How to make really good french press coffee?

<p>I’ve been away from home for a week. I’m sure I don’t make REALLY good French press…but I’m also sure my mediocre French press is way better than the Keurig swill (and I got the K cups I like the best) I’ve been drinking for a week.</p>

<h1>19 Funny you mentioned Bialetti. My small K-cup brewer is on the fritz and I remembered that I have a small Bialetti I got free somewhere a long time ago.I started using it and I am quite happy. It makes a good strong cup of coffee!</h1>

<p>The Bialetti gives me more trouble (the rubber ring sometimes fails) but I do like it. It’s just way more of a pain than the French press, which is pretty effortless.</p>

<p>I am not a fan of the K cup thingies. Too much waste and I don’t have counter space for a coffee maker anyway.</p>

<p>I think it’s possible to buy a replacement rubber ring for the Bialetti. I used to have a french press but it broke (butter fingers). The ceramic french press sounds interesting.</p>

<p>My car dealer has a K thing in the waiting room. It’s such mediocre coffee that I use it to make tea, and I’m not a tea drinker. </p>

<p>If you like French press, but also like the crema of espresso, look into the Remington iCoffee. Use your BB&B 20% off coupon. </p>

<h1>16</h1>

<p>Go to the Dollar Store and buy the pair of small wire strainers for a buck.
Rinse out your press pouring the used grounds into the strainer and put in them garbage.
I sit the strainer in the sink hole making it stable enough to pour the sludge in without making a mess.
Drain and run them over to your garbage can, tap a few times on the sides to dislodge.
Dumping the grinds down the sink will eventually clog up your pipes.</p>

<p>For the OP, using the second smaller strainer will eliminate any stray grinds as she pours from the press into her mug.</p>

<p>If there is a french press that has some way to more easily get the grounds out (less mess, less down the sink) then I would get another one. </p>

<p>During the spring/summer months, I have been “cleaning” by filling it up with water, taking outside and pouring around my roses…cuz I read somewhere that used grounds are good for roses (hopefully that is true). I sometimes have to add more water from the hose to get more of the grounds out. Then I bring it in and do a real cleaning.</p>

<p>Are there any liners?? ugh…they probably would break when pressing.</p>

<p>Agree with you Thumper–don’t like the coffee from those K cups at all! </p>

<p>One reason that I switched to the pour over method of brewing is that it’s incredibly easy to clean up. I admit that I’m obsessive about clean-up and that other people might not care about this aspect. With the pour over method, I just throw away the paper filter with the coffee grinds in it. Also, I don’t have to worry about getting a strainer to catch any stray grains after I’m finished brewing the coffee, so I don’t have another item to rinse off.</p>

<p>I tap my (sturdy, ceramic) French press over the kitchen garbage to get most of the grounds out, then rinse the rest in the sink. Some go down the drain. Been doing this for years and never had a problem. The plunger is easy to rinse too.</p>

<p>Wow! Thanks for all the tips, everyone!</p>

<p>As an aside, I do love my Kcups during the week; French Press is generally weekend coffee because the Keurig is so much easier and faster.</p>

<p>The stirring made a HUGE difference! I also followed another article’s advice and skimmed some of the grounds off the top after stirring, and went with a slightly longer brew time. No sludge on top and just a little residue on the bottom, but I sometimes get that with the Keurig too.</p>

<p>Thanks again! :)</p>

<p>Sally305: You probably don’t have a septic system. Coffee grinds will really mess up your septic system–so you don’t want any grinds to go down the drain. Another reason I moved away from the french press.</p>

<p>Coffee grounds are good for roses and any plants that like acid soil.
Starbucks will even give you their old grounds.
Better for your plants, than you, imo)</p>

<p>Interesting thread, and thanks all for the links which I will read soon. Discovered French press during hurricane sandy - no power for week, and LOVED the coffee, hated those grinds- so will pull it out and try again- </p>

<p>I’ve been using a French Press for years. Grew up around all kinds of coffee devices all the way though a full italian commercial espresso maker. One with a massive golden eagle on top. My mother finally got rid of it because the maintenance was horrendous. </p>

<p>I never have grinds in the end product. The problems others have is pouring too much water in the pot, not waiting the exact 4 minutes of seeping, using espresso coffee, pushing down too wildly, and the biggest problem … a misaligned mesh around the plunger. The metal mesh has to grab the entire side. Examine yours and chances are it has been bend too much on one side. It is easy to take apart and realign properly. Lastly, you need a decent FP. Do not expect a ten bucks Walmart crappy one to last. At the minimum, get a BODUM. </p>

<p>The ideal pour should end at the metal ring at the top of the pot. After 4 minutes, the coffee should float at the right level. Press down slowly and it SHOULD require some force. </p>

<p>For the purists, it helps to pour some water on the coffee and slush or stir it around for ten seconds. Let stand before pouring water that has NOT boiled completely. Fill as above and after plunging down, transfer the coffee to a preheated carafe. </p>

<p>Never had problems washing the pot. I use the hose in the sink and direct the spout for ten seconds to the inverted pot and clean the mesh plunger. I avoid using soap but cure the glass with some vinegar once a month.</p>

<p>I buy my coffee at Blue Bottle. Check their brewing guides. <a href=“Brew Guides | Blue Bottle Coffee”>http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/preparation-guides&lt;/a&gt; Here is the FP one</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/preparation-guides/french-press”>http://www.bluebottlecoffee.com/preparation-guides/french-press&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>PS I was told that headaches are from caffeine withdrawal and not from actually drinking coffee. Something about swelling of blood conduits and adenosine levels. Not a doctor but that seems logical. </p>

<p>I only have french press coffee. I find it an easier clean-up than anything else. First, I grind my own beans with a cheap grinder but I’m thinking of springing for a burr grinder. I’m happy with the coffee. I pour water on the old grinds stir, pour in my garden and put it in the dishwasher. </p>

<p>I agree with Lergnom – an aeropress is the way to go!</p>

<p>GTalum, I had a fancy burr grinder for a few years but it gave out on me. I honestly don’t think it’s worth the money, at least not for French press. I only grind the grounds coarsely and they can be pretty irregular, which doesn’t seem to matter.</p>

<p>xiggi, agree about caffeine withdrawal headaches. They are awful and I really notice them on the days I don’t have any coffee.</p>

<p>I learned recently that drinking coffee is good for the liver (could help prevent liver cancer).
So yay for coffee!
(Makes another pot)</p>

<p>I might be biased but I think that a French Press is a lot less complicated than the Aeropress. I think that if you are prepared to mess with filters, it might be easier to stick to a good ol’ Melitta setup. What I like about the FB is that you do not have to remember to buy filters. Coffee and hot water and you are good to go. Of course, that is exactly what the people who still like their percolator also say. </p>

<p>In the end, the beauty is that there are choices for everyone’s taste. And, there are various qualities in the makers too. I can see why a cheap FB might be problematic if it was made in China for about 40 cents with cheap plastics and metal. The same for makers. I really do not like the Keurig type of extraction, and even in the Nespresso range there are different qualities. I tasted the coffee made from the commercial version of the Nespresso and despite using the same number of bars (not the same capsules) there was a noticeable difference. </p>

<p>My press is a Bodum :slight_smile: I might invest in a larger one though, I think it would be nice to be able to make more at a time. Also, because mine is (I believe) the smallest one they make, the mesh does not come off and it is rather hard to clean.</p>