Exploring the world of Press...few questions

Silound · 08-10-2010, 11:49 AM

Let me start by saying, I'm a junkie. I appreciate things such as a 100% Kona or a select production roast from Costa Rica as much as I can appreciate Burger King coffee. I just LIKE coffee and it's flavor.

That being said, I've been looking into some FP's, and I ran into an interesting...dilemma. All presses seem to follow the same core design and have acceptable parts (stainless screen/plunger, rubber seal ring and skirt, moderate thickness safety glass body), so what separates that $20 press from Target/Walmart from the $100+ press that I can get at a specialty shop?

I literally looked both over, and other than semantics and aesthetics, it's all the same to my engineering mind. Is it just one is more durable?

Second thought, I looked all over the net, some coffee books, and here, but I never found a definite answer. How hot should the water be? Fresh off the boil, steaming hot but not boiling? Some websites were saying a full rolling boil, while others said hot but not boiling. Seems water that's too hot will kill some of the flavors.

Third, why the hell do I drink so much coffee?

08-10-2010, 11:49 AM	#1
Silound ex-CS Swamp Gorilla Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Somewhere in a swamp, south of sanity Posts: 802 Trading: (15)	Exploring the world of Press...few questions Let me start by saying, I'm a junkie. I appreciate things such as a 100% Kona or a select production roast from Costa Rica as much as I can appreciate Burger King coffee. I just LIKE coffee and it's flavor. That being said, I've been looking into some FP's, and I ran into an interesting...dilemma. All presses seem to follow the same core design and have acceptable parts (stainless screen/plunger, rubber seal ring and skirt, moderate thickness safety glass body), so what separates that $20 press from Target/Walmart from the $100+ press that I can get at a specialty shop? I literally looked both over, and other than semantics and aesthetics, it's all the same to my engineering mind. Is it just one is more durable? Second thought, I looked all over the net, some coffee books, and here, but I never found a definite answer. How hot should the water be? Fresh off the boil, steaming hot but not boiling? Some websites were saying a full rolling boil, while others said hot but not boiling. Seems water that's too hot will kill some of the flavors. Third, why the hell do I drink so much coffee? __________________ Back in black, and better than ever! You can't keep a good gorilla down! LSU Geaux Tigers!