If you've never had a cup of French Press coffee, let me tell you what you're missing. It's an uncomplicated, delicious way to enjoy your cup of Joe. This French Press is an excellent value for a great little coffee maker. Don't be intimidated by the word "French" in the title. It was a French invention that is actually rather simply to use. First, this little coffee maker comes with a coffee scoop. This allows you to choose the strength of your coffee. You simply place the grounds into the carafe, pour hot water over the top to your desired amount of cups (this size will yield two average American coffee mugs' worth of coffee), then give them a good stir before placing the lid on. Do not plunge your press all the way down just yet, though. You want to allow the hot water and coffee the chance to dance a bit, between 4 to 7 minutes is pretty ideal, then plunge down the plunger to cover the grounds and pour into your cup. The first thing you'll immediately notice with a good French press is how easy it is to enjoy great tasting coffee. The time it steeps gives it a chance to release the oils of the coffee bean thereby also releasing a better tasting cup than brewed in an electric coffee maker and richer than a pour-over set up which always includes a paper filter which traps some of the flavor the oils produce. This product does a great job of achieving all of the above. As tempting as it may be to re-use coffee grounds, remember they are really only going to be good for one use. Throw them into your compost heap if you don't wish to waste them. One tip about grinding your own coffee, use a coarse grind to really take advantage of your French press. A finer grind sometimes allows little bits of coffee grounds to escape through the mesh of some coffee makers which disrupts the experience. I will say, however, that even with a regular bag of Starbucks coffee picked up from a grocery store already ground, I did not see this problem. The mess on this pot is pretty good about keeping out the undesirable bits and only giving you what you want--great tasting brew. Cleaning most French presses is not super-hard, but also not always simple. To make my life easier, I just toss mine into the the top rack of the dishwasher (yes, this FP is dishwasher-safe) thus avoiding having to bend and maneuver the mesh screen. This can cause warping if handled too aggressively which allows grounds to seep out during the brewing process. The less you try to manipulate the screen, the longer this product is likely to last. I've enjoyed this press for a few weeks now and had zero complications in achieving coffee nirvana. It really does it's job. If you are looking for something to hold the hot coffee in in between cups, I suggest an insulated mug or carafe. That is the downfall of most French presses, but it doesn't mean the challenge cannot be smartly met. I really recommend this product for it's price, durability, and easy operation. Read more
excellent, efficient, easy to use and clean and makes a fine cup of coffee. Why spend more? This is perfect for the job... Read more
Perfect size and great quality. No issues and very easy to clean. Read more
This review is for the "Utopia Kitchen 51 Ounce 1.5 Liter French Press Coffee Maker, Tea Maker, Travel Coffee Presses.." I like that this product is available in various sizes. The largest capacity one is good for when I make batches of cold brew concentrate so it can last longer since it takes a long time to brew in the fridge. Alternatively you can cold brew your grinds in a larger or multiple containers and then just use one of these french presses to transfer your liquid and grinds to and press it out when ready. But it's nice that this container is large enough to then store 51 ounces of the liquid in when done. The filter works well to prevent grinds from getting into your coffee. The whole thing is easy to assemble, disassemble, and clean. The only downsides to me are that the lid doesn't have any kind of seal or tight fit for storing the liquid after, it is very loose and just sits in on top, and that the base is plastic with no rubber or silicone to keep it from sliding around on the counter or other surfaces. A lot of glass is exposed so this product is easy to break, as well. Otherwise, it functions as intended. Read more
Although I've had French Press coffee, I didn't like it. I hate sludge in the bottom of my cup. So I always made pour-over. But then I purchased brewable cacao which calls for a French Press. I decided to purchase a small, inexpensive one. This was cute and colorful, sounded good, so I bought it. I bought the one cup version. It's adorable! My daughter, who uses French Press regularly, squealed over it. Anyway, I began brewing the cacao in it and was very happy with the results. There is some very fine sediment in the cup, but it isn't bad. Then I began adding a bit of coffee during the final couple of minutes to give a mocha flavor. It surprised me that there wasn't much sediment even with the coffee. The flavor is excellent. It holds heat very well. The few cons with it are: The glass portion doesn't seem to remove from the plastic, so I can't get into the crevasses to clean the outside. I do personally find cleanup a bit difficult. Normally I use a teaspoon to get to the bottom to remove the grounds, or I rinse them out into the toilet because I don't have a garbage disposal. Recently I began scooping out what I can, then rinsing the rest out and putting them through a pour-over setup to be able to toss them into the garbage. That works well. Even though I have a small hand, I can't get into the one-cup press to clean it, so I have to use a long-handled glass brush. Finally, I broke the carafe, but that was almost certainly my own fault. I banged it against the garbage can rather than gently tapping it. Almost cried because I had no way to properly brew the cacao! Ordering another one today, this time in a larger size so I can reheat another cup later or have it cold in the 100+ degree heat. All in all, I'm not tempted to purchase a more expensive one because I see no need to do so. I'm really pleased with this and enjoy the ritual of making coffee, cacao, and tea in this press. Maybe I'll buy two and give one to my daughter! Read more
Love it. It feels sturdy/solid, cleans up easily, and it was a great price. If anything happens to it, I will buy this again. Read more
Easy to use. Does not need frequent washing, just dump and rinse, not all of the stuff I dump into the garbage make it. A paper towel or napkin is necessary... Read more
Excellent but fragile Read more
