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For many of us, the perfect morning starts with that perfect cup of coffee. Of course you can go out to your local chain coffee shop, but a lot of people prefer to make their coffee in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. Your office may have an old and rickety coffee machine, but that won’t necessarily make you the quality cup of coffee that you need to start the day. Wherever you are, cafetiere coffee makers like the Kona French Press can fill that gap in your morning, your afternoon, or any other time of the day.
What Is a French Press?
A French Press, sometimes called a cafetiere, is a coffee maker in two parts consisting of a jug and a lid with a plunger filter.
Why Should I Get One?
One benefit of the French Press as a method of brewing coffee is that the taste of the coffee is often superior to that produced by drip-coffee machines. This is because the coffee is fully immersed in the hot water, allowing more flavors to develop. When brewed right, the coffee should turn out sweet and full tasting and never thin or bitter. Another benefit of French Presses is that they are usually small and portable and do not require an electrical outlet to function. You can use your French Press at home, at the office, or even take it camping.
How to Brew French Press Coffee: The Short Version
Brewing coffee with a French press is not inherently complicated. You add freshly ground coffee to the carafe of the french press, add boiled water, stir the mixture, put the lid on, and allow to the coffee to brew for around four minutes. Then, push down the plunger and enjoy your coffee.
How to Brew French Press Coffee: The Long Version
If, however, you want to become a French press expert, there are some extra tips you can pick up to optimize your brewing process and get the very best cup of coffee possible.
- 1Boil the kettle and add some hot water to the carafe of the French press to warm it before beginning the brewing process.
- 2Measure out your freshly ground coffee – you’ll need a tablespoon of coffee to every cup of hot water
- 3Add grounds to the French press and wet with a little hot water: let this sit for a minute to allow the flavor of the coffee to develop.
- 4Add the rest of the hot water and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon
- 5Put the lid of the French press on with the plunger up and set a timer for four minutes.
- 6After four minutes, push the plunger down slowly into the coffee, separating the coffee grounds from the brewed coffee
- 7Enjoy your perfect cup of coffee.
Other Things to Do with a French Press
If coffee is not your jam (after all, none of us are perfect), then there are still a whole host of things that you can do with a French Press. You can use it to brew tea, infuse oils with spices, or even use the filter to juice fresh berries.
What Is the Kona French Press?
Competition in the French Press market is fierce, but the Kona French Press can hardly be beaten for quality and for overall customer satisfaction. The Kona French Press features a stylish modern design with a super-tough borosilicate glass pitcher protected by bands of black plastic. This makes somewhat resistant to damage if it falls over, or even if it is dropped. Its easy-pour design ensures that you won’t waste any of the precious caffeine through spills and dribbles, either!
Product Specs
Materials
The Kona French Press is made of glass, stainless steel, and BPA free plastic, ensuring that your coffee will continue to taste as good as it did the first time you used the French Press. The stainless steel filter allows the brewed coffee to pass through and traps the used grounds so that there will be no grit in your cup of coffee and you won’t have to worry about wrangling a soggy paper filter into the garbage afterwards. As an added bonus, the whole product is dishwasher-friendly, though we recommend separating lid and pitcher in order to get the best cleaning possible.
Size
The larger Kona French Press has a capacity of 34oz: that’s enought for eight cups of coffee! Of course if you don’t want that much coffee all in one go you can make less, but that extra capacity is sure to come in handy if you have guests or want to make coffee for all your colleagues at once. If you only plan to make coffee for yourself, you can opt for the smaller 12oz Kona French Press.
Pricing
For such a quality product, the Kona French Press is very reasonably priced, especially when you compare it with the cost of buying an espresso machine. You can pick one up from Amazon and a range of other retailers from just $16 for the 12oz version and around $26 for the 34oz version.
How it Compares
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare. Though there are French presses available with insulated, plastic or stainless steel carafes available on the market, all the products we surveyed contain glass carafes.
Kona French Press
[amazon box=”B00FMJDJ5C”]
Easy of Use
As with almost every French press, the Kona French Press is very easy to use.
Assembly Time
The Kona French Press is ready to use straight out of the box and requires no assembly time.
Warranty
Kona offer a 60 day return policy on their French press, so if you don’t like it you can send it back.
