French Press

We have a Bodum french press and love it, but we tend to use the coffee maker when we have a lot of guests since it has a larger capacity.

[poky]

Re: French Press

I'll put another plug in for toddy:

http://www.toddyproducts.com/shop/produ ... oductId=67

Simple, non-electrical, nothing to break down.

It's a cold-brew system (plastic container with plug and filter, glass carafe). You put a pound of (coarse) grounds plus cold water in the plastic part, let it sit (we usually leave it overnight), then let it drain through the thick reusable felt filter. It makes a "coffee concentrate" that you mix with water and then microwave when you want a cup. DH loves it; he drinks a cup a day or so, and we only brew a batch about once every 3 weeks or so to keep up.

[SuzySunshine]

Re: French Press

We use the press exclusively but do use the drip when we have overnight guests or are hosting more then 6 people. You can buy a larger press and we need to for hosting.

One thing my IL's do is that they have an electric tea kettle instead of using a stove top tea kettle, it seems to warm the water faster but we don't really have enough counter space for one.

[Momo]

Re: French Press

So we have killed another coffee maker (like our sixth since we have been married :huh: ). I am thinking of screwing the whole drip thing and getting a french press. Do any of you coffee addicts use a press exclusively? Whadda you think?

We too were killing our machines. Then one day my houskeeper said to run LimeAway (directions on the bottle) through it, and low and behold it worked great! Sometimes it's the build up that cause the pump to stop working. As a matter of fact I need to do it again, I am having to press the brew button four or five times just to get it to brew the whole pot!

[medpedspouse]

Re: French Press

We ONLY use a french press. Have for many, many years and went through many during that time. When we have company, I use two. DH bought me this one two years ago and it is still going strong despite the daily use. ..or abuse.

http://www.planetarydesign.us/products. ... n=TableTop

ETA - after looking at their website, they now have bigger sizes too.

[DCJenn]

Re: French Press

My husband took his to Iraq in case he couldn't get decent coffee...

J.

[Michele]

Re: French Press

I don't drink coffee, but have a French Press for guests....but I don't know how to use it right. :huh: It's a Bodum and it holds 7 cups of water when filled (from empty - no grains) to the bottom of the top silver band of the handle thing. I don't know exactly how to grind coarse grains.....we have a grinder but maybe I should buy some pre-ground so I know what they are supposed to look like. Also I have no idea how many tbsp of grains to put in for each cup of hot water. And is there a certain type of coffee beans to buy? Or is it that I buy coffee that my mom likes and no one else likes strong dark coffee?

We also have a 4-cup Mr Coffee drip thing that everyone ends up using....but my in-laws still gripe about the Starbucks beans we have. (Russ can get Starbucks coffee and tea from the hospital with his free food money.)

[Vishenka69]

Re: French Press

I love my Bodum french press. I have two - one for guests and one for me (one cup). I can regulate how strong I want my coffee and the flavor is really great. My mom got us a Nesspresso machine, which DH loves and it's super quick and easy but nothing beats the flavor or the price of the french press.

Michele, you can buy any kind of beans and grind them pretty fine (or buy ground coffee), I use a heaped table spoon of coffee per cup but I like it very strong. When I grind, I know to what level fill the beans for one cup (by trial and error).

[Michele]

Re: French Press

thanks! I'll try it!

Re: French Press

I use both the press and the drip. I do suggest investing in a high quality press if you get one. I have found cheap ones seem to fall apart.

One fabulous tool that I can't live without for my coffee is the froth maker. I think bonjour makes one, or you can get one for like $5 from Ikea. You put ice cold milk in a cup and turn it on and you have a full cup of foam for a latte or top off your cup.