Coffee

[GWguy]

For years I've been using an electric drip-brew pot. Makes really good coffee, or so I thought. Better than most of the coffee you can get around here at shops.

Anyway, last time I was visiting my brother in Arkansas, we had dinner at a nice little Italian place. We all ordered coffee with desert. Very surprised to see it served in a French press. Even more surprised at how absolutely good it was, best I had ever tasted. Smooth and flavorful, no bitterness whatsoever.

So, I got a French press last week. It definitely makes better coffee than my drip, but not nearly as good as the place in AR. Using whole bean ground at home, might have to try a bunch of different coffees to see if any are more tuned for French press.

Anyone else use a French press? Results?

 

[vraiblonde]

I loved the coffee my French press produced, but hated the actual press itself. It's messy and cleanup sucks. Plus by the time the coffee has "brewed" the water cools off, so having piping hot coffee means putting the finished product in the microwave.

I do, however, love my Chemex. It uses paper filters, so no more messy than a drip machine, and it makes that same great smooth rich coffee that the press does. It "brews" a lot faster than the press, so the coffee stays super hot during the process, AND you can make a true pot of coffee instead of a cup or two.

Why not call the place in AR and ask them what kind of coffee they use? It might be a proprietary blend, but they also might hook you up. No harm in asking.

Aside: the Cuban Roast at WaWa is AMAZING! I got a cup yesterday on our way back from Annapolis and it was honestly the best convenience store coffee I'd ever had.

 

[Tami2red]

Aside: the Cuban Roast at WaWa is AMAZING! I got a cup yesterday on our way back from Annapolis and it was honestly the best convenience store coffee I'd ever had.

I tried the Cuban Roast today based on your recommendation. It was AMAZING for c-store coffee. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[TGB]

For years I've been using an electric drip-brew pot. Makes really good coffee, or so I thought. Better than most of the coffee you can get around here at shops.

Anyway, last time I was visiting my brother in Arkansas, we had dinner at a nice little Italian place. We all ordered coffee with desert. Very surprised to see it served in a French press. Even more surprised at how absolutely good it was, best I had ever tasted. Smooth and flavorful, no bitterness whatsoever.

So, I got a French press last week. It definitely makes better coffee than my drip, but not nearly as good as the place in AR. Using whole bean ground at home, might have to try a bunch of different coffees to see if any are more tuned for French press.

Anyone else use a French press? Results?

I love my french press coffee and I have also done espresso in it. The taste is very different. As Vrai said, it is a pain to clean but well worth the hassle. I bought the Bodum from Target. Hope this helps and enjoy.

 

[General Lee]

I thought about trying the french press process, but well......I know I'm not gonna like the process. I don't have time to pamper a cup of coffee. To ground the beans just right, get the water temp just right, steep the coffee for the right amount of time.

 

[lucky_bee]

I thought about trying the french press process, but well......I know I'm not gonna like the process. I don't have time to pamper a cup of coffee. To ground the beans just right, get the water temp just right, steep the coffee for the right amount of time.

It's really NOT that complicated I guess maybe for a coffee snob...

I'm a huge coffee drinker and I loved my French press. I got one bc my old kitchen was way too small to keep my coffee maker out. I just boiled water on the stove, added it to regular ground coffee, gave it 4-8 mins...and then had delicious hot coffee! And cleaning mine was a breeze. I just rinsed it out. One thing that I found was a little odd...a few times I bought fresh beans and grinded them a little coarser, as that's how they always recommend for French presses....that actually made my coffee taste like watered down mud So I stuck with a typical bag of store-bought ground coffee. :shrug: I'm sure some coffee expert is scoffing at me, but that worked just fine for me. This is what I have: Ovente Pink French Press

 

[Dakota]

Aside: the Cuban Roast at WaWa is AMAZING! I got a cup yesterday on our way back from Annapolis and it was honestly the best convenience store coffee I'd ever had.

Love the Cuban Roast but I loved their holiday brew more. I just about cried when I saw it gone. They only had it for about 4-5 weeks.

 

[vraiblonde]

If you use a French press or Chemex for brewing coffee, I highly recommend an electric kettle. It's so much easier than boiling water on the stove.

 

[Hodr]

Anyone else use a French press? Results?

