Looking for a new coffee machine...suggestions?

[S.B.G]

• What brand of French Press do you use? Purchase price?
• How often do the filters need to be changed or can they be expected to last a long time?
• Does preground beans work or are they too fine as a rule?
• My understanding is that French Press coffee tastes better than drip, due to paper filters removing coffee oils.
• What have I overlooked?

The best overall coffee press in the linked article is about $35 By Bodum.

I just saw this thread and even though you got a bunch of answers already, I'm going to chime in anyway because I can.

1. I have a Le Creuset French Press. About $75. But pretty much any French Press will do the job.
2. I've never, ever, used filters in my French Press. I know that some can be used with a filter, but I've never done it, nor saw it done.
3. French Press is very forgiving in grind size and one should opt for a more coarse ground. But pre-ground?? IMO, may as well stick with the dreaded "i" type of coffee. If you're going to go to the trouble of using a better method than a standard drip machine, do it right and grind the beans FRESH at the time you plan on brewing them.
   
4. Taste is all a matter of opinion. Try it both ways if you can and see what you like best. I can say that after using a Chemex which uses paper filters, I preferred the filtered brew compared to the no-filter brew of my French Press. Don't get me wrong though, I love French Press coffee too. But the paper filter takes a bit of the acidic bite away from the coffee that you otherwise get in an unfiltered brew.
5. You overlooked a decent burr grinder to grind your beans at the time of brewing. Do it FRESH or don't do it at all - IMO.

 

[Huntn]

I’m looking at a bundle which includes a coffee canister with a one way carbon dioxide release valve which claims when coffee beans are stored in this it will produce a better cup of coffee. Real or a gimmick? And what if you are storing ground coffee? I have no idea how fresh the beans I might buy at the grocer would be.

https://www.amazon.com/Veken-French-Coffee-Canister-Bundle/dp/B08CGZ9LT

Why choose our coffee canister?- Fresh coffee beans will release a lot of carbon dioxide in a window of 4-7 days after roasting. The build-up of CO2 can significantly affect brewing, making it hard to get a tasty coffee. To find the peak flavor of freshly roasted coffee, one needs to preserve coffee's aromatics and allow the release of carbon dioxide. Thus, we provide coffee canisters sealed and fitted with one-way valves to release CO2.

 

[Huntn]

I just saw this thread and even though you got a bunch of answers already, I'm going to chime in anyway because I can.

1. I have a Le Creuset French Press. About $75. But pretty much any French Press will do the job.
2. I've never, ever, used filters in my French Press. I know that some can be used with a filter, but I've never done it, nor saw it done.
3. French Press is very forgiving in grind size and one should opt for a more coarse ground. But pre-ground?? IMO, may as well stick with the dreaded "i" type of coffee. If you're going to go to the trouble of using a better method than a standard drip machine, do it right and grind the beans FRESH at the time you plan on brewing them.
   
4. Taste is all a matter of opinion. Try it both ways if you can and see what you like best. I can say that after using a Chemex which uses paper filters, I preferred the filtered brew compared to the no-filter brew of my French Press. Don't get me wrong though, I love French Press coffee too. But the paper filter takes a bit of the acidic bite away from the coffee that you otherwise get in an unfiltered brew.
5. You overlooked a decent burr grinder to grind your beans at the time of brewing. Do it FRESH or don't do it at all - IMO.

I do have a grinder but the last time I brewed coffee, I was going with preground coffee from Costco or the grocery store. Before that I religiously ground beans but can’t say I noticed a difference between preground and fresh ground brewing.

 

[1042686]

Yanno, I’ve got a bunch of nifty & expensive coffee gravity brewers, French presses & other contraptions but for daily pots, I used a Mr.Coffee 12Cup for the past 3 or 4 years. It just died two weeks ago.

I went to target and bought a Hamilton Beach 12cup as it was on sale $17.00 iirc. The flavor difference with the same Water volume, filter and bean & grind and the coffee comes out stronger. The Mr. Coffee did brew faster so the only thing I can think of is that the flow of water is slower so more steep time thus creating a stronger pot.

At some point I will buy a fancy coffee maker like I had 10 years ago but for now, $17 bucks makes a nice pot of joe every single morning.

 

[S.B.G]

@Huntn The coffee canisters are not a gimmick. The link you posted didn't work for me. However, I use Friis containers and I know a few other people here do as well, including @Shrink.

My coffee bean subscriptions are on an automatic shipment every two weeks. I can very easily notice the difference between fresh beans and 2 week old beans, even when kept in these special containers. I can taste the staleness at the end of the two weeks and these are whole beans, not pre-ground.

