The French press is an easy, no-fuss solution to your morning cup of joe. Today, Lisa McManus and Hannah Crowley tested nine French presses to see which offered the best texture, construction, ease of cleaning, and perhaps most importantly, the amount of coffee produced. Plus, Lisa shows Hannah how to make the perfect cup of coffee.
Winner: Stanley Classic Stay-Hot French Press Coffee Maker: https://cooks.io/4fo8rQS
Best Buy: Bodum 34oz Chambord French Press Coffee Maker: https://cooks.io/459mdUi
Best for “Cleaner Cup”: ESPRO P7 French Press Coffee Maker: https://cooks.io/45EFBZj
The Best French Press: https://cooks.io/4mwK9GU
00:00 Intro
00:49 Our French Press Method
04:02 Coffee Texture
06:33 French Press Construction
07:48 French Press Size
08:49 French Press Lids and Spouts
09:48 French Press Cleaning
10:55 Winning French Press
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35 Comments
How do you clean them? I take mine outside and add water and dump the grounds in the grass. I use my rain barrel to rinse all grounds out. Works for me. ❤
There is a method to get a "clean" cup with the standard setup. Prior to inserting the plunger, drop in a flat bottom coffee filter, then insert the plunger. The filter should come up and around the springs of the plunger. See Lance Hendrick French Press method for the receipe and technique.
How much coffee do you put into the French press?
The Mueller is perfect, and less expensive that your winners 🤷🏻♀️
A paper drip filter fits between the french press sceens for perfect mud free coffee.
How much coffee do you put in?
Real coffee people know the best French press is an aeropress
Got my first Bodum (same as video) on my 50th birthday,now 68 and I always stirred it up after adding water with a chop stick.Delicious.Problem is it doesn't make enough! The clean up is a deal breaker for me,just to much trouble.Looks like they're a lot more options these days.
I have the Espro for daily driver at my desk at work and it's performed admirably for going on 3 1/2 years of roughly 5 days a week. I don't mind the cleaning and its all a part of my ritual.
Have a 20oz Mueller Stainless steel now(have broken too many glass), makes basically one good size cup of coffee. What I find hardest is getting whiole beans at my closest supermarket, not many choices if any. And the Pandemic killed the grind your own machines.
For Bodum French Presses and or similar: You don't have to fill up the whole carafe all the time. Most coffee beans sold in bags and or a google search will provide proper measurements i.e. how many tablespoons of coarse ground coffee per ounces of hot water. Cleaning is not that difficult. I let the carafe cool down and slide it out of the metal holder, add some water to the grounds, swirl, and toss them the trash (as the tester's mention, used grounds are also good for composting). I usually clean the carafe by itself (water, soap, sponge) after each use and on Sundays I break down the piston (filter), wash each piece, and the metal holder with soap, water, and a sponge. I love my French Press. It can be annoying to constantly clean it but it's one of the best ways to make fresh cups of coffee. French presses also remind you to be patient. If the piston is stuck or you're having difficulty pushing it down, step back, empty some of the water and or remove the piston and try to press down a second time. Same with the carafe. I see why the tester's would clean it in the metal holder but if if you don't rush you can clean the carafe by itself. Cons are that bodum like french presses wont hold your coffee's hot temperature. So if you want a warm or hot cup of coffee empty the french press into a thermal mug. As a former barista, the individualization of the french press provides a better cup than a coffee maker or from a metal dispenser.
Definitely add 1/2 hot water (a bit off the boil) and stir with (I use a wooden chop stick) wood to let the CO2 bloom. Add the rest of the water, 3 min… press and serve. I got a "Mmmm, your coffee is better" from this technique. Best to use fresh roasted and freash ground beans… but as practice I do use the 2nd cup of over extracted bitter coffee at 1PM… sugar is your friend as is caffine on a work day… not shee shee… but practical….
How much coffee did you add for a 34-ounce bodum press?
An immersion dripper with a paper filter leads to fewer particles and easier clean up, but is otherwise quite similar to a french press
I miss Chris
The only time America’s Test Kitchen has ever been wrong. The Yeti French press is THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!!! And it keeps the coffee piping hot for hours!!!
