Single Serve French Press
Can anyone recommend a good single serve French coffee press? I was suddenly inspired to get one for my wife for Christmas.
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UPDATE: I bought her the Aeropress and so far, so good. It took a few tries to figure out water temp and the amount of coffee to use, but she is very happy with the results.
She has been using it with some pre-ground Starbucks coffee that she recently bought and has said that it tastes better through the Aeropress than it did through our drip machine. We might have to investigate a grinder and switch over to whole beans, but as I said, she's happy with the results so far.
Thanks to everyone who responded and Happy New Year!
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MikeB3542
Dec 14, 2011 05:11 PM
There are plenty of French presses out there that double as mugs. On the cheap side, Bodum makes a plastic model that works just fine...bought a nice stainless steel unit at Starbuck's for my (now ex) wife that also works very well and keeps the coffee hot. Should be had for under $20...save the money for really good (read: NOT Starbuck's) coffee beans.
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re: Kagemusha
Hario is very cool - I own 2 vac pots, from Yama. But they aren't so great for making just 1 cup or 1 small cup. Excellent coffee - very smooth. Also, these WILL require a better grinder than a cheap blade grinder. Too find a grind and the pressure will build up and implode the glass.
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re: Kagemusha
Actually it's not an urban legend. Before I knew better, I had once used an overly fine grind and ... POP - and shards of glass all over the place, along with grinds and hot coffee. The Hario is perhaps less susceptible to this possibility with the spherical boiling area. Yama also has models with this design but I don't yet have one of those yet. I prefer using the glass rod filter with my Yama. It makes for the best possible clean-up and a very smooth cup of coffee.
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re: Kagemusha
Ok - so now you agree with me - thanks! :-) Please don't mistake my intent of warning for trying to steer anyone away from them. I LIKE vac pots, a LOT. I own 2 and regularly have been using my smaller one. When we have guests over, if they want coffee instead of an espresso or capuccino then I'll nearly always use my vac pot.
But ... for making a cup for just me - or "just me and she" I like my aeropress better.
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Well now that I have a few coffee fans to ask, tell me why I want/don't want a Keurig.
I have to admit that I am not a coffee drinker, but it seems to me that if I were, I don't think I'd be happy with a Keurig. It just looks like another kitchen gadget that promises convenience, but really takes all the love/soul out of preparing food. Am I right on that?
As for my wife, she is an occasional coffee drinker, but she knows a good cup when she has one. I'm not considering a Keurig for her, but I think she will enjoy a press type gadget.
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re: Philly Ray
Honestly, things like the Keurig do have their place in the world. I once had a Flavia. They are Convenient, with a captial C. You just keep enough water in the tank, keep it plugged in, and just place your cup, insert coffee X and hit a button. The machine did clog up and die after about a year or so. I wasn't super happy with that since it was $100. This was many years ago, before I was attuned to the benefits of citrix acid to clean coffee machines. Anyway - coffee from this little machines is "ok". That's it. The convenience factor is the appeal.
As to the aeropress, there are several hundred reviews on Amazon for it, and quite a few on coffeegeek - this is kinda like chowhound for coffee enthusiasts.
http://coffeegeek.com/reviews/vacpots...Whatever you go with, I hope you enjoy it.
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re: Philly Ray
goodhealthgourmet
Dec 13, 2011 07:01 AM
CindyJ said it all. using those packaged cups is no different than using bags of pre-ground coffee. in fact, the packaging on them is so flimsy that the contents probably deteriorate even more rapidly than the heavy larger bags.
i won't deny the convenience, but you definitely compromise on taste/quality...and i also can't abide generating so much waste with all those little cups - it's nearly impossible to find places that accept them for recycling. in know you can buy lids & filters that allow you to reuse the cups, but that strikes me as a hassle and a mess...and i can't imagine it's very safe to subject the flimsy plastic to hot water numerous times and then drink what ran through there.
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Eiron
Dec 12, 2011 02:06 PM
If you have a Marshall's or TJMaxx nearby, they tend to have fairly regular supplies of single-serving French presses in a variety of brands.
Here's a site with a few versions, starting at 12oz (two American-sized cups):
http://www.espressozone.com/french-press-coffee-makers.aspxI got one of these a few years ago & use it exclusively at work now:
http://www.sportchalet.com/product/ou...Although I have heard nice things about the Aeropress (and have tried my friend's), keep in mind that it produces very different coffee than what a French press will provide. It's going to be closer in style to moka-pot coffee. Which brings up the question: what kind of coffee does your wife like? Since this is a gift for her, I mean.
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CindyJ
Dec 12, 2011 01:53 PM
I've been using the Bodum Chambord 4-cup French press regularly for about 6 months now, and I love it. Yes, it's a pain to clean (I don't have an in-sink disposal) but it makes a really great cup of coffee. I find the 4-cup size makes a perfect amount for a 16-ounce mug. Also, it's amazing to observe the difference between freshly roasted coffee and coffee (even freshly ground) that's off a supermarket shelf when you're brewing it. The fresh coffee "blooms" while the other stuff just sits there. I grind my coffee using a setting that's slightly finer than the grind I use for my drip coffee brewer.
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Hi Philly,
Well I'm a bit of a fine coffee nut (not pun intended but I'm glad that it worked out that way). I own pretty much every basic type of coffee and espresso maker known to man - except a normal drip machine since they are totally lame. I also roast my own coffee.
While I only acquired an Aeropress perhaps a month ago, I can provide a very heartfelt recommendation without any reserverations. I stll use some of my other devices but this has become my "go to" device for my personal use - if I'm not inclined to deal with the espresso machine.