Once you grind beans, they start to go stale right away and lose their flavor. Ideally, after grinding, one should brew within 15 minutes to ensure you get the best tasting experience. Any longer than that and the grinds are going stale quickly.

When buying roasted whole beans, any good company worth their weight, will mark on the bag when it was roasted. If there is no roasted date, don't buy it. As a general rule of thumb, don't buy whole beans from the supermarket. Unless yours is exceptional, most bags of whole beans will have been sitting on the shelf or in warehouses for a month or more and will already be stale.

Another thing to consider is that if you buy fresh beans, wait about 3 to 5 days after roasting before you use them. Right after roasting the beans are still going through a major off gassing and won't taste their best just yet.

However, after all of that being said, the real test is my motto on coffee. "If you like it, that's all that counts."

As one of the great Stoics said, and I know @yaxomoxay will agree, 'all is opinion.'

 

[D.T.]

I’m looking at a bundle which includes a coffee canister with a one way carbon dioxide release valve which claims when coffee beans are stored in this it will produce a better cup of coffee. Real or a gimmick? And what if you are storing ground coffee? I have no idea how fresh the beans I might buy at the grocer would be.

Beans will store fine, most of them come in a decent bag that seals up very well (and depending on your use, 10-12 ounces won't last that long). You grind to use, not to store (though I occasionally will save some in a small airtight container if I overgrind, not optimal, but it's usually mixed with fresh ground).

I do have a grinder but the last time I brewed coffee, I was going with pre-ground coffee from Costco or the grocery store. Before that I religiously ground beans but can’t say I noticed a difference between pre-ground and fresh ground brewing.

To be honest, I'd say the fresh grind has more impact than anything else. I'd take Starbucks whole bean (ground to use) over a much more expensive/boutique coffee that was fresher but pre-ground.

Heck, you can just buy a bag of ground Peet's, like Major Dickinson's, and a bag of the same, whole bean, ground the latter, smell both, it's very notably different. It's probably even a bigger difference with more grocery branded, some of which are very good, I mean, I can buy $30/10oz coffee all day, but there's a sort of critical tipping point where it's not worth the extra cost (like a lot of things, is a $1000 set of speaker cables better than a $100 set? Maybe based on instrumentation ...)

 

[Huntn]

@Huntn The coffee canisters are not a gimmick. The link you posted didn't work for me. However, I use Friis containers and I know a few other people here do as well, including @Shrink.

My coffee bean subscriptions are on an automatic shipment every two weeks. I can very easily notice the difference between fresh beans and 2 week old beans, even when kept in these special containers. I can taste the staleness at the end of the two weeks and these are whole beans, not pre-ground.

Once you grind beans, they start to go stale right away and lose their flavor. Ideally, after grinding, one should brew within 15 minutes to ensure you get the best tasting experience. Any longer than that and the grinds are going stale quickly.

When buying roasted whole beans, any good company worth their weight, will mark on the bag when it was roasted. If there is no roasted date, don't buy it. As a general rule of thumb, don't buy whole beans from the supermarket. Unless yours is exceptional, most bags of whole beans will have been sitting on the shelf or in warehouses for a month or more and will already be stale.

Another thing to consider is that if you buy fresh beans, wait about 3 to 5 days after roasting before you use them. Right after roasting the beans are still going through a major off gassing and won't taste their best just yet.

However, after all of that being said, the real test is my motto on coffee. "If you like it, that's all that counts."

As one of the great Stoics said, and I know @yaxomoxay will agree, 'all is opinion.'

Therefore, I don’t know if I’ve ever had coffee made from non-stale beans, to know what I’m missing and if it’s enough for me to think it is worth the extra effort. I’ve always been anti-subcription. I’m not drinking enough coffee to warrant one, I don’t think. It’s possible that there is a coffee place nearby that roasts beans for my testing purposes. Does Starbucks do that? I’ll investigate.

 

[Huntn]

Beans will store fine, most of them come in a decent bag that seals up very well (and depending on your use, 10-12 ounces won't last that long). You grind to use, not to store (though I occasionally will save some in a small airtight container if I overgrind, not optimal, but it's usually mixed with fresh ground).




To be honest, I'd say the fresh grind has more impact than anything else. I'd take Starbucks whole bean (ground to use) over a much more expensive/boutique coffee that was fresher but pre-ground.

