An industry study shows that the increased demand for the best coffee grinder for french press comes alongside a notable increase in coffee consumption among Americans. While 41% of over 220 million American coffee drinkers prefer the traditional drip coffee brew, about 27% shifted preference to the single cup system of the French press coffee maker. About 30% of which are into drinking the American espresso style of coffee.

Apparently, the traditional French press played an important role in the White House office since several popular past US Presidents were heavy drinkers of black coffee. While we are sure that the likes of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy and Teddy Roosevelt drank brewed coffee, we presume that the White House kitchen staff who prepared their coffee used a French press machine. After all, before the drip machine, the instant and go-to coffee were invented, the French press was most popular coffee-making device at that time.

Invented in 1852, it became well-known in European countries by other names such as coffee plunger, press pot, coffee press, cafetière à piston, caffettiera a stantuffo or just plain cafetière.

French Press Brewed Coffee vs. Drip Machine Brewed Coffee

Coffee experts explain that a French press brewed coffee is not stronger than a drip machine coffee as many are inclined to think It’s actually a matter of the pot press producing a cup with more intense flavor because the machine uses the direct immersion extraction method. The coffee grinds come into direct contact with boiling water but the grinds are prevented from becoming part of the hot drink by way of a metal mesh. The process permits the extraction of essential oils and other flavor molecules but without letting the solid particles get into the brew.

The method stands in contrast to the process used by a drip machine, as it uses a paper filter to retain and absorb oils and other fine substances to prevent it from getting into the liquid brew.

While many prefer the French press, others don’t because the brewed coffee tends to have a higher level of acidity. In addition there are fine particles called fines that give the cup of coffee a silty characteristic.

The baristas and expert coffee makers of today know that such issues can be avoided by using coarsely grinded coffee beans. The best brand of coffee grinder to use when using a French press brewing machine is one that can grind coarsely and consistently without producing fines that can pass through the machine’s steel mesh filter. Coarse and larger particles are also ideal for coffee presses because over extraction of flavor that brings on high levels of acidity can be avoided. Larger-sized and coarser coffee grinds tend to slow down the flavor-extraction process of the French press’ direct immersion method.