Best French Presses

A French press is a quick method of preparing coffee, which, when done correctly, can remove oils and bitterness that result when soaking coffee grains for too long. The method is simple:

1. You boil a quantity of water, in a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio.  

2. Pour the boiled water over the coffee grains in the French press’ carafe.

3. Let the coffee grains steep for around 4 minutes.

4. Attach the French Press’ plunger, and press on the coffee grounds. This extracts the oils and essence from the coffee grounds.

That certainly seems simple. But, the quality of the coffee depends greatly on how the coffee beans are ground, and the water temperature. Once you have those factors down, the rest of the preparation is practically fool-proof. But, different models will differ in capacity, materials, and how well they filter the coffee grains.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a French press. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of French press,

• See useful tips about that particular type of French press,

• Read reviews of different French presses, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of a French press, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

There are differences in the design of the carafe, which holds the coffee grounds and the hot water:

• Stainless steel: Many French presses will consist of a carafe made from stainless steel. An example is the Coffee Gator Large French Press Coffee Maker. This has the advantage of being a double-wall carafe. This double wall functions as a thermos. That keeps heat from escaping, and it will allow the coffee to stay warm for up to an hour.

• Glass: Many companies make French presses with a carafe made of borosilicate glass. An example is the Kitchen Supreme French Press. The glass is supported by a metal frame, which protects the glass from chipping or breaking. Glass will also not affect the taste of the coffee--as opposed to metal, which can lend a taste to the coffee.

We can also distinguish between the filtering works on the individual French presses. There are two, three, and even four-stage filters employed in manual French presses:

• Double screen: The SterlingPro French Press has a double screen system. One screen is spring-enabled so that it fits snugly around the sides of the carafe. The second, finer screen filters the tiny coffee grounds, to ensure that they don’t go into your coffee.

• Three screen filter: The Idylc Kona French Press has a part that presses onto the coffee grains as well as the fine mesh and the spring-enabled disk.

• Four screen filter: The Kitchen Supreme French Press has a fourth part to their filter. They use two fine meshes instead of just one, to ensure that no grains escape into your coffee.

Here are the parts of the French press’ plunger:

Spiral plate: This keeps the mesh in place, and fits tightly inside the carafe.

Mesh: This blocks the coffee grounds from entering your coffee.

Cross-plate: This holds the mesh in place, as well as the spiral plate.

Parts of Coffee Gator French Press

• Rustproof: Stainless steel French presses are durable and attractive. But even the best have problems with rusting of the parts over time. The Coffee Gator has a stainless steel-chromium alloy, to ensure that it will not rust. Others will require some extra care, such as cleaning and drying it thoroughly.

• Not being warm to the touch: The double-walled French presses will have the advantage of being cool to the touch. The double-wall insulation doesn’t let the coffee’s heat escape. So it keeps the French press cool. Others will have features to keep the plunger cool as well.

• Capacity: Coffee will taste best when it is freshly brewed. So you don’t want to make a lot of coffee if you don’t intend to drink it now. But, you may want to brew a lot of coffee at once. The SterlingPro French Press is one of the largest that we reviewed, with a 1.75-liter capacity (59 ounces). That’s enough for almost 16 coffee cups of 4 ounces each. You should use 1 spoon of ground coffee for each cup of coffee.

• Dishwasher safe: You’ll notice that most stainless steel (and even glass) French presses are dishwasher-safe. This certainly will make the cleanup easier.

• Tips to enhance the flavor: Coffee connoisseurs say that there are various steps to take to make sure the coffee tastes its best.

  • Roasting: For example, the coffee beans should be only lightly-roasted. A darker roast will produce a stronger, more pungent coffee.

  • Fresh ground grains: It is recommended to grind the coffee beans just before pouring the boiling water. It is recommended to use a burr grinder, for best results.

  • Water temperature: Also, you should wait a minute after boiling the water, to let the water cool before adding it to the coffee. This will prevent the water from scalding the coffee and removing too much acid. This will also affect the coffee’s taste.

• Bodum--are makers of coffee and tea appliances and accessories, founded by Peter Bodum in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1946. They make coffee and tea mugs and cups, as well as coffee grinders, water kettles, Thermo jugs, and coffee beans.

• Kitchen Supreme--was founded in 2013, and are retailers of a number of kitchen appliances. They sell a spiral slicer, wine opener, and French presses. They also make tools for organizing your kitchen.

• The Colombian Coffee Club--are located in London, England, and were founded in 2012. They make a variety of coffees, such as Java, Borbon, Gesha, Caturra, and more. They also make coffee equipment, including French presses, coffee and spice grinders, and more.

• Coffee Gator--was founded by Phil Williams, who was inspired by hiking in Colombia and drinking the local coffee freshly-brewed. Coffee Gator makes coffee canisters, cold brew coffee makers, French presses, kettles, and more.

• Secura--are retailers of small home appliances. Their products include coffee makers, deep fryers, grills, cookware, and more. Their French press has a 3-layered design to trap coffee grounds and just release their flavor.