Heck, you can just buy a bag of ground Peet's, like Major Dickinson's, and a bag of the same, whole bean, ground the latter, smell both, it's very notably different. It's probably even a bigger difference with more grocery branded, some of which are very good, I mean, I can buy $30/10oz coffee all day, but there's a sort of critical tipping point where it's not worth the extra cost (like a lot of things, is a $1000 set of speaker cables better than a $100 set? Maybe based on instrumentation ...)

I’d probably not spend $30 on 10oz of beans ever. I’ve probably spent my life drinking coffee made from stale beans. If I buy a small brand name bag of beans from the grocery, it sits in the freezer until ground. And I have been enjoying instant coffee, so I’m working from a low baseline.

 

[D.T.]

I’d probably not spend $30 on 10oz of beans ever. I’ve probably spent my life drinking coffee made from stale beans. If I buy a small brand name bag of beans from the grocery, it sits in the freezer until ground. And I have been enjoying instant coffee, so I’m working from a low baseline.

You don't need to put them in the freezer, in fact, it may even be detrimental (for a number of reasons, including humidity). Just keep them sealed up nice and tight, and in your house, I'd assume it's reasonably cool, that's all you need.

Don't overthink this, and you don't even need to overdo the beans, I've even done some blind taste tests with some "coffee afficiendos" (who were stunned at the bean source ...), and a decent technique on inexpensive whole beans, is still 90% better than most other coffee you'll have

I guess I'm kind of a bang-for-the-buck sort of person, when you start getting into the minutiae, looking for those tiny incremental improvements that come at non-trivial additional expense, I'm kind of not into it (anymore, that used to be my thing).

 

[0128672]

You don't need to put them in the freezer, in fact, it may even be detrimental (for a number of reasons, including humidity). Just keep them sealed up nice and tight, and in your house, I'd assume it's reasonably cool, that's all you need.

Yes, no freezing! A roaster I know says an airtight container is all that's needed.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

@Huntn, don't buy your coffee from a supermarket; instead, get your coffee beans from a proper coffee shop, the quality will be a lot better (and probably fresher).

 

[TrevorR90]

@Huntn, don't buy your coffee from a supermarket; instead, get your coffee beans from a proper coffee shop, the quality will be a lot better (and probably fresher).

We buy whole bean Starbucks coffee from the grocery store, and have for the past several years. What are your thoughts on Starbucks?

 

[LizKat]

Thanks all for the feedback!

Just so you know I keep some random scorecards... it's your fault in reviving this thread that I've now found myself glancing at the solo cup Keurig machine. Fell into looking at that yesterday when on Amazon and thinking about this darn thread. OK so I said no to the little K machine and I'm stickin' with it, but I was sorely tempted nonetheless.

Even though I like my Miroco kettle and pour-over setup just fine, I really am the sort that needs a cup of coffee just to make a cup of coffee at dawn, and so I was ticked off when the bigger Keurig finally croaked. I admit to having been spoiled by the simplicity of pick-a-pod and press-a-button to get that first cup.

I liked noticing that the little Keurig has a removable reservoir, too. Well 'nuf said or I'll go back and look at it some more, dammit.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

We buy whole bean Starbucks coffee from the grocery store, and have for the past several years. What are your thoughts on Starbucks?

Not a fan of Starbucks coffee to be honest; to my palate, the beans (and coffee) is/are thin, bitter and stale.

For decent coffee beans, I normally try to shop in small local coffee shops; they tend to have an interesting and often excellent selection of coffees, - they are specialists in coffee, sourcing it and serving it, and this is what they reputation rests on - often sourced from small, local (and high quality, & sometimes ethical) producers.

 

[Huntn]

Just so you know I keep some random scorecards... it's your fault in reviving this thread that I've now found myself glancing at the solo cup Keurig machine. Fell into looking at that yesterday when on Amazon and thinking about this darn thread. OK so I said no to the little K machine and I'm stickin' with it, but I was sorely tempted nonetheless.

Even though I like my Miroco kettle and pour-over setup just fine, I really am the sort that needs a cup of coffee just to make a cup of coffee at dawn, and so I was ticked off when the bigger Keurig finally croaked. I admit to having been spoiled by the simplicity of pick-a-pod and press-a-button to get that first cup.

I liked noticing that the little Keurig has a removable reservoir, too. Well 'nuf said or I'll go back and look at it some more, dammit.

I am by no means a coffee aficionado, but I've always hate K cup coffee. Any points for that?
Look at French Presses instead very reasonably priced.

 

[Huntn]

Not a fan of Starbucks coffee to be honest; to my palate, the beans (and coffee) is/are thin, bitter and stale.

