Product Review: French Press Coffee
It seems that if I don't have my 2 cups of coffee every morning I will have a "crash" sometime in the early afternoon. A couple of weeks ago when my electric drip coffeemaker gave up the ghost I started looking around for an alternative. It seems that coffeemakers in this area live for about a year and, probably due to the high mineral content, they "die". Yes, I cleaned with vinegar, and I have cleaned with different coffeemaker cleaners - a year is just life as I have always known it.
I remembered from Home Ec class *many* years ago the teacher showing us something called a french press, when she was discussing various methods of making coffee. It looked very simple, you place your ground coffee in the press, pour in water you have boiled in a kettle (or, if you are like me, a microwave) and let steep for 3 or 4 minutes. Then, you push down the plunger to trap the grounds in the bottom of the pot. The plunger has a very fine metal screen on it.
So, I went on a quest for a french press. None were available locally but then, I live in a small rural Midwest town (pop 125). However, I had no problems finding one on e-bay at a very reasonable price - around $10-20,
including shipping. They sell many kinds at different price points.
The coffee is great. From what I have read, the press leaves in some of the natural oils that the filter from a drip maker takes out. There is no way to "boil" the coffee itself, since there is no heat source. The coffee was very
rich and full-bodied. I have been told that if you allow it to steep too long it might become bitter, and that if you push down the plunger too fast or grind the coffee too fine, you will have grounds in your coffee.
All in all, I can highly recommend this method of making coffee.
Review written by: Gayla Peterson, Butyoudontlooksick.com, © 2006
