What Are the Directions for Using a Culinare French Press Coffee Maker?

[gredmondson]

I found a Culinare French press coffee maker at a thrift store, but I don't know how to use it. The photo shows the basket, which snaps onto the plunger. I put coffee into the basket, snapped on the cover, pushed the basket into the hot water, waited a few minutes and had very weak coffee. Is there something else to do? It seems that the hot water does not have enough chance to get the flavor from the coffee grounds. I hope someone out there know about this.

 

[petek]

I don't recollect using a basket for a french press, you just put th coarse ground coffee into the glass, pour in near boiling water, let it sit for a minute or so then push the plunger down to the bottom where it holds the grounds down at the bottom so you can pour the coffee out. Also, the grind for french press use is very coarse, coarser than even percolator coffee

 

[maytagbear]

Preheating the carafe

with very hot water helps somewhat, but for French Press coffee to remain drinkably hot for any length of time, it needs to be poured into a preheated thermal bottle.

Stirring while pouring helps with the strength, as well.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[jimmyb]

French Press Coffee

We use a Bodum 8 cup stainless press daily. It is a thermal press and holds the heat much better. Our instructions stated to add measured coffee, add the hot/boiling water and stir, cover but do not press and let sit for four minutes then press and you are good to go.

We do not have the additional basket so I am not sure what that is for and may be the cause for weak coffee

 

[jasonl]

daily driver

Me and Helen use a french press exclusively and nothing else will do. No other way. I like my percs and vacuum pot but there's no other way than a French Press (besides Greek, but I don't have an ibrik).

Boil water in a kettle. While that's boiling, add two scoops of coffee in the pot. When the water's hot, pour it into the coffee pot, put the top part on but don't push it down. Wait about 4 minutes, then push it down. Enjoy some of the BEST coffee EVER!

 

[gredmondson]

Here is what the Culinare looks like assembled.

 

[petek]

Sounds like you have to ditch that basket part, just put the coffee in , add hot water, stir, sit and plunge LOL

 

[lederstiefel1]

French Coffee Maker

Sorry, to say so, but they do not make a very good and delicious coffee - we own one but use it only for herbal teas - that works really perfectly!
French do not know how to make a really good coffee - aks Germans, Swiss, Austrian or Italians - they know how to make good coffees!

Ralf

 

[panthera]

I make it like this

The mesh has to be open, so do not use that cover when making coffee.
Start with everything clean - coffee goes rancid very fast.
Grind the coffee for a very coarse blend.
For eight cups, put in about 3/4 inch.
Pour in freshly boiled water, starting with the water fresh from the tap. Don't fill to the top.
Put the plunger in, but do not depress.
Wait four minutes.
Carefully press the plunger down. If it won' go easily, wait another minute. If it still won't cooperate, your grind was too fine. I hold the lid in place while pushing the rod down.
The coffee has to be served at once or put in a thermos jug. Still, coffee turns rancid in less than 20 minutes, so basically it's press and serve.
These machines make decent, pleasant coffees with lighter arabica blends. They are horrible (which I think is behind Ralf's comment) at the darker roasts we tend to prefer in Germany and Italy. Since American roasts tend to be, how can I put this politely...understated...I bet a regular Starbucks non-flavored 100% arabica blend will taste good in these machines.

 

[jasonl]

Panthera, believe it or not, Starbucks gets jammed in the FP, ALWAYS! I don't know why. I grind it course (perc grind) but hell if I can ever push the plunger down. Vacuum pots hate Starbucks too, too oily. But I love their espresso.

Here, we drink the Maxwell house bold French roast and it comes out magnifique in the French Press.

So how do the Germans/Italians/Swiss make their coffee?

 

[gredmondson]

Hey! I figured it out! To make the coffee, remove the basket from the plunger and place it in the bottom of the pot. Add the coffee (or add it to the basket before placing the basket in the pot), add the hot water, place the plunger on top off the pot, wait four, or so, minutes, depress the plunger which will snap into the basket. When you clean the pot, the grounds are confined to the basket, and that is the advantage of the Culinare!

My problem was that I was putting the coffee into the basket and snapping it onto the plunger.

 

[petek]

Perc grind is even too fine a grind for a french press and plugs the screen making it hard to press, you need it even coarser than that.

