French Press Recommendations: Which Brands Offer Better Value and Performance?

WBC World Barista Championship competitor Kenji Suzuki once said that the advantage of the French press is its extremely simple brewing principle—anyone can master it, and different brewing techniques won't cause variations in coffee flavor. A French press can intuitively express the coffee's inherent flavors while being unaffected by filter paper. As the simplest brewing device, the French press doesn't require precise pouring techniques or complex variable controls, making it often the first choice for "lazy people" making coffee at home. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will explain the extraction principle of the French press and how to choose a good one!

French Press

The French press, as the name suggests, originated in France. Its construction consists of a cylindrical container and a lid with a metal filter that can be pulled up and down through the center, used to separate coffee grounds from coffee liquid to control extraction. The principle of the French press is just like making tea—after soaking coffee grounds in hot water for a certain period, press the plunger down to filter and obtain the coffee liquid.

Unlike pour-over coffee with so many complex influencing parameters, the French press's "one-pour" method is much simpler. This means there are only four factors affecting the coffee: coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, water temperature, and steeping time. Similar to cupping, extraction is relatively stable, and coffee flavors better reflect the original taste. Because the French press completes the water pour in one go, the extraction temperature gradually decreases over time, so it needs slightly higher water temperature than pour-over. For brewing light to medium-roasted acidic coffee, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using 92-94°C, while medium to dark-roasted beans are recommended to be steeped at 89-90°C. During autumn and winter when room temperature is lower, FrontStreet Coffee also preheats the French press with boiling water to reduce heat dissipation during extraction.

Time is an important parameter that can be freely adjusted with a French press. Without human stirring factors, steeping time becomes one of the keys to extraction rate. Under the same conditions, generally longer extraction time results in richer flavor, but it's also more likely to over-extract, causing bitterness, astringency, and woody flavors. Paired with coarse grinding, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a steeping time of about 4 minutes for light to medium-roasted coffee. Medium to dark-roasted coffee more easily extracts bitterness, so steeping for 3 minutes and 30 seconds is sufficient. This time can fully release positive flavor compounds while avoiding the bitter and mixed flavors from over-steeping.

If you ask FrontStreet Coffee whether pour-over coffee or French press coffee is better, FrontStreet Coffee believes there's no standard answer—whatever suits you is best. If you want to taste more diverse layers of coffee, choose pour-over coffee; if you want simple operation to get a cup of rich, aromatic black coffee, choose the French press.

The Historical Origin of the French Press

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, the prototype of the French press came from a coffee brewing vessel designed in 1852 by two Frenchmen named Mayer and Delforge. The two added a layer of cloth filter on a metal plate, creating what is considered the earliest French press and applied for its patent.

Later, as the French press spread, this device was improved by Italians Bruno Cassol in 1935 and Faliero Bondanin in 1958, and became popular again in France and other places. By the 1990s, France's Bodum company officially commercialized the French press, and soon its convenient operation advantage made it people's first choice. This brand gradually became synonymous with this brewing vessel. The French press that FrontStreet Coffee uses comes from this classic brand—Bodum. It's easy to use and inexpensive, offering excellent value for money.

Many customers, after selecting a good coffee bean, ask FrontStreet Coffee whether it's suitable for French press brewing. Theoretically, the French press is suitable for all coffee beans that can be used for pour-over, but considering its extraction principle belongs to static immersion extraction, oils give the coffee more body, and flavors tend toward rich, balanced characteristics. Therefore, it's more suitable for medium to dark-roasted coffee flavor expressions, such as chocolate, nuts, caramel, fermented wine aroma, cocoa, and other aroma types. Taking FrontStreet Coffee's bean list as an example, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate Coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry Barrel Coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 Coffee, and FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Golden Mandheling Coffee are all very suitable for making French press coffee.

Finally, FrontStreet Coffee thinks it's necessary to remind everyone of some small details when using a French press. Because the French press has a built-in metal filter, long-term use will cause it to adsorb and accumulate oils released by coffee. Residue on the filter and plunger can easily lead to oxidation and deterioration, affecting subsequent use. Therefore, after using the French press, we must remember to clean it promptly. When cleaning the French press, all metal parts should be disassembled. Both the container and parts need to be cleaned with detergent and completely wiped dry before being stored.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473