Reddit reviews Bodum Brazil French Press Coffee Maker, 34 Ounce, 1 Liter Red

I suspect most responses here will focus on method of brewing over brands or specific origins or roasts of coffee, although Starbucks is not well-loved. Sumatran beans can be extremely earthy, dry, and strong-flavored, though. "Strong" is very subjective, and when I think of a strong cup my first desire would be to find an extremely bright, light roast that is bursting with acidity and flavor; others might interpret that as a dark roast. You didn't mention your location, but I suggest you find a good local roaster and sample their fresh products. Best is to grind your beans at home just before brewing, but you can also tell the shop your method of brewing and have them grind for you. Unfortunately the ground coffee loses a lot of flavor and aroma far faster than you can use up a bag, and this might be a big part of a coffee not tasting "strong" enough.

If you're using an auto-drip brewer, you just aren't going to get a quality, rich cup of coffee no matter what. The strongest coffee short of straight espresso you'll get is either from a stovetop or a turkish preparation. French press also brews a very full-bodied cuppa, with all the oils and flavanoids intact (no paper filter to remove them), assuming you brew at proper temperature (195-205F). This is a much easier, more accessible, and more desirable method, IMHO. You will have some coffee silt at the bottom of your cup. Some say the aeropress yields a similar product as the French Press, but I don't have any experience with it.

Also, more grounds does not automatically mean a better or stronger cup, it can actually mean a more bitter, under-extracted cup because you didn't have enough water to get all the desirable compounds out of the grounds and into the solution. Follow brewing instructions and use a proper water to coffee ratio.

Amazon Bodum Press

http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-1-Liter-34-Ounce-Coffeemaker/dp/B004NBYADU/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1369897008&sr=1-2&keywords=french+press+bodum

I'm not too familiar with French press but Bodum is generally what comes to mind


Also this photo just came up on my tumblr so maybe it's a sign

http://25.media.tumblr.com/58b46b3f590a2c36a869cf5b2761e147/tumblr_mmmtl0KOwa1qfffyto1_500.jpg

Here's what I have at work:

Bodum French Press
Hario Mini Mill Grinder
Aero Press

It's hard to go wrong with this setup.

I have a dirt cheap electric hot pot that I've had FOREVER from target:
http://www.amazon.com/Rival-4071-WN-32-Ounce-Express-White/dp/B00006IUXU/ref=sr_1_32?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1369171972&sr=1-32

That, plus a quality french press is all you really need:
http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-1-Liter-34-Ounce-Coffeemaker/dp/B004NBYADU/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1369172037&sr=1-2&keywords=bodum+french+press

This is the press I have, it's a Bodum.

http://store.starbucks.com/recycled-coffee-press-by-bodum-8-cup/011024657,default,pd.html?start=5&navid=coffee-presses

I got it at Starbucks back when I was just starting to get into coffee. It's awesome, I have had it for over 4.5 years with no problems, it cost $20. It's sold in a lot of places. I also own this Bodum...(and just warning this is going to sound really ridiculously picky)...

http://www.amazon.com/Bodum-Brazil-1-Liter-34-Ounce-Coffeemaker/dp/B004NBYADU

The latter is not my favorite because I can't take apart the filter portion of it like I can in that first one I linked to. I like being able to take the whole thing apart, clean it out nice and get all the grounds out of the filter. Second thing that drives me absolutely crazy is that you can't just nicely line up the filter and cap and plunge down. Because of the way the handle and cap are designed to fit together (http://i.imgur.com/0d1umrj.jpg?1), you have to angle the filter and then line up the nook and THEN plunge down. I don't like having to angle the filters to get it in the body like that. Lastly, I feel like the flat top of the plunger that you have on the first Bodum there gives you greater control over the smoothness of the plunging. This ball on the red on...well...fine, I just don't like how it looks and I'm anti-ball but it just feels like it's not as smooth going down. Anyhow, that's my French Press rant. I would look for a simple design and easy cleaning.

tl/dr get this one... http://store.starbucks.com/recycled-coffee-press-by-bodum-8-cup/011024657,default,pd.html?start=5&navid=coffee-presses

I got this press at Target on black friday for like $15 last year. It's great. I think they make smaller models which run a tad cheaper.

