I thought I had seen the last of coffee presses, but my woman has suddenly regained her zeal for perfect coffee, after a three year hiatus after indulging my preference for the speed and ease of drip.
Since Koen is not making a ceramic coffee press (drat), I must resort to the DA coffee-holics knowledge base for detailed info on a quest to provide my wife the ultimate coffee press.
A search of the archives here brings Olive's preference for a Bodum Chambord front and center.
Question: what was the old coffee press with the brass (or at least) golden metallic cap called?
I vaguely recall Olive and Koen saying the old ones with the brass caps were some of the best presses ever made. I believe they said Bodum absorbed the company that made these old presses.
I would like to find my wife one of these old presses, if I can.
Or alternately, I would like recommendations for the contemporary coffee press; i.e., the one that makes the best tasting coffee. Don't care what it looks like. We're talking coffee here. 🙂
My recollection is that Bodum absorbed Chambord
Turns out Corning made a sharp looking press in the 1940s...
Corning came to the coffee press game rather early, if this press really was made in America and in the 1940s.
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-INSTA-BREWER-CORNING-GLASS-COFFEE--PRESS-6-C...
DC...
Press vs Drip...is...
DC...
Press vs Drip...is it really that noticeable of a difference in taste/quality? I've only used a press once, in my late teens in the backcountry. Don't recall the brand. There were too many grounds left in the brew and opted for the bandanna method. Currently using a Krups drip..but all in all, I'm a willing convert to drip.
What about stovetop glass percolators?
My $0.02
I think the one in the picture is a recipe for disaster. It's too top heavy and will beg for destruction. As for the glass getting broken as Riki suggests. That's not happened in my house, I've broken 1 in all my years of using these things. I don't put them in the dishwasher and all I do to clean them is a good hot water rinse and quick wipe with a paper towel. I want that nice patina after all, it keep more coffee coffee-ness inthe brew!
I really don't like the idea of pouring boiling water into a plastic vessel. I think of all the lovely chemicals that are leaching into my carefully chosen organic fair-trade coffee and it makes my cells mutate at the mere thought!
Maybe if there was a stainless vessel, but that would take all the fun out of watching the brew, and probably would make the coffee go colder faster. SS being a better conductor than glass. I am currently quite fond of our Bodum double-walled insulated glass unit. It definitely keeps the coffee hotter longer.
As for brass or non-silver colored units, I don't remember seeing anything brass, but there are units with colored plastic...and I've said what I think of those. I'd say stainless and glass are your best bets!
Noticeable? Oh Lordy, Woof Woof!
YES! Unequivicably, YES! Comparing drip to press, is like comparing Dunkin' Donuts to actual coffee. (Anyone for a Pumpkin Latte...gack!) The difference is very noticable and the cloudiness of the pressed brew is part of the goodness, not a reason for dismay!
I think it's a style thing
Either you like your coffee with feet and sensience or you like it to be a mellow social beverage that sit quietly in your mug.
I want mine to stand up without the need of a cup and to b*tch slap me awake in the morning. Try that with drip coffee and you will have a foul, acidic, bitter brew indeed. With a press I can nave near espresso flavor and a full on caffeine hit. I drink one cup a day. I want it to be memorable!
I can definitely understand that...
Probably as much of a ritual as anything else. I actually start with espresso every day and then drink umpteen cups of drip throughout. I like bitter coffee myself, stick with the dark. Prefer stouts and pales when having a beer. I have a percolator at home which I think presents the best flavor/convenience combination. But I rarely use it as I'm normally at work when I want a cup.
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