French Press...I'm Impressed


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
No. I am not a coffee geek. I do like good coffee. After looking at my french press on the shelf and my drip coffee maker starting to get funky.

I used a generous amount of costco coffee- about 7 slighly rounded tablespoons to about 16-17 oz. water. Brew 3 minutes. Wonderful , rich flavor. No harsh elements.

If you haven't used a french press-try one. Great flavor and low cost.
 
i JUST got one for Christmas, i'll give it a try. Im not a coffee geek either but like you can tell better from good, but for money's sake good is good enough. I cant bring myself to spend 13 bucks for a pound anymore.... 4 bucks per pound tastes better to me, even if it doesn't really, if you know what Im saying
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An excellent, cheap coffee is 8 o'clock beans. In new england, they sell them at stop and shop and walmart. They are very balanced beans with no harsh flavors. And a two pound bag is like 9 bucks. Don't take my word for how good they are - I was very pleased to see they were Consumer Reports top value pick last month in their coffee roundup.
 
Hi, my name is Don and I am a coffeegeek....

French press is one of the nearly universally recognized best ways to make american style coffee. One can easily control the extraction temperature and duration. Much, much better coffee than a drip maker. As for beans, well find a local roaster and cup a few. Once you go to fresh roasted beans you will never go back. Good on-line roasters I order from include Paradise Roasters and Terrior Coffee.

Now as for espresso......
 
Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
No. I am not a coffee geek. I do like good coffee. After looking at my french press on the shelf and my drip coffee maker starting to get funky.

I used a generous amount of costco coffee- about 7 slighly rounded tablespoons to about 16-17 oz. water. Brew 3 minutes. Wonderful , rich flavor. No harsh elements.

If you haven't used a french press-try one. Great flavor and low cost.
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If filter papers were used previously, you might need to coarsen the grind a tiny bit for the french press - that's what I've read at Coffeegeek.
 
Originally posted by Sean S.:
eight o'clock puts out a great product, as does new england coffee if you're up that-a-ways
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Yup, New England Coffee is great too. It is however, a tad more expensive than 8 o'clock.
 
Originally posted by Don Irish:
Hi, my name is Don and I am a coffeegeek....

French press is one of the nearly universally recognized best ways to make american style coffee. One can easily control the extraction temperature and duration. Much, much better coffee than a drip maker. As for beans, well find a local roaster and cup a few. Once you go to fresh roasted beans you will never go back. Good on-line roasters I order from include Paradise Roasters and Terrior Coffee.

Now as for espresso......
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Ok, I admit I'm a coffeegeek, minor-league, but where are you buying beans for espresso?

I for one am trying to buy local as budget permits, including Mighty Good in A2, and Foggy Bottom in Dexter. Zingermans beans are good, but $$$.
 
Additionally I've been roasting green coffee beans for the past 7 months or so and there's no comparison to the stuff purchased at retailers.

Median prices for a pound of green beans run from around $3.25 - $6 which includes shipping. And online there's lots of vendors of quality green beans. Try roasting and you won't go back to purchasing coffee retail.
 
I got a coffee press as a gift one year. Tried it a couple of times but always got grinds in the coffee. -10 points for the press.

I otherwise couldn't discern any difference between it and the coffee from my coffee maker so never used the press since. (My coffee maker is a restaurant style unit that holds a pot of hot water in the back, pot is finished in like 2 mins). I always get the coffee off the burner as soon as it's made and into a carafe.

So, I was completely un'impressed'
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am I missing something about the press?

Bean roasting sounds like something I would like to try.
 
One of the most significant upgrades to my coffee tasting experience is the grinder; for me it's the BARATZA VIRTUOSO that offers 40 different grind selections. For drip style coffee it's all you need. Select a fine grind then back off a notch or two when you taste a grainyness in the brew. Smooth is what's desired.

Then, adjust the brewing temperature because a temperature difference of 1F - 2F in water temperature can make all the difference in flavor as well. The analogue thermometer required for correct brewing is the Tel-Tru Tea Brewing Thermometer] depicted here. Having made cat-whisker radios I prefer the analogue thermometers. Screw digital.

Use 2 heaping tablespoons of freshly ground coffee per 6 fl. oz. of brew.

As an earlier poster posted, visit Coffeegeek.com for roasting and brewing strategies.
 
Originally posted by Shawn W:


So, I was completely un'impressed'
icon_smile.gif
am I missing something about the press?

Bean roasting sounds like something I would like to try.
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Yes! French press is a different animal then the standard drip coffee maker. Most standard coffee makers have trouble acquiring the heat necessary for the coffee to bloom and extract flavor. Before you make a final judgment on the French press, increase the size of the grind until you loose the dustiness. You will get some sediment in the very bottom of the cup. Don't drink that. Heat that is a bit over 200 degree is necessary to adequately open up the bean, and it need about 4 minutes to steep. Give that a try and see if you can go back to a standard drip. It's a bit like bbq from tony romas vs the wsm. It is an inexpensive way to get a real good cup of jo.

Gary

Gary
 
ive rediscovered my ss travel mug with a press this year. results are good but i keep wondering if i shouldnt try a better quality press. ive just been using starbucks from the grocery store.
i have a blade grinder that i only use for spices now. i need to find a good but inexpensive burr grinder. any recomendations for a nice press and grinder thats still leaves me $ to feed my grills? that seems to be where a lot of my money goes these days, acquisition of grills and meat
 
thanks guys. i'll give those a look.
i've always just zapped some water til hot. i'm sure i've never reached 200 degrees. will be interesting to see the difference in the morning
 
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