I started getting into coffee nearly a year and a half ago, and here is what I did to start:

I bought

• A Hario V60 02 Pour-Over Dripper ~$20, with filters, ~$30
  
  
• A Hario Buono Gooseneck Kettle ~$50
  
  
• A Bodum Bistro Burr Grinder ~$150
  
  
• A scale ~$25
  
  
• Freshly, locally roasted whole beans ~$10/lb. Dark roasts tend to be less acidic, sweeter, and have less caffeine (when brewed correctly); light roasts are the opposite: acidic, fruity, and more caffeine.
  
  Now, bear in mind that I knew that I loved coffee before I invested all this money into it; you should obviously really consider your situation and really get into "good" coffee before splurging on all of this equipment. I now have a French press, a moka pot, and am going to invest in an Aeropress soon, but I still prefer the pour-over method to any other coffee that I've had, thus why I recommend you go that route. It can take some definite getting used to and has a bit of a learning curve, but it is easily worth the effort (tutorial videos will help immensely.
  
  Keep in mind, you needn't buy exactly what I did. Shop around, see what you like and what is in your price range. I will say this, however: if you do go the pour-over method, go for the V60 or the Chemex, they are both easily the best on the market, and the same goes for the Buono kettle, though if necessary you can purchase a different kettle, just so long as it is a gooseneck (which is required to finely control the flow of water).
  
  Many other people will tell you to go with a French press. This is good advice as it has a very slight learning curve in comparison to pretty much every other method (besides maybe the Aeropress, depending on who you talk to): it is literally grinding the coffee coarsely and letting it sit in water for X-amount of time. It also does not take filters, is easy to clean, and is a relatively cheap initial investment (~$20). I like the Brazil model that Bodum makes.
  
  No matter which method you choose to brew with, there are three things that you should not underestimate the importance of (and thus should not skimp on):
  
  
• Freshly ground and roasted beans are a must. The fresher, the better.
  
• A blade grinder will always do a worse job of grinding than a burr grinder. It is worth it to spend the extra cash for a burr grinder right off the bat, as, if you get at all serious about coffee, you will eventually purchase one anyway, rendering your blade grinder useless and a waste of money in hindsight. Blade grinders make it nigh impossible to control how fine or coarse the grind is, which is one of the biggest variables in coffee brewing. There are absolutely cheaper models out there than the one that I linked to, especially if you get a manual one rather than the electric one that I own.
  
  
• A scale is essential. Coffee brewing is very much an exact science. Making sure the ratio of water to coffee is exact and being able to fine tune down to the gram/milliliter can create some of the biggest deviances between batches next to grind size. This cannot be overstated.
  
  Best of luck. There's a lot of good knowledge on this sub, on this sub's How to Coffee: A Primer, and on the Internet in general. Check it all out, pick your path, and enjoy the ride!

Here's a 34-oz Bodum Brazil for $17.79 on Amazon right now.

These are popular

It's also worth looking into the aeropress, I prefer mine over a french press.

Yes! I'm in college and have no cash. I used to use a Capresso electric grinder but that broke so I'm grabbing a Hario Mini Mill soon, only like $30-$40 - link

I also use a French Press, $20 or so - link

And I have an electric kettle with built-in thermometer, about $20 - link

Eight O'Clock beans are like, $4 from Target. If you have a Trader Joes nearby, they're also a good source of cheap beans.

All in all, I've spent maybe $80 on coffee equipment to make a pretty damn good cup on a college budget, while maintaining some portability.

I posted the wrong press, my bad, right one is this

Granted the press isn't all that special, but it works just like any other and that's what matters if you're on a tight budget. However, if you're lucky enough to still have cash to spend after the grinder, French Presses by Bodum are typically the best way to go.

Plus generally, and you'll hear this a lot on this sub, but grinders (and grind quality) are as important if not more important than the brew method.