French press for coffee: what is it and how to choose?
Love good coffee, but you cannot stand to bother with its preparation? The French press for coffee is designed as if specially for you! A simple and compact device can be found in the home kitchen, in the network or the author’s coffee shop. We have collected in one article everything you need to know about the french press and the intricacies of making coffee in it.
What is a french press and how did it come about?
The French press is a device for making coffee by infusion. In the press you can also prepare tea, herbal or fruit infusions and other beverages.
The design of the modern french press is a vertical cylindrical flask. It is made of glass that is resistant to high temperatures. The flask houses a vertical piston fitted with a strainer. The piston sinks to the bottom, pressing the thick and not letting it fall into the cups after the end of brewing.
Despite their constructive commonality, modern French presses may vary in some respects.
- The volume of the flask.
- Design.
- Material manufacturing mesh (plastic, nylon, metal).
Who was the author of the first french press?
The device was first demonstrated to the public in the 19th century, and industrial production was established at the very beginning of the 20th century. However, the patent was obtained much later, at the end of the 20s. The patent was owned by Milanese designer A. Kalimani, but he could not really “unwind” the device. The rights were bought from him by the French and flooded Europe with simple and convenient coffee pots, which have since been called the “French press”.
A new wave of popularity of the French press came at the end of the 20th century, and for several decades now this cooking method has remained one of the most popular among coffee fans. A French press does not look as impressive as an espresso machine, but coffee in a glass flask is excellent.
Why is a french press popular with coffee tasters?
An important feature of the device is the excellent preservation of the bouquet of the drink.
First, the coffee is brewed with hot water, but not boiled, so the taste and aroma is maintained to the maximum. Aromatic substances do not evaporate, so in a french press you can brew varietal coffee and enjoy all the shades of taste and aroma. Therefore, the French press loves tasters.
The large filter also belongs to pluses of the French press. Fabric or paper filters are much finer, they hold up a maximum of coffee particles, but along with them some aromatic substances settle down on the filters. In the French press you are insured against such. The taste of the drink from the use of a large filter only wins.
How to brew coffee in a French press?
A French press for coffee is simple and unpretentious, and making coffee is easy. Let’s start with the preparation.
Coffee
Grind coffee grains. Grind need coarse, roughly, as coarse salt or shredded rice. Fine grinding for the French press is not suitable. Extraction will go too fast and the coffee will be too bitter and tasteless. The best grinding will be provided by the burger coffee makers, in which the grains are ground, not broken.
If you decide to treat yourself to high-quality coffee in a french press, then let the grains be weak or medium roast to preserve all the aromatic features. The longer the grains roast, the more caramel and chocolate notes they contain, but the finer flavors disappear.
Water
Suitable bottled or at least filtered. It should be boiled and allowed to cool for 5-7 minutes. The optimal water temperature for brewing coffee is from 92 to 95 degrees. At a lower temperature, extraction will not work, the drink will be sour and weak, but cool boiling water will make the coffee bitter and harsh.
Time
Brewing in a french press takes 4 minutes. After that, the filter is lowered and the coffee is poured into cups. Overexposed drink unpleasantly bitter.
Brewing recipe
- Take freshly ground coarse coffee in proportion 1 part ground coffee and 7 parts water. If you are afraid of the strength of the drink, then change the ratio to 1/10.In the first case, you will need about 20 g of coffee per 150 ml of water, in the second – 15 g of coffee per 150 ml.
- Boil water in the kettle and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Rinse with a hot water french press.
- Load ground coffee.
- Fill it with water in a circular motion.
- Stir the water and coffee with a spoon or bamboo stick.
- Cover with a lid. Press do not lower.
- Let it brew for 4 minutes.
- Slowly lower the press.
- Immediately pour the coffee into cups.
It is better to drink it immediately, otherwise it will cool.
Some experts advise to pour the required amount of coffee powder with a small amount of water and leave for 30 seconds, and only after that pour in the remaining water. The infusion time and with this method is 4 minutes.
How to choose a french press?
We will assume that you were impressed by the opportunity to quickly and simply make coffee, like a real taster. It remains to get a french press. We go to the store and look around the line of the most varied models. How to choose the right one?
Material making flask
Mark cheap plastic as unreliable and short-lived. Iron flasks are not too good either – they get very hot and can rust at the joints. The best choice of material for a flask is borosilicate glass that is resistant to heat. It is easy to care for it, it heats up more slowly.
Filter mesh
It can be metallic or synthetic. The latter option filters thinner fractions, but it is better to give preference to the metal grid. It will pass very small particles, but it will not precipitate aromatic fractions.
Volume
Take a french press that will be enough to make your regular coffee serving. For two coffee lovers, a model of 300-400 ml will be suitable, and one will be enough for a 200 ml variant.
Top models rating
As you already understood, the model range of French presses differs only in design, materials of manufacture and the integrity of the manufacturer.
To simplify the selection, we have compiled our own small rating of manufacturers, whose products have already been evaluated in practice. As always, we warn about the complete subjectivity of the approach. It is based only on our own impression at the level of “like-dislike”.
1 place. Bodum
The brand from Denmark is represented by a whole constellation of French presses of various sizes and designs. Colored covers, comfortable handles that do not heat, durable borosilicate glass and metal filters. The dishes serve for a long time, but it costs quite lifting money – from 35 dollars.
2nd place. Bialetti
Coffee lovers are well aware of this name for geyser coffee makers. French press Bialetti are distinguished by a decent quality of assembly and production. A definite plus – comfortable and durable handles. Even a liter coffee pot, full to the brim, for such pens to raise is not terrible. The price starts from 35-45 dollars.
3rd place. Hario
The Japanese brand specializes in the manufacture of dishes, and the world famous brought him pour-over. The french press of Japanese production are distinguished by their durability, stylish design and robust construction. Convenient pens and stands, strong covers, metal mesh filter. The biggest drawback is the high price. Miniature press for 240 ml will cost from 20-30 dollars.
4th place. Tescoma
Chinese brand tableware has a good reputation. French press cannot boast a variety of design, but practical. Comfortable handles, good piston stroke. Of the minuses – need to be dried after use, otherwise they can quickly rust. Cost – from 20 dollars.
5th place. Taller
Chinese products differ traditionally democratic price. Of the minuses, we note not always the successful design of the handle and cover. In many models they are metallic and heat up quickly. But the price of 10 dollars is very attractive.
Features of the operation of a french press
Although the dishes themselves are undemanding, but some rules of care still have to be observed. At least in order to extend the service life of the French press.
- Thoroughly rinse the french press from the thick.
- Dry disassembled.
- Use non-abrasive products.
- Wash the plunger without a dishwasher.
- Do not pour coffee with boiling water.
- Do not brew herbal teas and coffee in the same press.
- Put a french press on a stand for hot dishes, even if it has special “legs”. They can also heat up and leave marks on vulnerable furniture.
- If the metal of the filter is dark, immerse the piston in an aqueous solution of detergent and leave for 5-10 minutes, then rinse with clean water.
A French press for coffee is a rather fragile thing, so keep it away from pets and small children.
French press for coffee: our conclusion
- Reveals a true bouquet of coffee.
- Easy to use.
- Easy to care for.
- Relatively inexpensive.
- Widespread.
- Suitable for those who love varietal coffee.