The Emperor's New Coffeemaker?

[joeekaitis]

I must have unsophisticated pedestrian tastebuds because everything I've tried with a French press yields a murky weak brew that barely tastes like coffee. We have a di Longhi drip coffeemaker with an "Aroma" setting that cycles the heat on and off at 30-second intervals to approximate the "barista" method of saturating the coffee grounds then pausing to let it drip through before repeating the process. It makes kick-butt coffee.

Still, I've found a good use for the French press.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The "Barista" method used to be called French Drip and was done manually. Unlike American drip coffee makers, there was no water reservoir on top over the grounds. Water was spooned over the grounds. It was time and labor intensive, like making risoto. There used to be a store in Georgetown with French cookware stacked up in the windows in the mid 70s and I remember a beautiful turquoise Le Creuset French drip pot in there. It was already old because the turquoise color had been discontinued for quite a while but I could not justify buying it when I don't drink coffee and get into enough trouble buying vacuum pots.

 

[rp2813]

The coffee out of a French press is definitely murky, but I've had decent results as far as strength is concerned.  I also like the foam you get from the first pour.

 

Coarsely grind a rich roast, dump in a generous amount -- at least enough to fill in the gap between the plunger assembly and the bottom of the beaker -- pour in the hot water and let sit for at least five minutes before pressing.

 

The reasons I don't use my French press all that often are because you have to serve it immediately since there is no way to keep it warm, and, they don't make many cups' worth.