280900 Sun Nov 13 08:55:57 -0800 2005 10 31 Home Cooking 0 1493528 Thinking ofjunking the old Mr. Coffee(sorry Joe)and going with a French Press. Any advice or caveats? Thanks In Advance..... Sun Nov 13 08:55:57 -0800 2005 0 Phu Bai 1 1493529 I bought mine about an month ago. I paid about $15 bucks for it. A friend of mine got me into home roasting coffee and then brewing in the FP. Much better flavor out of the FP, my drip coffee maker always seemed to impart a weird aftertaste. So Pros, much better coffee. Cons, a little setiment in the cup and you may want to get a thermos to keep the coffee hot. Now, off to make coffee.. Sun Nov 13 09:04:41 -0800 2005 1493528 0 chileheadmike 2 1493547 Just bought a bodum thermal carafe and it does indeed solve the problem of cold FP coffee. Also, here in SF, we have a great little coffee shop called Cafe Organica whose non-espresso coffee is all FP - they filter it after pressing to eliminate the sediment. It's a great cup. Sun Nov 13 09:55:44 -0800 2005 1493529 0 Lisa 3 1493642 You should get the same effect by steeping the grounds in a sauce pan for a few minutes, and then filtering them through a paper cone filter (using the Melita style plastic filter cone). FP is essentially a steep and strain coffee. Any fine mesh strainer could be used in place of the plunger. Straining leaves fine sediment and all the oils in the coffee, potentially giving a richer, full body brew. A paper filter removes both. paulj Sun Nov 13 22:03:14 -0800 2005 1493547 0 paulj 1 1493555 To keep the coffee hot during brewing and serving, wrap a thick kitchen towel around the press & secure with clothes pins or sew a cozy. A thermos is good too but I hate washing extra dishes! Sun Nov 13 11:28:28 -0800 2005 1493528 0 petradish 2 1493598 I do the same thing with the cloth - next time my carafe breaks, I'm going to get a metal French Press, for better insulation. Sun Nov 13 17:58:19 -0800 2005 1493555 0 MMRuth 1 1493560 For me, the biggest pro is the easy clean up. I used to use one of those stovetop Italian-style espresso makers. It made great coffee but was a b!tch to keep clean. If you didn't scrub it out with baking soda regularly, all sorts of stuff built up inside, resulting in a bitter, nasty cup of coffee. Because it's made of glass, a French press cleans up very easily and quite thoroughly. And, it makes a tasty cup of coffee, much better than the drip coffeemakers I've had, IMHO. Sun Nov 13 13:25:08 -0800 2005 1493528 0 Webley Webster 1 1493570 I have a Bodum french press w/ a glass carafe. It makes a great cup of coffee...rich and nuanced. The biggest benefit that I notice is the enhanced body and mouthfeel that a drip maker can't produce. Choose a size that fits for you. I think that Bodum makes anywhere from 2-8 cup presses. Mine is a 3-4 cup and works well for just me and my husband on a leisurely weekend morning. That said, we have a 10-cup Braun drip for weekday mornings when we want to keep the coffee warm and when company is over. Drip coffee isn't quite as good, but good enough for me in those cases. I like to have both in the home. Sun Nov 13 15:46:20 -0800 2005 1493528 0 Carb Lover 1 1493583 To avoid some of the sediment you should use a very coarse grind, drip grind is too fine. Sun Nov 13 17:13:26 -0800 2005 1493528 0 Candy 1 1493604 I've been using a glass bodum for about five years and love it. Much better flavor. Easy to clean and no sediment remains for bad taste. It's best to buy coarse ground coffee - with this I get NO grounds in my mug. I buy coffee at my local co-op where I can grind the beans myself in whatever size I choose - and the coffee is organic, fair trade and bird friendly. Sun Nov 13 18:34:20 -0800 2005 1493528 0 CilD 1 1493683 on a related note, i sometimes use the press for tea-type infusions as well. last time i was sick, i threw in some ginger bits, cinnamon stick, and orange zest instead of coffee. works well that way. Mon Nov 14 04:28:17 -0800 2005 1493528 0 hobokeg