French press and Aeropress user for many years (yes, cleanup sucks). If your coffee is bitter you should try three things. First, only press until you get to the level of the grinds (I.E. don't squeeze the grinds). Second, don't leave the mixture for too long before pressing. A few seconds is literally enough to get the full flavor and caffeine out of the grinds. If you are waiting more than 20 seconds, you are definitely making your coffee more bitter than it should be. Finally, you may be using too hot water. While most office/gas station/restaurant DRIP coffee machines are set between 195-205 degrees, the best temperature for a French press is actually much cooler (165-175 degrees). This has been vetted through dozens of years of coffee brewing competitions, where the winner is almost always a French press with 165 degree water.

 

[GWguy]

French press and Aeropress user for many years (yes, cleanup sucks). If your coffee is bitter you should try three things. First, only press until you get to the level of the grinds (I.E. don't squeeze the grinds). Second, don't leave the mixture for too long before pressing. A few seconds is literally enough to get the full flavor and caffeine out of the grinds. If you are waiting more than 20 seconds, you are definitely making your coffee more bitter than it should be. Finally, you may be using too hot water. While most office/gas station/restaurant DRIP coffee machines are set between 195-205 degrees, the best temperature for a French press is actually much cooler (165-175 degrees). This has been vetted through dozens of years of coffee brewing competitions, where the winner is almost always a French press with 165 degree water.

That's very interesting. The instructions that come with the press insist on boiling water, that's 212*, and 4 minutes steep time. I'll give your methods a try.

I do find it a tad more effort to clean, not so much the press but the wet grounds. A drip maker you just throw the filter in the composter. With the French press, you can't just dump it down the sink. I may use a filter, pour it thru there and collect a few days grounds, then toss.

Thanx everyone. A few new things to try. Vrai, I did ask my brother to inquire at that restaurant in AR next time he was there.

 

[Hodr]

Other thing to keep in mind with the quick steep, if it isn't strong enough it's better to add more grinds than steep longer. Not as cost effective though.

And my personal preference is the Aeropress, as you get the benefits of the French press along with a paper filter.

 

[GWguy]

Ok, so tried a couple of things. I used a finer grind because that's what I had handy, heated the water to 165* and steeped for 30 seconds.

More grounds got thru from the finer grind, which is I guess why they recommend coarse grind!

Coffee wasn't as bitter, but weak, thin. Not rich at all. Already using 3 scoops.

Got cold almost immediately. Maybe pre-heating the cup will help, but now we're getting way too fussy for a single cup which is only a little better than my drip pot.

I'll play around a little longer, but this may be a short lived obsession.

 

[vraiblonde]

Ok, so tried a couple of things. I used a finer grind because that's what I had handy, heated the water to 165* and steeped for 30 seconds.

More grounds got thru from the finer grind, which is I guess why they recommend coarse grind!

Coffee wasn't as bitter, but weak, thin. Not rich at all. Already using 3 scoops.

Got cold almost immediately. Maybe pre-heating the cup will help, but now we're getting way too fussy for a single cup which is only a little better than my drip pot.

I'll play around a little longer, but this may be a short lived obsession.

That's exactly why I ditched the French press - it was more effort than what it was worth.

 

[GURPS]

Aside: the Cuban Roast at WaWa is AMAZING! I got a cup yesterday on our way back from Annapolis and it was honestly the best convenience store coffee I'd ever had.

I am going to have to disagree ...
.... the 'Hot Buttered Rum' 7-11 used to brew at Christmas time in the 90s was stuff

 

[vraiblonde]

I am going to have to disagree ...
.... the 'Hot Buttered Rum' 7-11 used to brew at Christmas time in the 90s was stuff

Okay, you can't disagree that it's the best c-store coffee *I've* ever had. You can say it's the best *you've* ever had, but that is your opinion and not a disagreement.

 

[General Lee]

So..... I decided to get a french press. Did a test run using ground coffee. The cup was drinkable but different. I can't tell if I'm drinking a better or worse brewed cup or stronger or weaker Lol. It seems more watery and I went light on the cream and sugar to better taste the coffee.

I used 2 tablespoons of coffee to the recommended fill of the beaker. Instructions said 1 tablespoons per 4 oz cup of coffee. Who drinks out of a 4 oz cup?? I let it steep for 3 minutes.