Re: French Press Questions

All great posts -- and you can see there's a bit of individual
preference on technique. I'd add four things:

1. FP brew takes a bit of getting used to after drip; it's a lot
chewier and you can't finish the cup b/c of sediment. It's also far
more complex than drip. Take some time with it and you'll eventually
learn to love it.

2. I always decant into a preheated thermos or thermal carafe and
serve from that; it keeps the coffee hot and prevents over extraction/
bitterness.

3. If you can find one, solis used to make an after-market, single-
piece filter for FPs that works much better and is easier to clean
than the standard three-piece filter. Last I heard, they stopped
making these, but you might find one on ebay or elsewhere.

4. Over time coffee oils build up on the filter and degrade the
taste, so it's worth occasionally soaking the filter in a commerical
cleaner like cleancaf to clear those out.

Enjoy!

On Oct 25, 10:23 pm, val189 <gwehr...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I have a small and a large FP - one for decaf , one for regular, for
me and dh respectively.
I grind my beans for about 8 seconds.
I bring my water up to 195 (stick an old candy thermometer in the
kettle and watch like a hawk-)
Let brew 4.5 minutes.
I wrap the whole thing with a dish towel to hold the heat. Preheat a
stainless insulated mug with hot water and heat the milk too in mic.
Keeps a cup of coffee hot for a good hour or more.
Be sure to take the plunger apart - oh, about every fifth use, and
clean well with an old toothbrush.
Buy an extra glass insert and have ready - I've broken three inserts
from careless handling. Grr..


.

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