It is a snap to produce 2-8 oz of exceptionally good coffee. And clean-up is really much nicer than a french press. The quality of coffee is hands-down better than what my french press can do. It's quite literally as close to a true Americano as one can get without having an espresso machine - and I own 2 of those.
Note: if she does not have a coffee grinder then she should also have one. One CAN use pre-ground coffee in the aeropress, but standard ground coffee isn't really fine enough for the most part and is anything but fresh. If you would like recommendations on grinders please let us know - otherwise for the Aeropress it won't be as picky about which one as other machines.
Truly fresh beans will make all the difference. There are various places to get them - one is Sweet Maria's. But be careful what habits you start :-) The Aeropress is readily available from Amazon for about $26. It comes with 350 filters. She "might" want to try out one of the optional re-usable metal filters with it. It would allow for more oils to come through but also perhaps a bit of sediment.
Good luck!
Jeff
›13 Replies-
re: jkling17
Thanks. I think that might be what I'm looking for. As for a grinder, we live near a couple of coffee shops where we can probably buy some beans and have them grind them for us. Is there a "fineness" we should ask for (if that is possible)?
Once we get a handle on all of that, then maybe a grinder will be the way to go.
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re: Philly Ray
Hi Philly,
Yes they certainly will be able to grind it to nearly whatever. But ... Roasted Coffee (whole bean) ... starts to go stale kinda quickly once it has been roasted. This process is slowed by vac sealing - the roasted beans will release gases that help push much of the oxygen out of the package through the one-way valve. I'm sure that you've seen those cool packages - that's what that cute little disc-shaped valve is for - to let those gases escape that are coming from the beans after they were roasted. Note: I'm not trying to make a joke about "beans giving gas" ... well - until now! :-)
There are a vast number of subtle chemicals in coffee that will "stale out" faster than others. So for really great coffee, one would ideally want to drink it within 0-2 weeks from when it was roasted.
BUT - once you grind roasted coffee ... it oxidize at a very fast pace. So it should be used directly after one grinds it - as much as possible.
To start with a grinder for the aeropress can easily be "entry level" aka inexpensive and she'll love it. So, I would actually recommend that you get one. A basic entry level grinder is called a Blade Grinder. You can get these for $15-25 at Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc. If you go the Amazon route, I'd suggest the http://www.amazon.com/Capresso-Grind-.... Capresso is a good brand and you won't go wrong with this. The control is entirely manual - one just pulses the on button until the desired fineness is reached. For the aeropress, quite fine is "a good thing".
Note: these types of grinders are also really good for grinding spices but ... it's probably best to have a dedicated spice grinder and a dedicated one for coffee.
I hope that you have a thermometer - as you will wish check the temperature of the water for making coffee. They are cheap enough. Analog one's are about $4-6 and a nice little Taylor digital one is $10. I love mine. Temperature - anywhere from 175-180 is pretty much just right. Much more than that will lead to a more bitter extraction - with this system. This is not the case with other methods. For example, good espresso machines use water around 195-204, depending on how they are tweaked. But that is different technology also.
I hope this helps!
Jeff
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re: jkling17
CindyJ
Dec 12, 2011 02:09 PM
I know there's an "ideal" temperature for brewing coffee, and although I've never really tested it, my coffee maker is supposedly designed to run the water through the grounds at around 195-205 degrees. When I'm making water in the French press, however, I usually heat the water in an electric kettle. I let it come to a boil, but I wait about 3-4 minutes before pouring the water into the press; that's scientific enough for me. Then, I let the grounds "bloom" for a minute or two before I gently break up the clump of coffee and stir it with a plastic chopstick.
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re: poser
CindyJ
Dec 13, 2011 05:53 AM
Actually, the coffee is at a perfect temperature, even after adding milk. I preheat the press while waiting for the water to come to a boil in the kettle. After I add the water to the ground coffee in the press, I pour the rest of the water from the kettle into my cup to preheat it. Yes, it's a bit of a fuss, but it becomes routine after doing it a couple of times.
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re: CindyJ
For curiosity sake, I boiled water in a kettle with a digital thermometer. The water came to a boil at the 212* mark. I took the water off the heat and left the thermometer in. At one minute the water dropped to 203*. At the two minute mark it fell to 194*.Three minutes 187*, and four minutes 183*.
It sounded from your post that you were just estimating that time. I would be willing to wager you didn't let the water sit more than two minutes.
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re: poser
CindyJ
Dec 13, 2011 05:30 PM
So, for curiosity sake I conducted my own experiment. My methodology was flawed, though, because I wasn't able to close the lid of my electric kettle with the digital thermometer sticking out. So I left the lid open. My results were somewhat different from yours -- probably because of differences in our kettles. The water boiled at 212 and the kettle turned off. One minute after it had turned off, the temperature was 206. After two minutes it was at 201. At three minutes it was 197, and at four it was 194. Had the lid been closed, it would have been at a perfect brewing temperature 3-4 minutes after shutting off. But you are right about one thing -- I don't actually time it -- I just estimate my waiting time.
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re: Philly Ray
goodhealthgourmet
Dec 12, 2011 02:31 PM
another vote for the Aeropress - i love mine so much i bought an extra one that stays permanently packed in my suitcase for travel.
and yes, you do want a particular grind for it - i've found that medium-fine works best. if it's too coarse you compromise the extraction, and if it's very fine it's nearly impossible to press the plunger...so i do mine just shy of a fine espresso grind.
actually, ask the folks at your local coffee shop if they're familiar with the Aeropress - they may already know how to get you the correct grind for it.
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