French Press coffee. What's special about it?

[Paula_Yam]

Hello everyone, the question is about how french press is different from other types of making coffee? I do not drink it at all, but it seems like I have to know it. I saw a guide on youtube how to make a french press coffee. And can't understand the chemical process. There's no a a "tradition" or "aesthetics" if to compare with cooking coffee in hot sand in turkish coffee pot. And what about the taste?

[rotuts]

one of many methods to extract ' coffee' from  hot water and ground roasted coffee.

 

its a classy method , can be done right at your table.

 

TheFrench  usually like their coffee w some sediment in the Cup.

 

I do , my sister , using the same beans I roast and used to send to here 

\

does not.  As I recall , in FR   the FP does not have thievery fine mesh filter 

 

added to the screen.   FP , from FR sold in the USA  adds this fine mesh

 

the thinking is , most people in USA prefer very little sediment.

 

FP is not going to be much different ' In the Mouth ' from drip via a filter

 

steeping in hot water for the same length of time.

 

Turkish is a ver different matter

 

the coffee is very finely ground and ends up in your small Turkish coffee cup.

 

the advantage here , is that you add your sugar while the coffee is boiling in the ibrik

 

so you do not stir the TC when its in its cup.

 

a bonus w this method :  after you drink most of the coffee

 

you but the saucer over the ' dregs '

 

rapidly flip the unit over

 

wait a bit

 

and then you can read your fortune in the patterns on the side of the cup.

 

no extra charge for a Glimpse of the Future.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[AAQuesada]

Taste is similar to drip coffee but you are going to get more body in your cup.  I like that about it

[Margaret Pilgrim]

FP is our method    First person to hit the kitchen in the morning, clicks on the electric water pot.    I don't allow the grounds to steep as long a prescribed, but do I use a good amount of coffee per pot so I get a strong cup to which I add a healthy splash of rich milk.    To me FP creates (my) quintessential brew.

 

FWIW, I like coffee much stronger than husband    Morning coffee was always a compromise, mine never being strong enough, his requiring a lot of additional hot water.    He switched to tea several months ago and I have been enjoying excellent coffee without inconveniencing anyone.  

Edited March 10, 2020 by Margaret Pilgrim (log)

[BeeZee]

French press allows more of the coffee's natural oils to be retained in the beverage (instead of caught in the paper filter). I feel it is a more rounded flavor, I drink strong black coffee ("French Roast") and the difference is noticeable.

[rotuts]

@BeeZee 

 

that's a very good point about the pace filter.

 

when I do drip , i use a

 

https://www.bodum.com/us/en/10183-26b-drip?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9ZzzBRCKARIsANwXaeJG_FXIz0clGpN2dAaQCjeZRSLgNLJJ5HnDYrX98WOYeBjS5YlinpsaApelEALw_wcB

 

metal filter.   I think it retains less oils than paper , and allows some sediment

 

which for me adds depth to the cup.   I use a Melita plastic cone to hold the filter over

 

a Melita carafe 

 

https://shoponline.melitta.com/products/pour-over-coffeemaker-glass-carafe-set-36oz

 

I dont do pour over , I mix the freshly ground coffee in a pyrex measuring glass container

 

the kind w a handle that just came out of a microwave , making sure the water is not

 

super heated by giving it a quick stir than add the coffee all at once , and stir that

 

i let this steep for 3 minus then pour in the metal filter to drip into the carafe

 

I started using the metal filter as i got tired of buying paper filters , even the brown ones

 

I dont do pour over as it take to much of my time fiddling and faddling 

 

this works for me

 

coffee w the metal filter closely resembles FP to my tastes

 

and I avoid the Achilles Heel of FP clean up.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

@rotuts   Good point about FP cleaning.    In the city, everything goes through the garbage disposal so clean up is no more work than a tea cup.    But but in the country, we are VERY careful about what goes down the drain.    There, I am very grateful for our lazy-man's electric drip and its filter.

[rotuts]

i really liked the aesthetics of the FP.

 

i have two of them.   sitting on the table , waiting to be plunged

 

while looking at the days Paper ....

 

but  dissembling them and cleaning the elements

 

never caught on w me.

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

We use an AeroPress--delicious coffee and simple cleanup. Much easier than the French Press, too.

 

N.

 

 

[cdh]

French presses are about the aesthetics of the press... they look really spiffy served to the table.  They introduce customer interactivity... you get left to press the plunger yourself when you feel like it.  They don't require expensive grinders to work right... a French Press will do OK brewing the output of a whirly blade grinder. 

[MokaPot]

IMO, the coarseness of the grind for French press causes lower extraction / strength (you have to use more ground coffee vs. other methods). Also, maybe I'm doing it wrong, but the coffee seems to cool off too much by the time it's done steeping.

 

I have a friend (Italian American) who uses a French press and just lets it sit there forever, steeping, before he drinks it. I guess that's a way to get more extraction.

 

I hope I'm using the word "extraction" correctly. Others can correct me if I'm wrong here.

 

I feel like I have to use so much ground coffee when I use a French press.

[FeChef]

I use a french press when i want a strong cup/s of coffee. What i like about it, is you can use a light roast, and make it super strong to the point that it takes on a very tangy flavor provided you add just enough sweet to bring the tangy taste out. Imo, its the best cup of coffee you can have, providing you like the taste a real cup of coffee. Most people like that DD garbage (aka hint of coffee with their sugar and cream)

[rotuts]

cooling can be a problem w FP.