For decent coffee beans, I normally try to shop in small local coffee shops; they tend to have an interesting and often excellent selection of coffees, - they are specialists in coffee, sourcing it and serving it, and this is what they reputation rests on - often sourced from small, local (and high quality, & sometimes ethical) producers.

Small local coffee shops, hmm. Maybe easier said than done. Research is in order. Can anyone tell me the expected price range of coffee shop coffees?

 

[Huntn]

You don't need to put them in the freezer, in fact, it may even be detrimental (for a number of reasons, including humidity). Just keep them sealed up nice and tight, and in your house, I'd assume it's reasonably cool, that's all you need.

Don't overthink this, and you don't even need to overdo the beans, I've even done some blind taste tests with some "coffee afficiendos" (who were stunned at the bean source ...), and a decent technique on inexpensive whole beans, is still 90% better than most other coffee you'll have

I guess I'm kind of a bang-for-the-buck sort of person, when you start getting into the minutiae, looking for those tiny incremental improvements that come at non-trivial additional expense, I'm kind of not into it (anymore, that used to be my thing).

Yes, no freezing! A roaster I know says an airtight container is all that's needed.

I was thinking freezing would help preserve them in the bag they come in versus having them sit at room temp. What about refrigerated? Airtight container, hmm. Here is another shot at the French Press I'm considering: https://www.amazon.com/Veken-French-Coffee-Canister-Bundle/dp/B08CGZ9LT5

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Small local coffee shops, hmm. Maybe easier said than done. Research is in order. Can anyone tell me the expected price range of coffee shop coffees?

Supermarkets, and - in my experience - even delis, in general, don't stock great coffee, or coffee that is sufficiently fresh.

You may find good (but not great) coffee in such spots.

If a local coffee shop exists - one that will source decent (fresh) coffee - for, coffee will be its raison d'être, and the quality of coffee it serves will be what its reputation rests on - try that.

Some online specialists will sell excellent, fresh coffee, as well.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I was thinking freezing would help preserve them in the bag they come in versus having them sit at room temp. What about refrigerated? Airtight container, hmm. Here is another shot at the French Press I'm considering: https://www.amazon.com/Veken-French-Coffee-Canister-Bundle/dp/B08CGZ9LT5

View attachment 945000

Personally, I am not a fan of glass teapots or glass coffee pots; I prefer pottery/china/ceramic for such products, but that is just my own personal preference.

 

[D.T.]

I was thinking freezing would help preserve them in the bag they come in versus having them sit at room temp. What about refrigerated? Airtight container, hmm. Here is another shot at the French Press I'm considering:

Just the bag they come in is usually seals pretty well, I mean, they generally fold over several times with an integrated wire/twistie type mechanism and/or have some kind of "ziplock", and some have an anti-moisture "puck". It's not like 10-12oz bag for most daily coffee drinkers - especially if there's more than one - is going to last all that long, you don't needs many weeks (or a month/months) of storage capability).

Again, having owned both, including buying both for people, I greatly prefer the dual walled stainless versions.

 

[Huntn]

Just the bag they come in is usually seals pretty well, I mean, they generally fold over several times with an integrated wire/twistie type mechanism and/or have some kind of "ziplock", and some have an anti-moisture "puck". It's not like 10-12oz bag for most daily coffee drinkers - especially if there's more than one - is going to last all that long, you don't needs many weeks (or a month/months) of storage capability).

Again, having owned both, including buying both for people, I greatly prefer the dual walled stainless versions.

Do they make a squeel-disagreeable noise when you press the coffee? That is one of the complaints I read about stainless walled presses.

 

[D.T.]

Do they make a squeel-disagreeable noise when you press the coffee? That is one of the complaints I read about stainless walled presses.

None. I've used two different ones, neither have, that sounds like some kind of weird outlier. I searched the 1200+ reviews of the one I linked to, there were 3 reviews about "noise" and one what "What noise?" "

 

[S.B.G]

Do they make a squeel-disagreeable noise when you press the coffee? That is one of the complaints I read about stainless walled presses.

None of my French Presses make any squealing noises. Knowing me and how I hate unnecessary noises, if I had one that did squeal, I’d probably return it or throw it away.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My Le Creuset (stoneware) French Press doesn't squeal, either.

And it looks amazing, and keeps/kept the coffee warm for quite some time.

 

[someoldguy]

Small local coffee shops, hmm. Maybe easier said than done. Research is in order. Can anyone tell me the expected price range of coffee shop coffees?

The place I go has prices ranging from $10-11/lb. for most of the more common beans/blends up to around $60 for stuff like Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona.