The Best French Press Coffee Maker

Coffee presses are a great invention, but sorting out which one to buy can be difficult. I think you will agree, after reading this post, that I have found the best coffee press out there--it's sturdy, non-toxic, and makes a decent amount of coffee so you're never lacking!

I was still drinking about a cup (sometimes translated as a mug filled up to the brim :-)) of coffee every morning, but now I am not.

In any case, every time I used my plastic electric coffee maker, I cringed, wondering what lethal or hormone-altering combination of BPA and other chemicals in the plastic might be doing to my health. (Here is an article in Science Daily regarding the issue of hot water and BPA.

Even if your coffee maker doesn't have BPA in it, combining heat and plastic isn't something I want to be applying to my food and drink.)

At first I thought I'd get a stainless coffee maker, but those too are completely plastic on the inside...just look at yours!

So I dove into the internet in search of a the best coffee press.

If you're not familiar with french presses, they are basically a container that allows you to brew coffee with just the coffee and hot water. No filters or plugs needed. So you can even save money with one as well.

Now, one dilemma that I had was that I really wanted to stop drinking coffee. You too?

If so, I'm here to encourage you if you need someone to help you along! If I can do it, so can you.

Why Buy a Coffee Press?

1. One thing that appealed to me about a coffee press is that you can make not only coffee in it, but also tea.

2. You can make coffee substitutes in it. Here is my super rich and healthy Coffee Substitute. It is a nice warm cup of something to add some Easiest Coconut Milk to in the morning. 🙂

3. In the case of mine, you can avoid the plastic thing altogether.

In Search of the Best French Press

1. First, glass presses

I started out looking on Craigslist for a press, but only found a really small one that was made of glass. From what I had read in reviews online, the glass models made great-tasting coffee, but tended to break after a few years of use.

As I've said before, I am definitely a bargain-hunter, but I am willing spend when it comes to quality. And throwing something out after only a few years' use is not the definition of quality to me.

So my Craigslist search ended there.

2. Plastic Coffee Presses

The plastic presses, though not breakable, were clearly not an option due to my initial reason for wanting to ditch my coffee maker.

So, back to the drawing board.

3. Stainless Steel French Presses

I found two companies that made stainless french presses that interested me. One was Bodum and the other Frieling.

Bodum's models were a bit more visually appealing to me (not that that matters too much, but it you are going to use something everyday it is nice to like how it looks :-), and it was a bit less expensive. However I soon found out that the plunger of this stainless french press was made from plastic.

So onto Frieling.

Finally - The Best French Press

Once I found out that it is made entirely from stainless steel and ~~grilled~~ talked with the company itself and a dealer about the press' quality, I purchased one from amazon.com.

I really couldn't be happier.

Why This is the Best French Press Coffee Maker

1. While it isn't fully insulated, it is to a point and keeps my ~~in-process~~ coffee substitute or tea warm throughout most of the morning, even in our home which is quite cool in the winter (emphasis on "cool":-)). In fact, just this morning, I made my coffee substitute at about 7 am and 1 and a half hours later, I still needed to let a fresh cup cool for awhile before taking a sip.

2. For cleaning, the interior pieces come apart easily.

3. Since it's steel, it is super durable. A friend saw mine awhile ago and couldn't believe the nice quality of this press.

What Size Coffee Press Should You Buy?

You will also have to choose a size for your press. After sorting through the strange way that french press makers quantify a serving size (each cup of coffee equals only 4 ounces -- go figure ??) I chose the 35-ounce press.

Basically, if you ever plan on making coffee, tea, or a substitute for guests, then you will certainly want the largest size. There are a lot of reviews on Amazon from disappointed shoppers who purchased a press only to find out that it was much too small for their needs.

So finally, here is my new press!

On the budget side, I know that for a lot of you, paying this much for a new coffee press might seem like a waste of money, and I will say that mine wasn't quite this expensive. However, when you consider:

it is unbreakable so you won't have to replace it
you will save approximately $14.40 per year on filters (based on the cost of $3.99 for a box of 100)
you save on the cost of reheating warm beverages due to its insulating quality
your health is priceless

I consider this a valid purchase for a healthy, budget-conscious home.

And if you happen to need something to keep your coffee (or substitute) warm, take a look at these Klean Kanteen insulated bottles. They keep warm things warm and cold things cold for a long time. I can frequently be seen with one of these in the morning hours when I have to be out and about.

{top photo credit}

Disclaimer: I was not paid by Frieling nor given anything in exchange for this review.

Have you ever owned or used a coffee press?