French coffee press

[Visiting Crazy Town]

I have been thinking about getting a french coffee press for my desk at work  because they are convenient and they look easy to use, but i have a couple of questions about them.
1. Does the coffee taste the same as it does if you make it in a coffee maker
2.  are they easy to clean up
3. do you have t buy a special kind of coffee for them
4 do you still need to use a filter

Shay

[cicero]

this is just my experience:

1. Does the coffee taste the same as it does if you make it in a coffee maker
I think it tastes stronger but it's basically the same

2.  are they easy to clean up
you have to spill the grounds into a sink and then rinse it out.

3. do you have t buy a special kind of coffee for them
ground coffe like for a coffee maker. if you have a place that grinds coffee, tell them you need it for a french press
4 do you still need to use a filter
no, there is a strainer in the plunger thing.

you can also buy one of those one-cup plastic filters that you place over your coffee mug (you do need paper filters for that) http://www.fantes.com/images/FilterCone.jpg


edited because I need to learn to READ IT before i SEND IT

[Phinn]

It sounds like what we call a "bodom" in my part of the world.  I have used one for years, and have found it convenient for the office and home.  We actually got rid of our espresso machine and drip percolator because the bodom is so much more versatile.

1. Does the coffee taste the same as it does if you make it in a coffee maker

I find it closer to an espresso or Americano - richer coffee taste and thicker consistency.  Far preferable to drip coffee in my books!

2.  are they easy to clean up

Choose one where all the pieces of the plunger come apart - I bought one recently where you cannot remove the mesh filter, and it drives me nuts having to try and clean it.  Otherwise, they are easier than any other coffeemaker I've ever used.

3. do you have t buy a special kind of coffee for them

I have used both drip-grind and espresso-grind - however the espresso grind sometimes leaves too many fine grounds in the finished coffee.  My local shop sells a "bodom grind", which is halfway between espresso and drip grind.

4 do you still need to use a filter

A good bodom should be sufficient with its metal mesh filter, no need for further paper filters!  This makes it really environmentally friendly, not to mention self-sufficient.  In short, I love them, but lower-quality makes can be a bit of a pain, so choose carefully!

Cheers,
P

[blarg314]

I find that the French press makes better coffee than a drip filter when you're only making one or two cups. It's also faster, and the coffee doesn't get that burned taste in does on a heater.

To wash - dump the grounds in the sink, rinse the filter and wash the carafe. I disassemble the plunger about once a week to wash thoroughly.

I would advise one where the plunger part disassembles, but the screw is on the base (no little separate screw at the bottom), because it's easy to drop the small bit.

I use a coarse grind, because I find the fine grind tends to leave sediment.

[MC Clapyohanz]

Vietnamese use the French press too, or cà phê phin, to make cà phê sữa đá - Vietnamese iced coffee w/ sweetened condensed milk. Yum! Coffee usually hurts my stomach, but when my husband makes it for me, it's just right. Must be the ice & condensed milk.

The filters are fairly cheap - especially if you go to an Asian market. Look for it in the section where they have the bowls & utensils. They make single-cup servings, but the great thing about that is that you can have your cup as strong as you want while your partner/friend/whoever can have his/hers as weak as s/he wants.

Here's a link to the wikipedia site about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A0_ph%C3%AA_s%E1%BB%AFa_%C4%91%C3%A1

[illa_nell]

Shay - Some of this will be repeat advice but

1.  While I love the french press coffee, if you are a drip coffee drinker you might find it too strong and might need to adjust a bit (or just play with how much coffee you use per cup)

2.  I use mine at home and the grinds go right onto the houseplants, shrubs, and garden because they fertilize and keep the evil feral cats away at the same time (I have a cat, that is NOT a cat-bash, just a peeve about anyone, including kitties, having "relations" on my porch at full volume at 3am ).  At the office it could be harder because you don't have a filter to take out and trash and they can often be too liquid to dump by themselves into a can.  The grounds shouldn't really go down the drain as they can cause problems and backups.  That said, other posters have apparently not had issues with that and if your sewer and pipes can take it, have at it.

3.  No special coffee required, but either grind briefly or get a coarse grind (most grinders in a supermarket have a setting for this if you don't have another source) because that is what works best with these little suckers.

4.  No filters, which is great for me at home, but might actually make disposal difficult at the office.  The disposal of grounds issue is the reason I don't have one at the office.

[MC Clapyohanz]

Eticlerk, not to get off topic, but will coffee grounds keep the feral cats from peeing/pooping in my yard? When there's any kind of moisture I can smell it right by my front door since that's where the hybiscus tree is.

Sorry to gross anyone out.
thanks in advance.

[Sophia]

...4 do you still need to use a ...

It is actually better if you don't use a filter.  There are some good oils that get soaked up by the filters in drip coffee makers. 

For those that are thinking, why would you use a filter in a French Press?  My all-knowing aunt told me to use a napkin in my French Press.  I wonder why she prefers a regular coffee maker?
 

[illa_nell]

(Apologies for hijack)

HeyNow:  When I moved in to my new house I didn't get a full night's sleep for about 2 months.  Apparently one of the ladies in our neighborhood has big bins of food out to feed the feral cats and they have adopted us all.  Between their shenanigans on the front porch at 3am, fighting and, well, performing other acts, and my cat's reaction to having them out there, I was a mess.  Plus the smell on my porch was atrocious from the spraying and I was not enjoying the "presents" they left all over the side of the house. 

I bought that ridiculously expensive cat repellant at the pet store, which seemed to lessen the problem, but there is no way I could afford to spread a box of that around the house and porch every other day.  Plus, my cat hates the stuff and I hate putting out chemicals.

Enter coffee ground advice.  I have no idea why, but most cats appear to hate the smell.  I started emptying my french press leavings into the garden and all around the house (just dumped them in a different spot each day until I went all 'round, then started over).  The cats still come around a fair amount but they don't hang out, scratch in the garden, or have parties in the middle of the night.  I still wake up to the occasional fight but it is nothing compared to what happened when I first moved in.  It also solved the problem of what to do with the grounds, as they are usually too wet for the trash can, but seriously mess with my 100 year old plumbing. 

If you aren't a big coffee drinker, I even know of people who drop by local coffee shops and the shops are glad to give away bags (warning, you may have to bring your own bag or bucket) of grounds for "second use."

/end hijack

[Visiting Crazy Town]

Thanks Everyone for the advise. I think that i will by the coffee press

Shay

[Brentwood]

Shay, as far as flavor goes - I think coffee made in a French press is far superior, taste-wise, than that made in a drip coffeemaker.