French Press Coffee Maker

The French Press Coffee Maker is in existence everywhere. Its French name is cafetière à piston and it's also known as a press pot, coffee press, and plunger pot.

The press pot was around at the same time vacuum coffee makers were, but it was a few years later before it was really marketable. The technology was needed to make the filter tighter fitting in the plunger pot. At long last, in the early 1900's, technology succeeded and the press pot was showing up in stores.

Bodum purchased the design that Melior introduced in the '30s. Bodum has brought more colors out in the metal, plastic and glass coffee presses. Since the '70s, Bodum has more than likely been responsible for the increased press pots found in homes today.

In the '80s, Bodum purchased other lines like Chambord. They started presenting classical looks in the French Press Coffee Maker.

This coffee press delivers a pretty clean brew if you have a good understanding of how it works. It also delivers a very full-bodied cup of coffee.

The coffee press is convenient and it's a favorite because it's simple to use, it's easy to clean, and there are no paper filters. It can also be used easily for traveling.

Making a Good Pot of Coffee with the French Press Coffee Maker

First things first...

   - Start with a clean pot and good quality water.

   - Preboil the water before grinding your coffee beans.

   - Make sure your coffee beans are ground fresh. They need to be a consistent, coarse grind using a good burr grinder. If the grind is too fine it will be much harder to press the plunger down.

   - The coffee beans are best if they have been roasted within the last ten days.

   - Measuring the coffee grounds - start with one rounded tablespoon per cup (4 ounce cups). You can experiment from there for your own personal taste.

   - Preboil the water while you're grinding your coffee beans.

Let's make a pot of coffee...

1. To get a hotter cup of coffee, remove the lid and filter assembly, and prewarm the coffee press with hot tap water.
2. Add your coffee grounds.
3. Slowly and steadily pour the water over the coffee grinds. You'll see the bloom start as you saturate the grounds.
4. I use a popsicle stick to stir the grounds very gently after pouring the water over them. I stir them 4 or 5 times.
5. Add the filter assemly and lid and let the coffee steep for 3 to 5 minutes. The longer the coffee steeps, the stronger it will be.
6. Get a good grip on the plunger, and then slowly and steadily push the plunger down.
7. Ready... slowly and steadily pour your coffee, relax, and enjoy!

French Press Coffee Maker Clean Up

Use warm to hot sudsy water to clean the filter assembly. It comes apart easy enough. The parts of the filter assembly:

   - The plunger stem which unscrews from the cross plate.

   - The cross plate is a disc and looks like it has an X across it.

   - The spreader is a round disc with multi-holes in it and has the spring that spreads the filter.

   - The filter will be either nylon or stainless mesh and it keeps the grinds at the bottom of the pot.

For home use you will find the coffee press comes in sizes available from one cup up to fourteen cups. If you're looking for something when you travel, you can find travel press pots as well. If you like camping or backpacking, the French Press coffee maker fits great in your travel bag.

The most popular brand names are Bodum, BonJour, Frieling, Chef's Choice, and La Cafetiere.

French Press Video Demonstration