later, back in
the bay area, I went for brunch with some friends and when I ordered my coffee they brought me one of this little, shiny things. But I was prepared to
deal with it since I knew what I needed to do...
Background
It is also known as Coffee
Plunger and it is a relatively recent design (around1929) and because of the
name I assume it was invented in France (cafetière
à piston). It is basically a glass or clear plastic cylinder with a lid and
plunger that has a fine mesh filter which is normally made of metal. The plunger fits tightly in the cylinder,
similar to a syringe, and as one presses down the plunger, the ground coffee is
pushed down, leaving only the brewed coffee on top.
Preparation
These are the step by step directions to prepare a cup of
coffee using a French Press:
1)
Add about one rounded spoon of coffee for every 6
oz cup you want to make
a. You need your grind
to be more coarse than the one you use
on a drip coffee maker and a lot more coarse than the one you would use for an
espresso shot. The following figure shows the
difference between the one used for a drip coffee maker and the one used for a French
press (Pictures taken from http://www.ineedcoffee.com).
Remember that the plunger has a fine mesh
filter, and it could get clogged if it is too fine. In addition to this, if you
grind it too fine, the more sediment you will find in your coffee when you pour
it.
2)
Add water that is about to boil. It is important
here that your water is not boiling when you pour it because it could degrade the
taste of coffee
a.
It is recommended that the water is between 195
to 200 F degrees, but if you don’t have a thermometer, just monitor your water
and remove from the stove before it starts boiling.
b.
Another recommendation is to avoid filling it to
the top since water could spill when you start pressing the plunger.
3)
Slowly stir the coffee with a wooden spoon (to prevent any damage to the glass) and place the lid once you are done stirring.
4)
Let it rest (brew). For how long? This will
depend on how strong you want it and on the size of your French Press
a.
Some people recommend 4 minutes for larger
presses (12-16 oz or more), for smaller
ones you could get a good result in just 2 minutes. What works for me is
normally between 2 to 3 minutes for small batches (2 cups)
5)
With one hand hold the lid and with the other
one start pressing the plunger at a steady pace.
6)
Pour and enjoy
As you can see it is an easy way to prepare great coffee. If
you are very demanding on your coffee it might take you some time to find the combination
of grinding, water temperature and brewing time that works for you, but it is
worth it.
Some people do not like the French Press since it leaves some sediments and also because the longer you leave the coffee in the
press, the more it will brew and it will become bitter (there might be people
that like this!). However, I personally think that it is a great coffee maker. I would say it is a nice to have in your kitchen; it is a perfect item for a dinner or coffee session at home where you want to have a simple and at the same time elegant way to pour the coffee. Due to its simplicity, you can use it to prepare small and large batches in a very easy way.
Cost
I have seen them going from $9.99 all the way to $49.99 USD
depending on the store, size and brand. Considering the price of other types of
coffee makers I believe this is one of the cheapest you could find and there
are many aesthetic designs out there. I would not spent more than 20 USD for a 16 oz one.
It is funny how after you become familiar with something, you
start seeing it everywhere. Next time you go to a department store look around
and you will see that there are all classes of French Presses: made of metal
and glass with cool designs, plastic ones in all different colors, there are
even some of them that have a dual purpose: French Press and travelling mug
Enjoy…
References
