One of the most popular types of coffee making equipment is the French press. Also referred to as a cafetiere, coffee plunger, coffee press, and press pot, it’s an affordable and easy way to produce a supremely rich and flavorful cup of brew. Even the most expensive French press models are a bargain compared to super pricey automatic coffeemakers, but the beautiful thing about this method is how versatile it is.

History

Funny enough, the first patent for a French press came out of Milan, Italy and not France. In 1929 Attilio Calimani got a patent for a press pot that has since undergone a number of design revisions. The equipment that we all know and recognize today was patented in 1958 by Faliero Bondanini and consists of a beaker with a cylindrical shape, a lid with a plunger, and a fine mesh or wire filter. These days you can find coffee presses at all price points. One of the most popular iterations of the coffee press was made by a company named Bodum — it features a strong glass beaker, durable plastic lid with a strainer, metal plunger, and double wire mesh filter.

How It’s Different

The French press has always been highly portable, and you don’t need any electricity at all to use one. While some think that it’s a fussy procedure, you can learn how to use a press without a ton of effort. There’s no disposable filters of any kind to deal with, and the process involved in making coffee this way allows you a great deal of customization. Because it’s a very hands on process, coffee lovers who like to slow down and enjoy their cup of coffee often prefer using a French press.

Benefits of the French Press

One of the key things that makes French press coffee worth brewing is the amount of oils that are extracted during the process. It produces an excellent and robust flavor that’s not at all bitter or burnt. You can also use a French press to make cold brew coffee. Simply don’t heat up the water, let it sit with the grounds sit overnight, and then enjoy the coffee in the morning. In addition, press pots are great for making more than one serving of loose leaf tea.

Some Coffee Directions on How to Use It

You’ll probably hear some people say you have to do this or that to make good French press coffee, and it’s not necessarily true. Here’s how to “cheat” while using a coffee press and still make delicious brew. Add hot water to your pot and let it sit while you put on some water to boil; doing this will help the pot maintain an optimal temperature.

Pour it out once the water that will be used for brewing gets close to the boiling point, and add your preferred amount of regular ground coffee to the beaker. Use the kind of coffee that you’d put in an automatic brewer — no coarse grind is needed, and as long as your press has a decent filter you won’t even find grounds in your finished cup.

Pour half the water onto the grounds once it has boiled, wait one minute, pour over the rest of the hot water, and then give the grounds a stir with a wooden or plastic spoon.

Doing this will let the flavor bloom and will produce a great cup of coffee. Wait a maximum of three more minutes before pushing the plunger down and enjoying your French press java. Because automatic drip ground coffee has small particles, it won’t take as long to brew.

The Purists’ Way

If you want to go the route of coffee purists or you don’t want to admit to using regular ground coffee in your press, buy whole coffee beans that are as fresh as possible. If you can roast the beans yourself, that’s all the better. Grind up just the amount you’ll need to make your coffee with a burr grinder, and make sure you choose a coarse grind. Follow the method above, but add a few more minutes of brewing time after blooming to extract the most flavor.