French press for coffee?

[Curly Bill]

I have read many a place that for the best coffee one should use a French press. I got one a year ago and since then have used it sparingly. To me the coffee taste different and pretty good, but I haven't made the effort to use it enough to know if I really like it better...What do you think?

[critical_phil]

i know some coffee snobs that swear by the Freedom press.

i'd like to know what i'm doing wrong with mine because the coffee isn't as good as what they tell me it should be.

[Curly Bill]

i know some coffee snobs that swear by the Freedom press.

i'd like to know what i'm doing wrong with mine because the coffee isn't as good as what they tell me it should be.

Yeah, the coffee is good and all that, but I keep waiting for some magical taste sensation that I'm not getting. Maybe I'm not coffee snobish enough? Another problem with them, as I see it, is they don't keep the coffee warm for you if you make more then one cup.

[critical_phil]

Another problem with them, as I see it, is they don't keep the coffee warm for you if you make more then one cup.

actually, this is a plus for me as i don't care for litigation-hot coffee.


i keep mine at the office because i can bring my own coffee and use the boiling water dispenser from the Ozarka dealio.

[Curly Bill]

i keep mine at the office because i can bring my own coffee and use the boiling water dispenser from the Ozarka dealio.[/QUOTE]

Man...I wish I had a boiling water dispenser at work...life would be sweet...making my own coffee...the crap they make would peel the paint off the walls...yuck

[r5TPsooner]

It's very good if you use filtered water and find the right blend of coffee that fits your particular tastes. Personally, I use whole beans and grind them right before I intend to make a pot of coffee.

Sometimes a cup of coffee is just a cup of coffee.

[achiro]

It is also better if the coffee is ground the right way.

[TUSooner]

Perhaps the coffee needs to be ground a bit more finely than the usual pre-ground store-bought java?
I'm no expert, but since I started grinding my beans, my home brew is head and shoulders above the office sludge. I tend to grind the beans pretty fine, but I don't use a press.

[critical_phil]

Perhaps the coffee needs to be ground a bit more finely than the usual pre-ground store-bought java?



i'm thinking you want the coffee to be ground larger than normal. otherwise you get coffee sludge in the bottom of the pot.

[SoonerAtKU]

i'm thinking you want the coffee to be ground larger than normal. otherwise you get coffee sludge in the bottom of the pot.

This is correct. Do not use finer grinds. Most grocery stores have Grind-Yer-Own stations with settings for a press. If not, I believe it's something like a 10-12 second grind from a home grinder.

We don't have room for a microwave in our current tiny kitchen, so we actually use our regular coffee pot just to heat the water for the press.

[Curly Bill]

This is correct. Do not use finer grinds. Most grocery stores have Grind-Yer-Own stations with settings for a press. If not, I believe it's something like a 10-12 second grind from a home grinder.

We don't have room for a microwave in our current tiny kitchen, so we actually use our regular coffee pot just to heat the water for the press.

Yeah, the instructions with my press say to use a larger grind. So, let me ask you: does using a larger grind result in better coffee in the press? As of yet I've just used the regular coffee I'd normally use in a coffee pot.

[GottaHavePride]

The holes in the screen of a press are larger than the holes in a coffee filter. Using a larger grind in the press means you don't wind up drinking gritty sludge.

If you like gritty sludge, by all means use espresso grind in your press. ;)

[proud gonzo]

i keep mine at the office because i can bring my own coffee and use the boiling water dispenser from the Ozarka dealio.
Man...I wish I had a boiling water dispenser at work...life would be sweet...making my own coffee...the crap they make would peel the paint off the walls...yuck[/quote]electric kettle. ywia

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=104045&RN=687

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/assets/product_images/380/22815104045C.JPG

[TUSooner]

I stand all corrected about the size of the grind!
Like I said, I have no French press.
BTW pg, them 'lectric kettles is da bomb. Very hot, very fast.

And everybody else STFU in advance!

:D

[M]

All I know is no matter how much tasty stuff I add to the coffee here at work, it still tastes like ****.

[proud gonzo]

well duh, it's coffee :rolleyes:

[Kels]

Start roasting your own beans, no really. In the long run, it's a lot cheaper than buying gourmet whole bean or ground.

[Jimminy Crimson]

All I know is no matter how much tasty stuff I add to the coffee here at work, it still tastes like ****.

Bailey's and Kahlua included? ;)