Make French Press Coffee

What is French Press Coffee?

French Press is a method of making coffee that does not use a paper filter.  Coffee grounds are mixed with hot water in a press pot, sometimes called a coffee press.  The press pot is usually a small glass coffee pot with a metal strainer that is pressed from the top of the pot to the bottom, trapping the coffee grounds at the bottom of the pot.  Thermal press pots are also available- a nice feature to keep coffee warm after brewing.  French press coffee has intense coffee flavor and retains more oil from the coffee beans than coffee brewed using a paper filter.

Coffee Press Pot for Making French Press Coffee
Image Courtesy of Leland  CC-SA-30

How much does French Press Coffee Cost at a Coffee Shop?

French press coffee is served at most coffee shops.  You can get a French press coffee for about $3 at a coffee shop.  French press coffee takes some special effort to prepare, hence the higher price.  Also, it will take a few minutes to make a French press coffee.  Baristas will be happier to make a French press coffee when it is slow rather than when there is a rush of people waiting for coffee.  Even if French press coffee is not on the menu, most coffee shops can make this if you order it.

Is French press coffee bad for you?

Coffee contains cafestol, a substance found in the oily part of coffee that can increase LDL cholesterol levels.  A paper coffee filter removes cafestol.  Coffee prepared without a filter such as French press, or cowboy coffee contains more cafestol.  Turkish coffee, in which finely ground coffee is mixed with water and allowed to settle also contains cafestol.  Coffee brewed in an espresso machine without a paper filter also contains some cafestol.  So take it easy on French press coffee if you are worried about cholesterol.

Coffee made from a standard coffee maker or using pour over methods filters nearly all of the cafestol since these coffee brewing methods use a paper coffee filter.  I was concerned about single cup brewers such as Keurig or Verisimo.  Do the little K-cups and verismo pods have paper filters inside?  I was drinking some Keurig coffee every day, so I was concerned enough to take a K-cup apart and see if there is a coffee filter inside.  As the pictures show, K-cups and verismo pods do in fact have a small paper filter inside.

How to Make French Press Coffee at Home

A Really Good Cup of Coffee
Image Courtesy of Julius Schorzman CC-SA-20

You can buy a press pot for under $20.  The press pot is a simple machine, without a power cord.  It consists of a glass container and a metal strainer with a plunger handle.  Most press pots are glass, but thermal press pot are also available that will keep your French press coffee warm in the pot.  The press pot may also have a small stand to hold the pot upright on the countertop.  The press pot is likely the only equipment you’ll need to buy to make French press coffee at home.

Instructions to make French press coffee at home

Step 1: Place coffee grounds in the press pot.  If you don’t have a coffee grinder, you can buy ground coffee and use this to make French press coffee.  For the best possible French press coffee, you’ll want to buy whole coffee beans and grind them just before brewing.  If you want the best possible coffee, buying whole beans and grinding them just before brewing is the way to go.

Step 2:   Heat water to pour into the press pot.  A tea kettle works well.   Bring water to a boil and let it cool for a few minutes.  The ideal water temperature is about 200 degrees F.  You could also heat water in the pot of your coffee maker by running water through your coffee machine without adding any ground coffee.

Step 3: Add hot water to fill the press pot and stir briefly.

Step 4: Let the coffee brew to taste, typically for about 4 minutes.

Step 5: Press the plunger on the press pot to move the strainer to the bottom of the pot, trapping the coffee grounds at the bottom.  Now, serve delicious French press coffee.  If you have a glass press pot, you’ll want to drink the coffee right away while it is hot or put it in a thermal carafe or thermal coffee cup.  If you have a thermal press pot, you can take your time.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

Make Pour Over Coffee

What is Pour Over Coffee?

Pour-over coffee is made by slowly pouring hot water over coffee grounds to produce a flavorful coffee brew.  This method of coffee brewing is also called hand pour coffee or manual coffee brewing.  You can make regular or decaf pour over coffee.

The water for pour over coffee is typically heated in a kettle with a small spout to allow the hot water to be poured slowly over the ground coffee.  The coffee grounds are held in a ceramic, glass, or plastic cone with a cone filter to extract maximum flavor.  A pour over stand may be used to hold the coffee grounds above a cup for single cup brewing.  Some single serve pour over cones fit on top of a coffee cup and do not require a stand.  Pour over coffee makers include the pour over cone and a coffee pot to allow pour over brewing of an entire pot of coffee.

Pour Over Coffee at a Coffee Shop

Most coffee shops serve pour over coffee upon request.  I sometimes order pour over at Starbucks if I have time.  A pour over is guaranteed to be really fresh and it has really good flavor.  It takes about 5 minutes to brew a pour over coffee, sometimes longer if the coffee shop is busy.  Making a pour over requires some attention from the barista to slowly add water a little bit at a time.  I think having a pour over is a good way to make drinking an afternoon decaf more interesting.

Some coffee shops serve pour over coffee as their standard coffee.  Java House in Iowa City, Iowa has a coffee bar with 8 stations and brews coffee by the cup using pour over.  When you order, they scoop the ground coffee of your choice into one of the cones and start pouring water.  Java House uses a small water kettle heated on an electric heating element.  They tell you which picture goes with your cup so you can get the right one.  When it is nearly full, they ask you if you want room for cream.

Pour over coffee bar at coffee shop
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

Pour over coffee brewing.  Note small kettle on electric heater in background.
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

How much does pour over coffee cost at a coffee shop?

Pour over coffee costs a bit more than regular coffee, I paid $2.65 for my most recent cup of pour over coffee at a coffee shop.