I love Bodum. Coffee tastes not acidic at all and mild. Simple is the best.
Thanks for highlighting the excellent simplicity of the French Press. Thankfully, I’ve not encountered the difficulties you describe. I’ve never had blow ups lol or needed to break up the coffee grounds.
Great info!!! I have the classic Bodum and never know the ratio of water to coffee. HELP please.
I use the OXO Outdoor Campgrounds French Press cause I got sick and tried of breaking the traditional glass ones.
I mostly use it to make my cold brewed coffee
I just use a regular drip coffee filter wrapped around the plunger to get rid of the fines. It's a slower press and you gotta swirl it occasionally to keep the filter from clogging, but makes this great mix of smooth and full bodied. Like a cinematic cup of coffee, you're sitting in a diner looking out the window on a drizzly Sunday and you've got no plans for the day.
1. Use a cheap Bodum Brazil 12 oz.
2. Add 4-5 heaping tablespoons of coffee
3. Boil 16 oz. or more of water – don't worry about it being too hot
4. Pour in hot water in a circular motion to auto-stir the coffee
5. Steep for 4 minutes
6. Fill coffee cup 1/4 to 1/2 full with brew
7. Add some leftover hot water to top off
8. You now have 6 cups of coffee from a 3 cup french press
Why do people insist on using French Presses incorrectly? The plunger should stay at the top of the water level always. As the coffee is poured out, lower the press to stay at the top of the water level. Using it like most people think it should be (press the plunger all the way down) makes the coffee taste bitter.
After 35-40 years of using French presses, I finally switched to Aeropress a year and a half ago. I drink one 10-12 oz mug each morning and found that anything larger than the smallest press doesn't work well for that amount of coffee, and there are very few options in the market at that size, with all the ones I've seen being low-quality. I think it has to do with the thickness of the puck of coffee that the water is passing through. With a large press, the puck is too thin. Perhaps a 4-minute steep would have solved that, but I like my coffee very hot so there's no way I would wait more than a minute before pressing.
MY TWO MOTHERS!!!!!!! BUT WE NEED A WORD STRONG THAN MOTHER FOR THEM
I’ve used the Hoffman method with a Bistro for years. The most important, to me, part of his method is the scooping of the foam off the top. It’s incredibly bitter and adds nothing to my cup. I tasted it once and that was enough. Into the sink you go.
I love the French press but really don't like the coffee sludge. I pour the coffee through a regular coffee filter to get rid of the sediment (then pour it into a thermos to keep it warm).
No French press is made in USA, so I would just buy the one with the least amount of plastics, or one not made in China lol.
So glad to see that I’m already doing all the recommended steps to make good French press coffee. Thanks
22 seconds into this clip and I am laughing and thoroughly enjoying this segment!!! GREAT CREATIVITY!!! French Press coffee’s taste instigates delightful memories. However, your extra dramatic effects have upped the brilliance of the brewing! I now miss my stainless steel carafe French Press pot, I once used often when living in Boston! I even roasted my own Ethiopian coffee beans, grind them to medium course when warm, and then French Press the beans for my coffee. Talk about enjoying that drink! Voila!!! ❤☕️❤️
P. S. My decision to use the stainless steel pot was due to the “piston” for the glass version breaking apart…like…more than once! The stainless steel pot kept that beautifully brewed coffee tasty and warm much longer than the glass pots.
Just add some water and pour your french over a paper towel so you dont clog up your drain 🙃
Buy the Frieling on amazyon…All stainless steel, no glass to break, no plastics, or other gimmicky materials. Been my daily driver for 16 years without a problem after having all the others and I run it through the dishwasher. You’ll thank me later.
After breaking a couple glass french presses during dish washing I purchased a stainless steel one from Amazon and it has been Great for Years!
You don't have to stir. After you pour the water, just press the plunger part way down and pull it up again and that will break up the raft. If it's still a little hard to press when it's done you can lift a bit and waggle the whole pot to break it up, but I never have to do that. A light touch helps when pressing. If it takes more than one finger you're probably grinding your beans too fine.
I use my stanley press for making large batches of tea for Kombucha. Durable and long lasting performance.