French Press Style Coffee

Because of the filtering system there is always some sediment which some people don't like. It uses very coarsely ground coffee that basically steeps in the brewing water for several minutes allowing all the flavours to fully extract from the coffee grinds. The French press style of coffee making produces very rich, aromatic and tasty coffee.

There are some models of French Press that are insulated which is good for keeping things hot while it steeps. This plunger also serves as the lid. A French press coffee maker has two parts: a straight-sided container usually made of glass, and a filter-plunger that pushes through the water to filter out the coffee after it has steeped.

DO NOT press it down yet, it needs to steep for about four minutes (a little more or less depending the coarseness of the grind). You should now put the plunger/lid on the pot to help retain heat. You may wish to stir the coffee grinds around to be sure all of them are in contact with water. When ready, empty the carafe, add your coffee, and then add your brewing water. To brew coffee with a French Press, you should pre-heat the carafe while you boil your water.

Just take your time and it will work. The filter can jam on grinds that are too fine. If it doesn't want to go down, simply lift the plunger up slightly and try again. Do not force the plunger. Once you feel the coffee has brewed enough, slowly depress the plunger trapping the grounds on the bottom.

French Press pots are not well insulated and coffee cools off very quickly. The other main reason to pour your coffee off is to keep it warm. This will quickly ruin your coffee. If you leave the coffee in the French Press it will remain in contact with the grinds and keep brewing. Despite what some may say, it is usually best to decant the coffee into an insulated serving pot.

Once you've done that you will have some of the most tasty coffee anywhere. Play with the brewing time and grind coarseness until you get the taste that you like best.

What is the Big Deal With Coffee Makers?

It's true! But did you know that the type of perculator that awaits you at home makes a huge difference in how the bean will taste once it hits your cup? When you go to the market you're not thinking about your coffee makers when you buy your favorite coffee beans.

That's why it's important to know the difference between the various percolators before you select that favorite bean of your's for your coffee in the weeks to come.

Water is boiled from underneath the grounds and the coffee seeps into the water until it's fully brewed. To brew a cup of coffee, grounds now are placed in the basket at the top of the pot. The percolator is still found in many kitchens, but is mostly a relic of days gone by.

However, the percolator doesn't do justice to most coffees and instead has something of a foul taste according to the tongues of many coffee experts. The result is coffees that are full-bodied and steaming hot.

These are available relatively inexpensively at almost any store that stocks household supplies and even most large grocery stores and supermarkets. The most common type of coffee makers today are the drip coffee makers.

The majority of American homes have a drip coffee maker. The drip coffee maker produces clear, light-bodied coffees that lack the natural oils and sediment and/or grounds that can come with other varieties. But these machines don't produce coffees that are as hot as they can be, which is a turn-off for some people.

The French Press is the choice in coffee makers for most Europeans. Boiling hot water is poured directly over the coffee grounds, and then a plunger is inserted through the center of the pot to press the grounds down and allow their flavor to brew into the water.

The resulting coffees are rich, full-bodied, and extremely aromatic. However, they can also be a bit muddied and cloudy because of coffee grounds and powder that can sometimes slip into the cup of coffee. And it's impossible to keep the coffee hot, so it must be served immediately or poured into another container built for heating.

Espresso coffee makers are gaining in popularity as coffees like espresso, cappuccinos, and lattes become more commonplace. These machines brew the coffee extremely quickly, producing a flavor that is extremely unique.

Boiling water and steam are forced through tightly-packed grounds, resulting in coffees that are free of bitterness and full of flavor. Some of these machines don't even require the beans to be ground ahead of time, resulting in an even fresher taste.

Perhaps the most unusual and eye-catching are the balancing siphon coffee makers. An alcohol burner heats water that's in a metal pot, which boils and travels through a pipe to a glass jar where it flows over the coffee grounds.

Once all the water has boiled out of the metal pot and into the glass jar, the balanced lever puts out the alcohol burner. As the metal pot cools, a vacuum is created which suctions the brewed coffee back through the pipe and into the metal pot for serving. This setup produces coffees that are as close to perfection as possible according to most coffee experts.

When it comes right down to it, the type of coffee maker that's best for you depends on the type of coffees you prefer. For instance, if you value a clear cup of coffee over flavor, than you would use a drip coffee maker.

If you prefer the flavor and aroma of a rich cup of coffee, the French Press may be right for you. And if you want a conversation piece for after your next dinner party, the balancing siphon coffee maker needs to grace your granite countertop.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

How To Master Your French Press - Plunger Pot Coffee Maker

This will separate your finished coffee away from the grounds by pressing all the grounds to the bottom of the pot. Then you gently press the plunger lid down allowing it to pass through the suspended coffee. You should then allow the coffee to steep for about four to six minutes. The plunger cover is then replaced on the beaker. The French press method is pre-warming the glass beaker with hot water, adding your preferred amount of coffee in the beaker, then adding some slightly cooled boiling water. The French press method is pre-warming the glass beaker with hot water, adding your preferred amount of coffee in the beaker, then adding some slightly cooled boiling water, will create a great blend of aroma and flavor.

Advantages | Disadvantages of your French press

Also there is no paper filter to take away some of the coffee oils - which will help save your delicate aroma. Grounds in this process (steeping) are just under the boiling point, which means no extra boiling or burning which will save the dark, delightful flavor and coffee aroma - with no bitterness. The stop time is less, application of pressure is slight, water is hotter, and the ratio of water to coffee is greater. Advantages: Using this technique gives the richest body of coffee (excluding Espresso).

And if you do not use the medium to coarse grind, you may have sediment at the bottom of our cup. If your coffee beans are ground too fine, it will be harder to press down the plunger lid because of the increased surface tension. Disadvantages: The cooling down of the coffee before the steeping pressure has finished.

Bonus | Using the French press as a foamer to make froth.

Pump the plunger in the pot for a few minutes and the milk will expand to three to four times its volume creating froth for your cappuccino and latte. Pour the milk into a rinsed plunger pot. Do not overheat; just heat it enough that you cannot put your finger into it. Heat a cup of milk (using non-fat has best results) on the stove or in the microwave.