Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 1:02pm Subject: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
OK, I'm finally moving on from my Aerobie Aeropress. I love it but its too darn small for my needs. I want two 14oz mugs of coffee each day. It takes forever for me to make them with the aerobie areopress. I have to pour in water, stir, let some filter through, stir and on and on. If I reuse filters it takes more and more time. I absolutely love the result but hate the time. And, despite seveal people asking since the Aeropress came out, they don't seem to be inclined to make one for mugs of coffee. Too bad.
So, I'm moving on. I want to try a press pot. When I go to the various high end stores around here (Williams and Sanomoa and others) I can't tell one from the other. Are they pretty much all the same. Any recommendations for a press pot that I should be able to find in downtown Toronto or a big department store.
Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 1:16pm Subject: Re: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
Here in the states you can find the Bodum Chambords in Target & other dept stores. You might also consider the large Finum filter for brewing right in a 16+oz cup/travel mug. Click Here (www.amazon.com) These make an excellent cup of coffee with less clean up then a press pot.
I like that it is 17 oz ... but I guess my real question is, is this press pot any different than any other. Are they all essentially the same with metal filters. I know I can get Bodum branded press pots around here.
I know from Mark Prince's "How to Use a Press Pot" the grinder is everything. I have a terrific Kitchen Aid grinder. So can I pretty much buy whatever press pot looks the nicest and is the right size or is there something else I should look for specifically.
Now that I look at it, it looks like the press pot he used in the review was a Bodum Chamord or somethign very close to it. It looks the same except for the lid.
Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 7:14pm Subject: Re: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
The 17oz is my favorite of the 4 Chambords I own. I like them because they are glass & metal, no plastic except for the inside of the cover. Some of the other Bodums & other brands use a plastic beaker which is not what I want to brew my coffee in. Also the inside of the cover sets down into the beaker & provides a slotted pouring hole on one side & blocks flow on the other. The strainers are all metal so ignore some of those reviews as they are taking about other models. All in all the Chambords are nice presses & a very classic design.
Posted Fri Jun 20, 2008, 7:33pm Subject: Re: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
I'm not sure I understand the OP's problem with the Aeropress or how a French press will solve it.
The Aeropress can easily do a 14oz mug of Americano with one pressing. You won't be getting any more coffee than that out of a 17oz French press. The Aeropress is a lot faster to use (10 seconds of stirring, although I do longer, versus 10 seconds of stirring PLUS several minutes of steeping), and the Aeropress is faster and easier to clean. I also find that French press coffee cools too much during the steeping time, although that problem can be solved by an insulated French press, such as the Bodum Columbia.
Of course, you can get a bigger French press that will make your two mugs worth with one pressing. But then you have to mess with an insulated carafe to keep the second mugful hot (even if you use an insulated press, you don't want the coffee sitting in the press that long).
Finally, there is the matter of whether you like French press coffee. Some people absolutely love it and can't hang with paper-filtered brew. Me, I can't hang with the sludge.
Just because it happened to you doesn't make it interesting.
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is.
Posted Sun Jun 22, 2008, 5:36pm Subject: Re: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
Thanks John:
I've pretty much decided to get the Chambord. Now I'm just looking for best pricing. It's $19.95 on Amazon but, of course, the Canadian Amazon doesn't have Kitchen stuff. If I order from the states the cheapest shipping option doubles the price! I never realized that Amazon doesn't have same shipping pricing for kitchen stuff as it does for books! The best price of the three stores I found it in Toronto in was $39. You American's - please appreciate the bazzillion options you have for everything you buy. Even at $ parity us Canadians are constantly screwed.
DrugOfChoice:
I don't understand what you don't understand. If I want a week, drab cup of coffee, sure I could press 8 or 9 ounces through and then pour in another 5 or 6 oz of hot water into the result. That results in some nice coffee tasting water ... not the full bold cup of coffee I want. I import bold beans from Peets in the U.S. so I can get a good bold cup of coffee. Creating the "Americano" the way the instructions suggest results in, well, a weakly hint of coffee-flavoured water. I love the Aeropress when I run ALL my water through the beans. It's a pain, as I said above, but the result is the best cup of coffee I ever had. Doing it as per the AA's instructions results in coffee that tastes a lot like the coffee sold at Tim Hortons. Yuk!
I am not suggesting the Press Pot will be my long term answer. I'm guessing it won't be. When I used press pots in the past I hated them. But that was before I became a disciple of Mark Prince and realized how important good fress beans were, how important a grinder was etc. I'm hoping that with my new found skill set I'll get something out of a press pot that is close to what I get out of the Aerobie. But I won't know until I try.
All I know is I'm tired of the pain-in-the-butt it is to wait and wait and pour a little more and stir and wait and wait, as I grandually pass my 14 oz of water through the aeropress. Plus, this almost always results in minor spillage, or bubbling over the top with brand new beans - and more clean up than I want.
As for temperature, I pre-heat a 14 inch thermous-like drinking mug from Peets (Starbucks sells them too) with hot water. I'll be pouring whatever I get from the French Press into that. I don't expect the coffee will get cold before I drink it.
Posted Sun Jun 22, 2008, 6:34pm Subject: Re: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
$39 for the 4C Chambord is pretty pricey! I believe thats what I paid for our 1.5 liter press. My Aeropress is gathering dust as I much prefer the real Espresso or Americanos I make with the Vivaldi. If I want a large coffee the Finum filter beats everything else I've tried so far. I use my KA Pro grinder set on 1 when I grind for the Finum & a 4 minute steep. You've already got the grinder & the large Finum is only $9 U.S.????
Noonievut Senior Member Joined: 9 Sep 2006 Posts: 472 Location: Toronto. Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Rocky DL Vac Pot: Other - Aeropress, Clever,...
Posted Mon Jun 23, 2008, 5:14am Subject: Re: Are All Press Pots The Same (moving on from Aerobie Aeropress)
Dale,
I have a large presspot that I've only used twice and I had e-mailed you saying that I live in T.O. and if you would be interested I would sell it to you. However, the e-mail didn't go through. If you're interested let me know (you can also provide your e-mail here (with characters like 'remove this' in the address so it can't be trolled) and I can e-mail you today.
Now I'm keenly wondering whether a gold or nylon filter would reduce the tinny/acidy tastes I'm getting so far and, if so, is there anywhere around Toronto I can pick one up.
Noonievut:
Thanks ... I just updated my profile here with a current email address. I hadn't used the other one for a long, long time. Sorry about that. A large press-pot wouldn't have worked anyway. I specifically wanted the 16 oz version to suit my very precise need for a pot that will make a 12 to 14 oz cup of coffee.
JVBorella:
Filters scare me. I've tried so many over the years with such bad results. But, again, those were pre-coffee geek, pre-Kitchen Aid Proline days. So perhaps its worth another go. I'll have to look into it. Thanks.
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