French press

The french press is the brewing method with the lowest error rate. Grind coarse, add water, wait, press. It has no paper filter, so the oils and fine particles stay in the coffee. That gives body and fullness, but also sediment. If you like that, there is nothing better for so little money.

Glass or stainless steel

Glass carafes show the coffee and are cheap, but they break and cool down fast. Double walled stainless steel carafes hold the temperature steady across the eight minutes of steeping and survive any house move. For the brew, the heat is the more important argument.

Size

350 millilitres for one large cup, 800 to 1,000 millilitres for two or three. Half filling a large carafe works, but the coffee cools down faster.

The mesh

A fine metal mesh with a sprung rim that glides along the wall. Extra fine screens reduce the sediment but slow the plunge. More important than the mesh is the grind: coarse like sea salt, and most of the grounds stay at the bottom.

Beans

The french press loves coffees with body: Brazil, Sumatra, Guatemala, medium to dark roasts. Light, bright coffees often feel restless here, because the oils reinforce the acidity.

Side jobs

The french press makes good cold brew if you leave it in the fridge overnight. And with warm milk and fast pumping of the plunger it gives a usable milk foam without a machine.