French Press or Percolator?

Updated on May 25, 2011
B.P. asks from Bedminster, NJ
14 answers

Hi Moms,

I have a small yucky plastic coffee maker. I want to get one that makes a nice cup of coffee and also does not leach plastic. Can you reccomend either the French Press or a Percolator? I don't want one that makes more than 8 cups since its just me makes 2 cups for myself in the morning and the occasional 4 cups for my parents or guests when they visit. What are your reccomendations? Oh, and I dont want to spend more than 50 dollars so the super cool 200 dollar super machines are not an option. Thanks!

Do I have to grind my own beans if I get the FP? I mean, I know you can't use fine, can a good brand from the grocery store work well?

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A.F.

answers from Fargo on

Hands down I like French press better than a percolator. I also like cold press coffee.

I have a super cool $200 coffee maker that does everything except grow the beans, and I STILL like my french press! :)

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J.S.

answers from Hartford on

Mmmmm French Press. I love my French Press. I have a 36 oz one by Bodum with the reinforced outer molding around the glass carafe. It was the best investment I ever made in my kitchen. There's nothing better than mingled coffee, getting the full flavors of the mud and the bean oils. If you get one just make sure that when you grind your own beans, you set the grind setting for coarsely ground so that it filters out properly.

Bodums on Amazon come in various styles and colors and are really affordable and durable. I bought that brand because it was the most highly recommended of my coffee snob friends and my European friends.

EDITED TO ADD: Grinding your own beans isn't a big deal. When you go to the grocery store they have a section where you can choose your favorite type of coffee. I go to Price Chopper so I get half Dark Espresso and half Decaf Dark French Roast and put it in the grinding machine on "coarsely ground" and let the bag they provide catch it. I just buy it with the rest of my groceries and then put it in a sealable container that I stick in the freezer when I get home. Or buy your own whole beans and get a small hand held grinder.

EDIT AGAIN: Of course the coffee in an FP doesn't remain hot unless you put it in a thermal carafe once it's done if you make a full amount in a large FP. I just reheat it in the microwave or save what's cooled off for iced coffee.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

French Press.
Love it.
Hands down.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi!

Hands down a French Press! My husband is a coffee conasuer (sp?) The day he had coffee from a French Press he never went back at least at our house.

They are not expensive at all! You will pay about $15. or less (like Target). We got ours at Frys' (our local Market/Grocery Store) on sale for $7.00. We prefer non-glass because our first one broke so the one we have now has not broken. We have kids that help with dishes and my hubby is handicap so glass does not always work for us.

I am not a coffee drinker but my hubby has made a believer out of every coffee drinker in our sphere of people. They say "really"? My husband says the flavor can not be beat and the oils in the bean are retained in a Press to therefore give you a better taste! So then he makes them a cup and they are SOLD!!

Enjoy your Press or rather the coffee you make from it!

A. in AZ

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

i really like our FP, but we also have a regular old mr coffee for big pots. i don't grind my own at home but grind them at the store. i do a more coarse grind for the FP than for the coffee maker.
my only gripe with the FP is that even with boiling water, the coffee never seems quite as hot as with a regular coffee maker.
khairete
S.

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D.G.

answers from Syracuse on

thank you--iv'e een wondering what all the fuss was about----loved perc coffee-8:00,a&p-----now have drip-maxwell house coffee......good but just doesn't sem to be as wonderful as i remember perc. coffee growing up....will look into fp----sounds yummy!!

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E.M.

answers from Honolulu on

No need to grind your own for a FP. I get lazy sometimes and other times can only find the flavors I like preground. You can get a FP at starbucks if you want.

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K.G.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have a French press and I really like it, but...
I can never seem to drink the coffee before it goes cold. As soon as I pour the cup, there is a crisis I must attend to. Then I go back to my coffee cup (when I can find it!) and it's half empty because my two-year-old thought it was, "Tasty, Mommy!" So I go back to the French press, but the rest of the coffee is cold. So I heat that up in the microwave, get ready to have myself an actual drink of the coffee that I am so looking forward to, and the process repeats itself.
So I like the French press. But if I had a percolator, at least one step of the process would be removed, and I might get to drink my coffee in the morning with slightly more peace.

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

When I met my husband he used the FP. He loved it but it never made much and was a pain to keep making it for refills. When he came to my house, I used the Mr. Coffee. Although it says it makes 20 cups, its more like 4 large latte cup size cups, so its perfect for the 2 of us and when we have company. Not sure about a perculator but would get the Mr. Coffee, we haven't had any problems with it and its easy to use. About once a month we run a cycle of vinegar thru it to keep it clean. Good luck!

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B.B.

answers from Missoula on

No question, French press. Awesome coffee.

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D.G.

answers from Syracuse on

thank you--iv'e een wondering what all the fuss was about----loved perc coffee-8:00,a&p-----now have drip-maxwell house coffee......good but just doesn't sem to be as wonderful as i remember perc. coffee growing up....will look into fp----sounds yummy!!

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T.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

We love our FP. The coffee is so yummy out of it. And, we grind our own beans. I think that makes a huge difference. You can buy a FP at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and they always send out 20% off coupons. We have the largest sized FP, which I think was about $50, so a smaller one should be less than that. Some stores have machines where you can grind your coffee in the store to the right courseness. I would store it in my freezer though, as soon as I got home. It makes it stay fresh longer.

T.M.

answers from Reading on

I have a percolator, and the coffee is so delicious. It's above any coffee I've ever made at home or have had others make for me. I have had the French Press and I can say it is very good as well but I like to make 4-6 cups at a time and the percolator is better for that. The only down side of the percolator is that if you leave it plugged in to keep it hot, the coffee does "burn". Lastly, the perc I have was about $80 and I don't know if you will be able to get good quality for a lesser price.

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

I love my coffee perked. I have found percolators at Goodwill for $3-$4 and they worked just fine. I just bought one last week from a big box store and paid about $40 for it. Penney's has a programable percolator and while the idea is a great one they don't last long.

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