 

when I used to do FP

 

I put just off the boil water in the glass container before I

 

FP'd   that helped.

 

FP is a vey elegant way to make coffee

 

as @cdh  

 

I changed my emoji to trophy , as indeed a blade grinder would work

 

but a low cost burr grinder would work better.

 

I gave up FP  because I became too lazy to take it apart and clean it properly 

 

having a properly clean "" Coffee System "   changes the taste of your coffee

 

dramatically.   coffee oils oxidize ,  and that oxidation dulls coffee's flavor.

[BeeZee]

I wrap my French Press glass carafe with a towel to insulate it a bit while it steeps, seems to help. Honestly use it infrequently because it is such a pain to clean (no garbage disposal, so I really work hard to keep the grinds out of the sink).

[rotuts]

I ' tap ' my steel mesh filter into a plastic container 

 

that holds several weeks of spent grounds

 

Im able to then compost the grounds outside.

[cdh]

Wouldn't a soak in peroxide bubble out the junk you want to clean out of the press screen?  Use coffee oil remover first like Urnex or Joe Glow... then any organic junk left over would get bubbled out by peroxide, no?  I use a french press to ferment water kefir, so when organic slime turns up in the screen, a soak in H2O2 seems to do the trick for that purpose. 

[rotuts]

it might.  i have no idea.

 

unscrewing the filter assembly 

 

washing w dish ' soap ' and a ' scabby '

 

seemed to me to do a good enough job

 

i do use Urnex for my espresso machine and its porta=filter assembly

 

works great

[weinoo]

21 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

@rotuts   Good point about FP cleaning.    In the city, everything goes through the garbage disposal so clean up is no more work than a tea cup.    But but in the country, we are VERY careful about what goes down the drain.    

 

Of course in the country, you're probably putting those coffee grounds into your compost pile .  

 

18 hours ago, MokaPot said:

IMO, the coarseness of the grind for French press causes lower extraction / strength (you have to use more ground coffee vs. other methods). Also, maybe I'm doing it wrong, but the coffee seems to cool off too much by the time it's done steeping.

 

I have a friend (Italian American) who uses a French press and just lets it sit there forever, steeping, before he drinks it. I guess that's a way to get more extraction.

 

I hope I'm using the word "extraction" correctly. Others can correct me if I'm wrong here.

 

I feel like I have to use so much ground coffee when I use a French press.

 

Heat the press pot first while your water is coming up to temp - I use hot tap. (as rotuts mentioned)

 

Cleaning - urnex or similar (as cdh mentioned).

 

I bought one of these - Rite Press (as weinoo mentioned elsewhere) - it was a nightmare of a kickstarter project, but when finally received, it's a nice item. I've yet to use it, as FP isn't my preferred method.

 

 

Allegedly easier on the cleanup, but you still gotta take the thing apart to really clean it. Jeez - coffee making makes a mess...is that a revelation?

 

And as we all know, no matter the method used to brew one's coffee, it all still comes down to using good coffee and good water, and having some idea of what you're doing. 

[weinoo]

The necessities include...

 

Good water heated to the proper temp

Good beans

A decent enough grinder

Scale

In some cases, a timer.

An ability to both read and follow proper instructions. Or to watch a you tube video.

 

https://www.stumptowncoffee.com/brew-guides/french-press

[rotuts]

i shudder to import a bottle of " Good NYC Water "

 

not because of Current Affairs

 

but simply because i might note a difference for the better in 

 

MyCup and its Brew   I dont need to reflect on how much inferior 

 

coffee Ive happily drunk over the years

 

based on this new Data.

 

we have tasty well water in my town,   it is Tasty.

 

for the espresso machine  I Brita that water

 

for drip , no need.

 

remember every body

 

Coffee is a person beverage.

 

you can control its production as much as you want.

 

to get something pleasing for your own palate.

 

and its mostly a lot of fun

 

equipment for a vast improvement over DD and SB

 

is not expensive.

 

taking apart the FP , not so much.

 

I should thank the GreatCreator that I dont have to take apart my

 

espresso machine from time to time.

 

cleaning it w ' coffee cleaner ' is easy and mostly entertaining.

Edited March 11, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

The Great Creator?

 

[rotuts]

I can't view lots of videos posted here for some reason

 

including yours

 

its a bit sad Id say

[chromedome]

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

i shudder to import a bottle of " Good NYC Water "

 

A former colleague approached me for suggestions a couple of years ago when his FP began producing off-flavors, and I turned him onto the Aeropress. Being the sort who goes into these things, he spent his first evening of ownership digging into a couple of Aeropress-centric forums for tips and pointers.

The next day he told me "Geez, I can be pretty militant about some things but these guys are serious fanatics. I just finished reading a five-page flame war over which of two brands of Swiss bottled water is the *only* acceptable choice for making a drinkable cup of coffee..."

[rotuts]

@chromedome 

 

there are so many ' coffee fanatics '

 

as there are fanatics all over the world

 

the CF would be better served

 

studying their

 

Cup

 

and improving it

 

with in reason

[FeChef]

5 hours ago, rotuts said:

i shudder to import a bottle of " Good NYC Water "

Thats just as bad as the NYC pizza myth. I can cornfirm, there was no difference between PA, NJ, or NYC "tap water" (and yes actually took home water from those states to make my Pizza dough) i mean , why not, its free, when you order a slice.