Design Quality
The stylish design and quality materials used in making this French press set it apart. It resists breakage and won’t shatter.
Pros
Cons
Osaka French Press
[amazon box=”B07B2ZTF97″]
The Osaka French Press was a project originally launched on Kickstarter. Its creators are coffee enthusiasts who wanted to revolutionize the way that we all drink coffee by redesigning the traditional French press. Their design allows the filter to be locked in place when it is not being pushed down, ensuring that the coffee will not be over-brewed.
In addition, the double layer stainless steel mesh filter catches all of the coffee grounds so that they can’t spoil your cup of coffee. If ultimate control is what you’re looking for in your coffee brewing experience, then you’ll like the Osaka.
The Osaka French press is available from various online retailers, and its 34oz version costs around $30. However at the present moment Osaka’s online shop is not taking any more orders on the French Press. Hopefully this will change soon!
Easy of Use
On the surface, the Osaka is very easy to use but may take a little bit of adjusting to if you want to take advantage of its special brewing features.
Assembly Time
The Osaka French Press requires little or no assembly.
Warranty
Osaka does not offer a warranty on their product, though if bought from retailers such as Amazon, purchasing a warranty from them may be possible.
Design Quality
The Osaka has a carafe made from handblown borosilicate glass to resist shattering from drops or thermal shock. It also has a silicone base which gives it a non-slip grip. The French press is odor-resistant, won’t absorb any chemicals, and has contains a special stainless steel mesh filter to help create an even extraction.
Pros
Cons
Internet’s Best French Press
[amazon box=”B01MA33F5E”]
The Internet’s Best French Press, clearly named with those searching for a French press on Google in mind, is a good all-round French press. Featuring a glass carafe protected by a stylish outer body of black resin, this french press is likely to be tough and durable. The resin outer also helps to insulate your coffee while it’s brewing, as well as protecting the glass from cracks and chips. This French press is, however, also available with a stainless steel outer, meaning that there is a choice for those who like all their kitchen accessories to follow a matching color scheme.
Prices for the Internet’s Best French Press differ wildly, ranging from a very reasonable $15 to a frankly astonishing $90. We would heartily recommend it at the lower price, but think you’d have to be a bit crazy to pay the higher price in a field so full of good options.
Easy of Use
The Internet’s Best French Press is very easy to use, however, some users report that the lid is loose and needs to be held on whilst pouring out the coffee.
Assembly Time
As with other French presses, this French press requires no assembly time.
Warranty
Though crafted for durability, the Internet’s Best French Press is not offered with a warranty.
Design Quality
Though the outer shell serves a practical purpose, it is also stylish looking. This French Press will look good on a countertop or an open shelf, and since it comes in both black and stainless steel finishes, customers can choose whichever option they like best. In addition, the special “micro-mesh” filter promises customers that they will have a smooth brew and will never have to deal with soggy paper filters again.
Pros
Cons
Bean Envy French Press
[amazon box=”B01MQXRVUQ”]
The Bean Envy French Press is notable particularly because of its specially designed screw-in lid, which makes sure that the lid cannot accidentally come off or shift position while you are pouring your coffee. The Bean Envy press comes with a bonus handheld milk frother thrown in for free for those who like a bit of frothy milk in their coffee. While this might be seen as a gimmick by some, both products are of good quality and easy to use.
The 35oz Bean Envy French Press is available from retailers like Amazon for approximately $25.
Easy of Use
Let’s be honest, a French press isn’t that difficult to use. This is as simple as all the others on our list.
Assembly Time
The Bean Envy French press can be used straight out of the box and does not require any assembly prior to use.
Warranty
The makers of the Bean Envy French Press are so confident in the quality of their product and committed to customer satisfaction that if any part of the products breaks or is damaged, they will replace it free of charge.
Design Quality
The Bean Envy French Press is of a good, durable, and stylish design. The makers also include an extra filter with the press, so that if users feel that their filter is starting to let more grounds through (though with stainless steel we are not sure how this would happen) they can replace it.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
The Kona French Press is one of a good number of excellent products on the market: none of the products that we surveyed could be considered to be bad or poor quality. However, the Kona French Press ranks consistently high overall in user reviews and comparison articles and always scores particularly high as regards durability. If you want a tough, high-quality product that will last for a long time, then the Kona French Press is one of the best options available.
