The iconic Coffee Press: is it French? Italian? The origins of this brewer dates back to 1852 when two French inventors—Mayer and Delforge—invented a simpler version called the "Cafetière". In 1923, Ugo Paolini, of Milan, Italy, filed for a patent relating to tomato juice separator; using the same concept, he developed the idea of making a coffee pot with a press and a filter. He assigned his 1928 patent to Italian designer Attilio Calimani and Giulio Moneta, who then filed a year later in 1929. Today's popular design, the "Chambord" was patented in 1958 by Faliero Bondanini, a Swiss man. This brewing device has gone through many changes; the forerunner: a cheesecloth screen fitted to a rod that would press into pot of boiling hot water and coffee grounds.
In 1944, Peter Bodum began his new company in Copenhagen, Denmark, known as BODUM. In 1974, Peter's son, Jørgen Bodum, took over as CEO at the ago of 26, and in the same calendar year, introduced BODUM's version of the Coffee Press: "The Bistro". Since 1974, BODUM has produced more than 100 million Bistros.
It has gone by many other names: cafetière à piston, caffettiera a stantuffo, press pot, coffee press, French press, Italian Press, and coffee plunger.
A modernized coffee brewer, which sits on many breakfast tables and coffee counters alike; a simple screened plunger in a cylindrical carafe. An excellent cup of coffee. Immersion method. The Coffee Press.
While there are different brewing methods using the Coffee Press, this is our preferred method at Abide Culture Coffee Roasters:
Abide Culture Coffee: whole bean [60g]
Coffee Press [8 cup]
grinder•
gram scale
kettle
hot water (off-boil, around 195°F-200°F)
wooden spoon, coffee paddle, or glass rod
timer
•a burr grinder allows the grind to be more consistent.
Step 1
measure out 60g of coffee [dose] and and grind it coarse: about 1400µm.
Step 2
pour hot water into the carafe of the french press. this step helps prepare the glass to maintain temperature as well as brew for best bean extraction.
Step 3
empty the carafe of water; add your freshly ground coffee to the empty press. fill the carafe, with water, about halfway and saturate the grounds; make sure all grounds are wet. start your timer.
Step 4
after the first minute—using a wooden spoon, coffee paddle, or glass rod—break up the "crust" that has formed.
TIP: we prefer a glass rod so we don't accidentally crack and break the glass.
NOTE: when using a lighter roast, add another 30-60 seconds for initial bloom.
Step 5
add more hot water to bring the level to the top of the carafe. using the "cage" of the press as a guide, have the water level meet the top of the cage.
Step 6
let the coffee steep for another three minutes.
Step 7
after the 4 minutes have passed, "press" the plunger down.
NOTE: to avoid over extraction, transfer the brewed coffee to another serving carafe.
TIP: instead of throwing away used coffee grounds, we like to add them into our compost mixture.
Step 8
swirl. pour. sip. enjoy.
Step 5
add more hot water to bring the level to the top of the carafe. using the "cage" of the press as a guide, have the water level meet the top of the cage.
Step 6
let the coffee steep for another three minutes.
Step 7
after the 4 minutes have passed, "press" the plunger down.
NOTE: to avoid over extraction, transfer the brewed coffee to another serving carafe.
TIP: instead of throwing away used coffee grounds, we like to add them into our compost mixture.
Step 8
swirl. pour. sip. enjoy.