 

[jasonl]

Basket

Well, that's a good feature of that press. It's easier to clean. I have to fill mine with water and dump it and hope the grounds come out. I usually dump it outside or in the trash can but when it's cold, I'm naughty and dump it in the sink.

The screen is and always be hard to clean, you really have to take it apart to clean it well.

Otherwise, it's worth the extra effort.

PeteK, I have a blade grinder that does have an automatic timer but it's pretty much taking a guess. I need to get a nice small burr grinder and maybe that will work.

 

[toggleswitch]

Stainless steel, porcelained enamel or tradtional brass?

~but I don't have an ibrik....

Jason:

Your snail-mail address to my e-mail address gets you a new one.

Just the excuse I need to run down to the ethnic market to get some decent cheeses and olives, teas, herbs etc!

 

[panthera]

like everybody else

Just, we don't use percolators, we don't ever keep it 'warm' and we use roastings which are 100000000000X more flavorful than is usual in the US.
Although that gets better from year to year.
Personally, I prefer freshly ground Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee made in a stove top espresso maker...it isn't really espresso, but damn good coffee.
I use the French Press when I have guests.
A really good American arabica coffee is just as good as one in Europe...just folks here in the US tend to make it much weaker than we do. Considerably. Totally. Enormously weaker.

 

[rp2813]

Glad you got your FP figured out. I'd like to know if the basket makes cleanup easier. It seems to me that there'd still be an issue with extracting the basket from the bottom of the pot. Or does it come out with the rest of the assembly? That would for sure be an easy cleanup. I throw all parts for mine in the dishwasher, even the fine mesh filter. The only thing I wash by hand is the frame, which on my larger model appears to have a painted wood handle. On the smaller size the handle is made out of a more dishwasher-friendly material.

I don't use my presses very often. Maybe if I have guests and the coffee will be served up right away I'll get it out. I do love the first pour off of a FP pot, with all that nice foam on top. Super coarse grinding is key with this brewing method.

 

[gredmondson]

I haven't had an occasion to use it yet, but I am sure that the removable basket makes the cleanup of the grounds much easier. The basket is snapped onto the plunger assembly, so when you pull the plunger out of the pot, you pull the basket out, too. Then all you would have to do is unsnap the basket from the plunger and shake it above the trash can. When I use it, I'll post how it works.

 

[lederstiefel1]

Germn coffee

Hi Jason!
You want to know how we prepare our coffee? No prob...!!
The oldest way was: put finely ground coffee into a coffee pot, pour half a cup of boiling water onto it, wait a minute and then fill up to the top. Stir, wait a few minutes and pour through a fine sieve into the cups. Since 1908 when the German housewife Mrs. Melitta Benz created paper filters, Germans became fond of the so called drip-coffee. Put a filter on top of a coffee-pot, put a paper filter in, pour finely ground coffee into it and start pouring boiling water into the filter.
Later (1930-1960 with interuption of the war) we had many different types of machines on the market here. Percolators, Karlsbader machines, pressure-machines, Cona type, vaccuum, etc. of which I own 12 machines at the moment!
I use them all, each from time to time on week-ends and all make a good coffee except that bloody french plunger-pot...lol

We have five coffee-mills as well and use them for different coffees and freeness of the coffee - more coarse or finer.

Nowadays we only have these bloody "puking" machines like in the US and all over the world, too...
They do not make a really nice coffee as the time for that drip-coffee takes too long a time and also never soaks the whole coffee powder completely in one go like when doing it by hand!
If you do it be hand one thing is absolutely important! NEVER pour water along the sides - always pour it right into the middle of the filter, filling it to the top and fill it again completely when all first coffee has gone into the pot. Do not fill more than 3-4 times but use a bigger filter or smaller pot. Use soft water and keep it boiling hot. That makes a really good German cup of coffee!!

Ralf

 

[gredmondson]

Well, I used the Culinare, and it worked well! The French press is really easy as I have instant hot water set on high. Another way I like coffee is in individual Durobor (printed on the glass cup) drip coffee cup. I got two almost 40 years ago from Belgium. That was a common way to serve coffee in restaurants there at that time. Demeyere is printed on the stainless steel parts. I have looked for a replacement glass cup, but have been unable to find one. I don't think they are common in the United States.