Comments on: Mastering the Art of Loving French Pressing

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:44:09 +0000

Wow, you made using a French press sound really hard.

Just work out the amount of beans it takes to properly work with x amount of water, then put a mark on your press for that much water…and find a little measuring doohickey for the x amount of beans.

Now you can easily make your standard amount of coffee without engaging the brain for assistance.

By: Ana

Ana — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:41:45 +0000

I second the Aeropress rec. Bill (see comment #3) told us about it when he visited us in June, and we’ve been very impressed with it. I think the Aeropress coffee is even better than the one you get with a regular French press.

By: erin

erin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:52:19 +0000

Agreed on all points, I’ve bounced from a drip coffee maker to an espresso machine to a french press and now I’m on the cold press kick. For summer, it really is the best tasting/easiest option but with two people drinking it, man, does it burn through the coffee beans! I suppose the cheapest answer would be to drop the coffee habit entirely, but we work from homers really need that extra comfort!

By: adam

adam — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:13:31 +0000

I so hear you about the importance of going out for coffee when you work alone. Fortunately, the baristas at my local cafes are tolerant of the glug-glugging noises I make instead of speech after half a day of no human contact. I try to stay out of there for budget reasons, but the mountain of temptation is coming to this Mohammad: a Stumptown cafe/roastery is slated to open soon more or less across the street from my place (never mind that Stumptown is rapidly evolving into the indie-Starbucks, somehow both alternative and ubiquitous).

By: JC

JC — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:08:57 +0000

An equally cheap and good way to make coffee is to use a pour-over filter holder like this: https://shop.melitta.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=64+007&Cat=
You can buy one for less than $5 at most coffee shops or house ware stores.

French press coffee is subtly different in taste and body from drip coffee, and using a pour-over (where you can control the heat of the water, and make sure it is hot enough) will almost always get you better drip coffee than an electric coffee maker. The pour-over is easier to clean-up than the press pot too.

But, Dunkin Donuts?? Really?

By: Bill

Bill — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:55:41 +0000

Have you tried the Aeropress? I think I was pushing it on Adam the last time I saw him. I ditched my french press in favor of it. Coffee is smoother, less bitter and the clean up is ridiculously easy. I need to buy one for the office.

By: AmandaLP

AmandaLP — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 22:51:11 +0000

I love my French press, but I use it for making cold brewed iced coffee. That way, I only have to wash it and deal with the beans 1-2 times per week Plus, it helps that I prefer iced coffee (even in the very cold Brooklyn winter.)

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:04:38 +0000

I love making my own coffee in the AM. And I’m such a luddite that I grind the beans in a hand crank grinder and then brew it up in a little Italian stovetop espresso pot (a moka pot). Cheap, very tasty, and fun. I only buy coffee out when I’m traveling for work, but at home almost never. I LOVE the ritual of it, and the sneezing sound it makes when it is ready, and the dark “faux espresso” it makes.