Comments on: CK Cooks: French Press Coffee

By: Jerry

Jerry — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:00:54 +0000

Now I know how to use my french press! I only need beans!

By: Tell Simmer: Erin Nichols from Erin Cooks | Simmer Till Done

Tell Simmer: Erin Nichols from Erin Cooks | Simmer Till Done — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:48:07 +0000

[...] coffee! At Starbucks I’m a grande non-fat white mocha kind of girl, and at home I swear by the coffee press and freshly ground beans from Peet’s. Unfortunately if I go near caffeine after noon I’ll [...]

By: Raj

Raj — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:35:01 +0000

You guys are going to have to come over to experience my Delonghi Magnifica.

I love French press coffee though. Funny aside — my Aussie friends call it “plunger coffee.”

BTW, Trader Joe’s has a great selection of really tasty coffee if you haven’t had theirs before.

By: Curt

Curt — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:17:14 +0000

A conical burr grinder is the way to go. I have a friend that used to own and run a local coffee shop, and he always told me 197 degrees F is the right temp for coffee; if you have a Thermapen, you can check easily and quickly, but your advice should work great…. Boil and let it sit for a moment or two.

A conical burr grinder will allow you go get a good, coarse grind, which keeps the grounds out of your coffee when you pour it. It will also allow espresso grind, which is very fine for a pump espresso machine.

Your shots make me wish I had my press at the office!

By: Abbey

Abbey — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:33:46 +0000

Oh it makes me so happy to see others drinking Peet’s! When we moved to California, we were SO. EXCITED. to find Peet’s and all it’s wonderfulness!! My two faves are Major Dickasons and their Holiday Blend. Yum-o. I think I’ll go do a little Peet’s and French Press right now.

By: Katie from Cali

Katie from Cali — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:53:37 +0000

I love my french press, and the fact I don’t have to have another bulky machine in my cubbard,and my tea pot can be used for tons of things! It saves me money on filters too. It is more of a eco-friendly product in my mind, (and saves electricity since I have a gas stove).

I have just turned my friends on from HI onto them. I’ll never go back to a coffee maker.

By: Elle

Elle — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:55:49 +0000

I love my french press! It does make a great cup of coffee, and it’s great for me, since no one else in the house drinks coffee. It usually makes just about 2 good sized cups for me. I need a new grinder though–mine got lost when we moved last year, and I haven’t gotten around to replacing it yet.

By: tara

tara — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:55:10 +0000

Great post CK, and loads of good information.

A little tidbit for Laurie - if in the market for a coffee grinder I would wholly recommend going the burr grinder route rather than a blade grinder. Some are a bit more expensive, but well worth it I think. The difference between the two is that blade grinders can result inconsistently-sized grounds whereas burr grinders produce a more-consistent product - which results in an even extraction of the oils from the coffee.

By: steamy kitchen

steamy kitchen — Mon, 05 May 2008 00:01:24 +0000

Have you tried the Aeropress? It’s like the silliest, cheapest thing to make coffee, but OMG, it makes the best. similiar to the french press, but uses pressure and gravity to produce the most mindblowing coffee ever!

I also started roasting my own beans.

I know. I’m such a coffee dork!!!

By: CK

CK — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:09:56 +0000

Hi Laurie,

It’s always debatable, but I tend to think you’ll get a better coffee flavor from grinding the beans right before brewing than grinding them at the store or buying them pre-ground.

I haven’t seen a price discrepancy between ground and whole bean coffee, so you likely won’t see a price difference either way.