Over the last 5 years, I have begun to drink coffee regularly, but with with a lot of creamer. Does anyone have experience using a french press to make "fresher" coffee? Any advice?
Only you can decide if it is worth the extra hassle of cleaning. I'm currently using a Keurig, coffee not as good, plastic that fills landfills, but super convenient.
Edited to add: French Press is a fantastic way to make Thai Coffee. Make the coffee but add Cardamon spice, then leave it in the French Press for 24 hours. Fill a glass with ice, fill 2/3 with the coffee, add condensed milk to taste. Mix, enjoy.
Keep the extra coffee/cardamon spice mix in the fridge.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2015 06:10PM by scotslander.
I found some Cardamom Cinnamon tea made by New Republic at my local grocer's, on clearance. It's herbal tea, with punch! Naturally caffeine free, it still provides an energy picker upper in the middle of the day. These are its only ingredients: Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, carob, chicory, black pepper, Chinese star anise, cloves and cassia oil
scotslander Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > French Press coffee can taste fantastic. > > Only you can decide if it is worth the extra > hassle of cleaning. I'm currently using a Keurig, > coffee not as good, plastic that fills landfills, > but super convenient. > > Edited to add: French Press is a fantastic way to > make Thai Coffee. Make the coffee but add > Cardamon spice, then leave it in the French Press > for 24 hours. Fill a glass with ice, fill 2/3 with > the coffee, add condensed milk to taste. Mix, > enjoy. > > Keep the extra coffee/cardamon spice mix in the > fridge.
Have to agree with you scotslander. French press makes great coffee but the cleanup is a hassle and I just use my keurig to avoid the mess and have a cup within a minute or two without any extra mess. By the way, I get mine from Rogers bros. online and their pods don't use the plastic. Better for environment, better tasting coffee (my favorite is "fog chaser") and often a better price since they often run web specials.
orthus Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- Better for > environment, better tasting coffee (my favorite is > "fog chaser") and often a better price since they > often run web specials.
Yes, I've tried Fog Chaser. It was nice enough. Although I like the Keurig for the variety of flavours available. Isn't Fog Chaser simply coffee?
scotslander Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > orthus Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > Better for > > environment, better tasting coffee (my favorite > is > > "fog chaser") and often a better price since > they > > often run web specials. > > Yes, I've tried Fog Chaser. It was nice enough. > Although I like the Keurig for the variety of > flavours available. Isn't Fog Chaser simply > coffee?
Yes, just that plain old fashioned coffee. They do have flavors but I like plain rich, black coffee. Their different roasts are nice depending on your preference.
I think I'll get my wife to follow up on that Fog Chaser stuff. I'll just need to mention it is more environmentally friendly and she'll be all over it.
The only problem, I think she just bought us a year's supply of the K-cups. LOL
My coffee shop offers French Press along with all the other "designer" coffee concoctions but I'm happy with my cup of Costa Rican medium roast every morning...plus it (French Press) costs a lot less than the fancy stuff. I know, I'm old and boring...whatever...
RB
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2015 09:57PM by Lethbridge Reprobate.
I love my French press. I use whole beans and grind them fresh, too. It’s fast. Grind, boil, pour, press, drink. Coffee as fast as your kettle will boil. Maybe leave it for a few minutes to steep before pressing if you like. And I don’t clean my press every single day like some people feel they need to. Just once a week (I do rinse it and dump it each time, though). Some might complain, but I’ve never been sick. Hand clean the parts to get the bulk grime off, then run the parts through the dishwasher to sterilize them. It's hard to get a drip or keurig as truly clean as you can a press, if that does matter to you.
I’ve used both drip and keurig. French press with self ground beans is by far my fav. Good luck.
Get some paper filters, a plastic cone a jug and get some ground coffee, pour boiling water on it you have tasty, fresh coffee. With no machine to clean.
My son loves the air press, similar to the French press. He asked me for one for Christmas couple years back, and uses it 'religiously.'
I found a nice one for $30 from a local gourmet food store, that is hard durable clear plastic.
Very durable, and surprisingly easy to keep clean in between uses.
He made a cup for me when we visited last fall that was better than coffee I've had at the finest restaurants. He loves his little coffee maker. Non-electric, lightweight. He took it with him on his move to Japan - stores easily in his suitcase.
Although finding good coffee in Japan can be a challenge. He knows a good international food store he can find some at, where he can grind his beans fresh.
For one person, get the small Bodlum press, $20 or so. If you don't want to grind the beans at home you can buy coffee in the supermarket that is already ground, I'm thinking of Seattle's Best.. you decide what you like. The coffees you buy in a package that are already ground are not ground for a French press. It's just an all purpose grind. To make them work with a press let the coffee steep for only 3 minutes instead of the 4. If you get into grinding beans of course that would be even more wonderful. I think you would need to study up on grinders before purchasing. Some supposed grinders (cheap ones) just chop the beans up rather than grinding them properly. All the aforesaid stands if you take your coffee black. If you put crap in it (cream, sugar, flavorings) then I don't think it really matters what brand of coffee you use or how you prepare it.
You can have my double-walled stainless steel bliss-maker and burr grinder when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers ;-)
Really good things are always worth a few extra minutes. I grind the beans fresh while water heats in electric kettle, pour, let steep for 4 minutes, press, add organic heavy cream, no sugar.
Nirvana in a cup in less than 10. Doesn't get simpler.
I just leave the press on the counter when I'm done and clean it later in the day - a quick rinse out and swoosh with some suds, a little attention paid to press filter and mechanism and into the drying rack. Knowing it'll be ready to go for the next morning's ritual makes those 2 or 3 minutes fly by :-)
Another perspective on cleaning hassle...I've always lived in old (very old~like French Quarter old) buildings with "character". Without being too graphic a Mr. Coffee or Keurig provides a convenient water supply for all manner of vermin and become nasty very quickly. In these circumstances a french press that can be rinsed and bleached is a godsend and the grounds go great in compost.
yes. we bought a french press after recommendations from people on rfm. we love it. the coffee tastes great. we also have a regular coffee pot for convenience and to save time in the morning but the press is my favorite.
I use my personal mug from Caffe Ibis which features a French Press feature along with a 'hidden pouch' container on the bottom of said mug. It's not insulated to 'thermos' standards but, with that level of flavor in the mug, I don't consider it much of an advantage to have mega-levels of insulation in my mug.
The go-to grinds (for me) are Logan Canyon Blend and Highlander Grogg. Like most of you, convenience prevails. I get the 'high-ender' blend when I can afford the time. Otherwise, it's drip-drip-drop of the usual suspect coffee blend. The best thing is on low-carb diets, whipping cream in my coffee is rocking. No artificial creamer shit here. Pure gold from a magical animal.
I wouldn't use a french press for everyday coffee because it won't improve the taste that much. However, if you have some some really premium coffee, such as Rwandan Rift Valley from Starbucks, AND you have the barista grind it especially for french press, AND you drink it black in an effort to appreciate all of its subtleties, then by all means, french press is the way to go.
If you're buying coffee at the supermarket, you'll want to coarse-grind it yourself. The packaged drip grinds are not suitable for french press and will make it even messier.
Finally, use water at slightly off-boil. Let the boiling water rest for about 30 seconds before you pour. Then set your timer for four minutes and as soon as it goes off, hit your plunger and pour. If you steep it any longer than that it will get bitter.