Everything You Wanted To Know About The Coffee Press

Today we’ll talk about the coffee press in some great detail. First a quick introduction to the coffee press for those who perhaps are not all that familiar with them. The coffee press is more commonly known as the French press because it is believed that the French invented it. However, like all great things coming to us from the humble coffee berry, it was the Italians namely the Italian designer Attilio Calamani who patented the first French coffee press. Now that’s not to say that the French don’t make great coffee for I must tip my hat to them for developing this delicious process for enjoying this elixir of the god’s.

Here to the left you can see a simple glass coffee press that you can buy from Amazon by clicking here. This is the Bodum Chambord coffee press, one of the very popular Bodum coffee makers. I’m trying to figure out what the word Chambord means. It sound’s French, but for the life of me I can’t find a definition anywhere. I’m thinking it is a product name that sounds French but doesn’t  mean anything 🙂 As you can see from the image. The French press, also known as cafetiere, press pot, coffee plunger and in Italy by the French phrase “Feurn de Leur”, is quite a simple construction. But do not be fooled by its simplicity for I tell you verily, that the French press is one of the best ways to enjoy coffee. And you can buy a French coffee press very inexpensively too. The French press is cheap!

Anyway, I’m not certain you’re really here for a French lesson or a history lesson on the French press. If you want to learn more about it, then Wikipedia has a good tutorial that will cover the basics. If you’d like to know how to make coffee with a French press or just generally how to use a French press, then follow those 2 links. Those are a couple of tutorials that I’ve made that will teach you everything you need to know about that.

What I want to share with you today is your options for enjoying French press coffee. And especially, the types of French presses or the types of coffee presses that I recommend. First up is the travel coffee press which you can buy from Amazon by clicking here. This is shown to the left. This travel French press has over 30 5 star reviews on Amazon and fits just about all car cup holders. These travel coffee mugs are also thermally insulated with 18/8 stainless steel which keeps your coffee warm in this coffee press. I love these. Not only because they’re environmentally friendly which is huge and if you’re a coffee lover like we are then you know we’re concerned about the environment because coffee grows in a relatively fragile ecosystem. I also love these travel coffee presses because you can use any kind of coffee or tea in them. In fact, I use mine for refills of the brewed coffee at  my local coffee shop or coffee franchises.

I should also mention that I have a glass beaker coffee press like the one in the first image on this page. I like it a lot, but I also recommend getting a stainless steel coffee press as they are more durable. I have, unfortunately, broken the glass beaker in my glass French press and that sucks. They aren’t terribly expensive to replace but it is a nuisance and I’ve gotta recycle the broken glass which takes a little bit of finesse. The stainless steel coffee press that you see to your left can be bought from Amazon by clicking here. It is the Frieling French press and I’m a huge fan of the Frieling brand. They are durable with a nicely polished exterior and high quality 18/10 double walled stainless steel interior. But it is the attention to detail that I really like. Like their all metal mesh filter that has smooth edges so you won’t catch and nick your fingers on it when you’re cleaning it. A little more expensive than cheaper French presses, the Frieling coffee press is nonetheless the Cadillac of coffee presses and should be on your wish list if you don’t have one already.

I have all 3 of the coffee presses mentioned and I recommend the same to all my friends. You won’t be disappointed. A good quality coffee press should last you a lifetime which minor replacement of the filters occasionally. If you love coffee then this is an investment in your enjoyment. You have not enjoyed the full profile bouquet of your favorite coffee beans until you have enjoyed them brewed in a coffee press.