Make Pour Over Coffee at Home

You can make pour over coffee at home easily, and the equipment does not cost much at all.  A basic setup includes a coffee dripper and some cone filters.  A specialized kettle with a small spout is helpful, but you can give it a try with a standard tea kettle if you already have one.

You can get a basic set-up for about $10:  a plastic filter cone and a box of paper cone filters.  Here's a basic coffee dripper that uses cone filters.

Single serve coffee dripper for pour over coffee sitting on a thermal coffee cup
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

A kettle with a small spout helps a lot, but you can give it a try using things you already have.  Use a ceramic coffee cup to heat water in the microwave and carefully pour over.  You can also heat water in a tea kettle and carefully pour over.  If you plan to make pour over coffee on a regular basis, you'll want to get a kettle with a long spout like this stovetop kettle for pour over coffee.

How to Make Pour Over Coffee
Place your pour over cone on top of a coffee cup.  Place a paper cone filter in the pour over cone and add coffee grounds.  Carefully pour hot water over the coffee grounds.  The water temperature should be about 200 degrees F.  Do not use boiling water- this will result in bitter coffee.  If you boil water, you'll want to let it cool for a few minutes.  Add the water a little bit at a time, keeping the cone about 1/2 full.  In a few minutes, you'll have a really good cup of pour over coffee.

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal

How to Make Coffee During a Power Outage without Electricity

How can you make a cup of coffee during a power outage?  

There are ways to make coffee without electricity during a power outage.  First are instructions for using your coffee maker without electricity during a power outage.  Second are instructions for making cowboy coffee without a coffee maker.

Method 1: How to Use your Coffee Maker without Electricity

Of course, coffee makers need electricity to work.  But there is a way you can still get a hot cup of coffee without electricity.  These instructions also work if your coffee maker is broken since you can by-pass the parts of your coffee maker that require electricity to operate.

Make Coffee without electricity!
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The functions of a coffee maker that require electricity are the clock/electronics, the heating element that heats water for brewing, the pump that delivers hot water to the filter basket, and the burner that keeps the coffee warm in the pot.

If you need to make coffee without electricity, you can heat water using a method that does not require electricity.  You can pour the hot water directly into the filter basket, eliminating the need for an electric pump.  You’ll need to do without the burner to keep the pot warm- you can pour the hot coffee into an insulated container or simply drink it right away.  And you won’t need the clock or buttons on the coffee maker when using it during a power outage.

So how exactly can you make coffee using a coffee maker during a power outage?

Step 1.  Place a paper filter in your coffee maker as usual

Step 2. Fill  the filter basket of your coffee maker with coffee grounds as usual

Step 3.  Heat water using a method that does not require electricity:

• If you have a gas oven, use the stovetop to heat water in a tea kettle.
• If you do not have a gas oven, use a gas grill to heat water in a pan.  Important- use the gas grill outdoors only to avoid carbon monoxide hazard.
• If you don’t have a gas oven or gas grill, you can use a camp stove to heat water.  Note that camp stoves are safe for outdoor use only.  You can also build a campfire and heat water by suspending a pot over the fire or using a camp grill.

You’ll want to boil the water and let it cool slightly for a moment.  Heating enough water for a pot of coffee will take about 10 minutes.  The ideal water temperature for brewing coffee is about 200 degrees F.  Don’t use boiling water, it will make the coffee taste bitter.  You’ll want to let boiling water cool for 30 seconds to 1 minute before pouring it into the filter basket.

Step 4. Slowly pour the hot water directly into the filter basket of your coffee maker.  Coffee will begin filling the pot.  Continue pouring hot water into the filter basket.  If you used a pan in step 3, it may be easier to use a coffee cup or measuring cup to scoop the water from the pan and pour it into the filter basket.

How to make coffee during a power outage
Image Source: Dr. Penny Pincher

The coffee maker shown in the picture- a Melitta 10-cup with thermal carafe- has easy access to the filter basket by lifting the lid on top.  Some coffee makers do not have such easy access.  On these you may need to remove the filter basket, fill it about 3/4 full of hot water, and carefully replace it so that coffee will flow into the pot.


Step 5. Enjoy hot coffee during a power outage.

If you have a thermal carafe on your coffee maker, you can drink your coffee as usual.  If you have a glass coffee pot, you’ll want to pour the coffee into insulated coffee cups or a thermos right away to keep it warm since the burner on your coffee maker will not keep it warm without electricity.  You may want to adjust the amount of grounds and brew one cup at a time.

This method for making coffee is a variation on a technique for making coffee called pour over coffee.   I have been using this method to make coffee for a few days since my coffee maker broke.  My broken coffee maker produces steam, but hot water does not reach the filter basket.  I couldn't bring myself to buy a cup of coffee for over $2 at a coffee shop, so I decided to improvise.

A coffee maker designed to work without electricity

If you plan to frequently make coffee without electricity- for example when camping- you can get a coffee maker powered by a propane cylinder.  This is an automatic drip coffee maker that works without electricity at all- amazing!

Method 2: How to Make Cowboy Coffee without a Coffee Maker

If you don't have a coffee maker, you can make "cowboy coffee".  Heat water to boiling in a pan, then let it cool to about 200 degrees F.  See step 3 above.  Add the coffee grounds into the hot water and stir.  Let the grounds settle and pour the coffee out of the pan after about 5 minutes.  You can also use a coffee cup to dip coffee out of the pan.  If you remove the coffee carefully, most of the grounds will stay on the bottom of the pan.  If the grounds are getting in the coffee, you can stuff a coffee filter into your coffee cup, pour the cowboy coffee into the cup, and slowly lift the coffee filter to strain the grounds.  This method can be a bit messy, but some coffee is better than no coffee at all!

Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Penny Pincher.  All Rights Reserved. Coffee Maker Journal