If you’ve never had French press coffee, it’s smooth, rich, and indulgent. Very … French. Pair it with a fluffy croissant or some crêpes Suzette, and you’ll be in paradis. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t have it every day. You absolutely should! But maybe you could be making it a little better. In fact, we’re sure you could.
No other coffee-brewing method works quite the same way as a French press, making it a favorite among coffee connoisseurs, us included. While it does take a bit more patience than using a drip coffee maker, you can master the process in no time. Just make sure you start with a good French press coffee maker.
What is a French Press?
If you’re only recently hearing about this brewing method, you might think the French press (also called a cafetière in England) is a new way to make coffee. While its origins are a bit unclear, it’s been around in various iterations for more than 100 years.
The current design, however, was patented in 1929 by Attilo Calimani, who, surprisingly, was Italian—not French. The modern design itself is quite simple, consisting of a carafe (sometimes called a beaker) and a plunger assembly.
French Press Carafe
Typically made from a special type of glass, you’ll also find French press carafes made from stoneware, stainless steel, or plastic.
- Borosilicate Glass: This special material contains silica and boron trioxide to make it exceptionally resistant to thermal shock. That means pouring hot water into a borosilicate carafe won’t cause the glass to explode. It’s the same thing most glass bakeware is composed of. Unfortunately, if you drop your glass French press on your tile floor, the composition of the glass probably won’t help you.
- Stoneware or Ceramic: This less common style of French press carafe tends to be a bit pricey, but beautiful. Frequently available in a rainbow of enamel colors, stoneware and ceramic French press carafes are also internally coated to resist stains and odors. Most stoneware carafes are dishwasher safe. They’re sturdy and resistant to extreme temperatures, but also breakable.
- Stainless Steel: If you want a French press that won’t break easily, choose one with a stainless steel carafe. Typically, they’re double-walled and vacuum sealed, like heavy-duty travel mugs, so they keep your coffee hot for hours. Stainless steel French presses are available in brushed or polished finishes. You’ll find some color options among the brushed finish style, while polished ones have a mirror finish, almost like fine silver. Durability will vary by model, but you can rest assured that stainless steel won’t shatter on your kitchen floor.
- Plastic: When you purchase a French press of reputable origin, its plastic carafe will be made from styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) and be free of bisphenol-A (BPA). SAN is an especially durable type of plastic, which will withstand high temperatures without warping or leaching chemicals. BPA has possible negative health impacts, and may find its way into food and drinks when plastics containing it are exposed to heat, such as boiling water. Since you’ll be using hot water to brew your French press coffee, be sure to look for a BPA-free carafe made from SAN.
French Press Plunger Assembly
The simple mechanism inside your press is what really brings your French press coffee to life.
- Plunger: The way you brew the most delicious cup of coffee you’ll ever taste is the same way you get a stubborn sink to drain—with a plunger. This is one time when you’ll want to plunge gently, though. A handle is attached to the plunger rod on top of the lid, and the rod extends down through your French press and attaches to the disc and filter at the bottom. You’ll use it for brewing and cleaning.
- Filter Screen: The bottom end of the plunger consists of a filter and disc, which are held firmly against the glass by a surrounding spring. Some models use as many as four stainless steel mesh filters to ensure coffee grounds stay in the bottom of your French press as you plunge. If your grind is too fine or your filters aren’t fine enough, you’ll end up with a gritty brew. Metal filters have also been blamed for allowing cholesterol-increasing oils to stay in your coffee. If this is a concern, you can purchase paper filters or bags for your French press, which trap the oils blamed for increasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
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