What is the history of the French press? Who invented it? To that question, there isn’t a definitive answer.

Galla Coffee has the following to say.

The exact history and origin of the cafetiere is not clear. Both the French and the Italians lay claims to its invention. What is known is that the first cafetieres appeared in France in the 1850s. These coffee pots were made of metal and fitted with a metal screen attached to a rod. The metal screen would be plunged down, using the rod, forcing the coffee grounds to the bottom of the pot.

They then tell one story of how it was invented that involves an old man from Provence, France.

Roaste adds:

The first French Press…was patented in 1929 by the Milanese Attilio Calimani. In the 1930s the French Melior and Chambord introduced the first models with stainless steel filters and metal bodies. These brands where later bought by Bodum that still produces them today with the same brilliant original designs.

If you know any more history of the French press coffee maker, please comment below, and feel free to link to other sources.

I just found a recipe for spiced coffee popsicles that says to “Brew the coffee in a French press for about ten minutes.”

It involves coffee, sweetened condensed milk, cloves, and cinnamon. Sounds good.

That, and other recipes involving coffee, can be found here.

The new 8-cup French press is a new design from Bodum. The carafe is made with temperature safe borosilicate glass and encased in plastic. The Bean features the precision pour. You can control the amount of coffee flow with the lever. The silicone gasket connecting the lid and the glass has an insulating effect, which helps maintain the heat and aroma of the coffee longer, and prevents spills. The Bean French press comes in eight colors, including red and green.

There are two models, the Bodum Bean 8-Cup French Press Coffee Maker and the Bodum Bean 8-Cup Double Wall Thermal French Press Coffee Maker.

Eileen, Bodum’s professional coffee maker, was conceived not only in honor of the great designer Eileen Gray but for all the coffee connoisseurs who frequent the bistros and cafés of Paris, Gray’s adopted city…Not only is the BODUM® EILEEN professional coffee maker one of the very few to meet their demanding requirements, but it is also specifically designed to withstand the exacting conditions of busy bistros and cafés.
Description from Bodum website

While the popular Bodum Chambord is a great French press, it is not so great for use in a restaurant, cafe, or coffeehouse, as it is far too easy to break the glass. The Bodum Eileen is designed specifically for commercial use, and includes a stainless steel frame that surrounds the carafe.

For the price, you could also buy the Frieling stainless-steel French press, which has a steel carafe. There are a few reasons to consider the Eileen though. First, you may prefer coffee made in a glass carafe versus a steel carafe. In my experience, they do taste slightly different. Second, Eileen arguably has a nicer design.

If anyone has used this model, feedback is welcome. Also, are there any other models you’d recommend for commercial use?

In my search for ‘french press’ articles, I came across this one at wikiHow. When they say make a cappuccino, they are not only talking about making the coffee with a French press. They suggest a method for frothing milk using a French press.

They say to heat the milk and pour into a French press. Then do the following:

Cover with the top/filter and pump up and down. The froth is created by pumping down into the milk and pumping up out of the milk while holding the top down. Continue pumping until desired froth is reached. Pour frothy milk over the espresso/coffee.

I’d rather use a milk frother if I were to attempt to make cappuccino milk without an espresso machine, but if you’d like an alternative, there you go.

From the Texas Steakhouse blog:

I have to admit that when I first heard Texas Steakhouse was going to implement a new coffee product and it was going to be brewed using a French Press, I thought the CEO had lost his mind. What does anything French have to do with Texas and how in the world are we going to sell a $2.99 coffee when Starbucks is on every corner?

While not the most expected pairing, we can see the French press method is making inroads, even into steakhouses.

“French Press To-Go™ is a disposable single serve French Press Plunger. Our patent pending French Press To-Go™ Plunger is conveniently pre-packaged with coffee in an innovative spring loaded filter plunger. Simply add 10 fl oz of hot water, the French Press To-Go™ brews quickly with little preparation and leaves no mess to clean up.”

The benefits include that it costs less than what one would pay at a coffee house, and there is ‘no waste’ of the coffee itself. It appears the cup itself can be reused, but the Single Serve French Press Plungers and Plunger Covers are disposable, and include the Plungers include the coffee.

Coffee Artisan is currently selling them for $3.95.

If anyone tries one, feel free to comment on your experience.

That’s the question a person asked at CoffeeDetective.com.

It’s a good question, when even ‘unbreakable’ French presses sometimes leak or break. At the coffee house I volunteer at, we used to use Bodum’s glass French presses. They worked well, but being made of glass, they eventually break. In a cafe environment, this certainly happens more often than it would at home. The process of heating and cooling the French press glass also can contribute to breakage. We eventually changed to steel French presses, which work much better in a cafe, since there is no more glass to break.

I’ve had my current French press at home for 5 years, and it’s still intact. They can handle being knocked over on the counter, but knocking them into the sink or on the floor may be too much. Also, I’ve rinsed hot French presses out with cold water without them breaking, but I certainly don’t recommend it. If you use your French press daily, odds are it will eventually break, all the more in a high traffic environment. If you have kids around, a steel French press won’t shatter and is also cooler to touch on the outside, but also more of an initial investment.

If you have any stories about French presses breaking or advise on how to prevent it, please share!

This French press was designed by Chris Woodward, and is made of a single piece of glass framed in metal. “A single solid piece of glass is far more shatter resistant.
What’s even better is the entire thing is dish washer safe and BPA free.” says Yanko Design.

Very cool. This is a very new product, and as far as I know, is not yet available for purchase.

One of the products unveiled at the latest Coffee Fest in Seattle was the SmartCup.

When Jeff Baccetti wanted to take his French press coffee on the road, he’d take it out of his press and put it in a mug. But that wasn’t good enough.

So the Redmond resident created the SmartCup, a disposable, recyclable French press.

Sure, it sounds wasteful, but I have to admit I’m curious to see it.