Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on August 30, 2009 at 4:05pm

You certainly can't go wrong with Bodum, they're "kind of a big deal," haha.

www.bodumusa.com

I like their Columbia model a lot:

Ta-Da.

I looked around on their page and it seems that have quite a few newer designs since I last paid any attention. I would recommend one of the double walled presses or one with a neoprene wrap to help the coffee stay at temperature while steeping/brewing/extracting for those four minutes.

Good luck and enjoy.

-bry

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on August 30, 2009 at 10:39pm

...and of course, I wouldn't, because I like it at the temperature it's at after four minutes.
OK Bryan, it's your turn to say that I'm wrong. ;)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chadwick Rookstool on August 31, 2009 at 12:29am

Never used a double walled press eh? Not everyone can live life to it's fullest...

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on August 31, 2009 at 5:29am

Hmm...well, I don't know if the vac-pot and Solo are better...they are different. I like ibriks, too, but I wouldn't say they were better, just different.

And just to be slightly annoying...I still say that I like the glass wall Bodum for the very reason that I like my coffee at about 70 degrees. Even with my espresso, I'll sip the top when it's fresh and hot, but as I always drink it in ceramic cups, it cools off in a flash down to where my mouth responds best.

Maybe it's because of my age!!!! OH NO!!!! Say it isn't so!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Bryan Wray on September 3, 2009 at 3:53pm

Fraser Jamieson said:

Hmm...well, I don't know if the vac-pot and Solo are better...they are different. I like ibriks, too, but I wouldn't say they were better, just different.

And just to be slightly annoying...I still say that I like the glass wall Bodum for the very reason that I like my coffee at about 70 degrees. Even with my espresso, I'll sip the top when it's fresh and hot, but as I always drink it in ceramic cups, it cools off in a flash down to where my mouth responds best.

Maybe it's because of my age!!!! OH NO!!!! Say it isn't so!

It isn't that I want my coffee so hot that it burns my tongue when I drink it, it's that I want my coffee to remain as close to proper brewing temperature throughout the brewing process as possible. What's the point in stressing over getting the water hot enough if it's just going to drop 25 degrees while it's brewing?

I definitely like my coffee cooler, just not while it's brewing. 200ish while brewing, 140 on down for drinking.

-bry

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brady on September 3, 2009 at 7:19pm

First, I'm with Bryan, sort of. Hot to brew, warm to drink.

HOWEVER, I like the standard Bodums... not the double walls. The double-wall idea is great but I like to use the secondary sediment filter to get a cleaner cup and they don't work with the plastic+mesh Colombia filter disks. I find I can taste the coffee better with this tweak, and I like to taste the coffee.

Brew temp stability IS important though. I preheat the glass, wrap with a towel, keep the lid on, and park in a warm place (top o' the espresso machine) to minimize temp drop. Haven't played with the Young (neoprene), but it might be better. I'm commissioning a custom-knit press cozy from my mother-in-law eventually, will let you know how it works.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Eric on September 3, 2009 at 7:52pm

I have found that Ikea makes a really good french press. I had my last one from Ikea for about 2.5 years before someone broke it with recklessness where as i have had 2 or 3 Bodums break in that time period. I am not saying the Bodums' are bad but they come are around 35 to 40 bucks around these parts for one where as the Ikea one is only 13 bucks... which I find to be a deal.
As far as preference on glass vs metal, recently I got a press from a metal bodied one and I personally could tell the difference between the two with the metal leaving an aftertaste.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Terika on September 3, 2009 at 8:42pm

I will affirm the vote for Bodums...quality for the most part. My issue with Bodum is their lack of customer service. I had an issue with a French Press that I purchased and due to their lack of customer service, I am stuck with a French Press that does not work as well as I'd like. Oh well.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Fraser Jamieson on September 5, 2009 at 11:01am

Good point! Bad work and bad equipment are never good.

But let me back up a bit:

When it comes to using the Bodum: that's not what I'm using at work; that's what I'm using at home. From 40+ years of doing dark room work I've gotten used to doing things in a very precise and consistent manner. Always the same water temperature, always the same brew time, always the same number of stirs. Is it perfect coffee? No, but the Bodum is simple and it doesn't use paper filters which rob coffee of its oils.
More importantly, when I brew with the French Press, I brew really really dark roast coffee. (not all the time, but that's my standard for home use) It actually brews quite well at a slightly lower temperature than something like Laminita.

Then again, sometimes I like to use an ibrik. The reason for that is that I sometimes like coffee with the characteristics found when brewed that way. In photography, there wasn't any one film which did everything perfectly all the time; each had characteristics unique to that one material. Film selection wasn't based on a random act of picking up one as opposed to another; rather, it was a case of selecting the one film which had enjoyable errors within it's design.

Sometimes I drink Guinness; sometimes I drink Hoegaarden. One isn't more correctly beer than the other one.

But yes, again to your main point: it makes no sence to be fussy about espresso and sloppy about other brew choices.

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion