Today I have coffee in the cup and on the brain. I have mentioned something along these lines before, but I now I want to write a list, plain and simple why I think the coffee press or French press is so great.
1. The coffee tastes better. I think this should be first for obvious reasons. No taste of paper from paper filters, no taste of metal from metal filters, just coffee.
2. It’s cheaper. A decent french press costs a lot less than a decent electronic coffee maker.
3. You get the lovely coffee foam at the top. It’s like a less refined version of the crema that is so important on good espresso.
4. It takes up less space. A nice 5 cup coffee press takes up very little room and can be easily stored away in a cupboard. No need to leave it out on the counter 24/7.
5. A French press is easy to wash. You know that weird gunky stuff that builds up in those hard to reach places in your coffee makers? They don’t exist in a coffee press! It’s just like a big cup and almost all of them are dishwasher friendly. :)
6. It is sustainable. It may sound silly, but using a paper filter every day adds up after a while. A coffee press doesn’t require any disposable accessories.
7. It is simple. For those of you who don’t like fiddling with devices and settings and everything that goes with using a machine, a coffee press is perfect. Add coffee, add water, press.
8. It looks cool. Coffee presses look cool and way classier than a big clunky electronic coffee maker.
9. More control. With a coffee press, you can leave the coffee steeping exactly how long you want. Nothing will go crazy or overflow if you want to make it stronger or weaker.
10. Easy to bring along. If you’re going on a trip and just have to have the perfect cup of coffee wherever you are going it is much easier to bring along a coffee press than a big clunky coffee maker.
Of course, like all good things, refusing to use anything but a French press has its downsides. Like that your friends might start thinking you are a pretentious coffee nerd. But hey, that’s not the end of the world, right?
