French Press Coffee Without The French Press

Yes it's possible to have that cup of coffee with full flavor -- and the oils that come from the coffee beans. But you don't need a French press to do it. In fact, I'll show you how I did it with $12 a drip coffee maker.

French press coffee is always better tasting, the flavor is more robust, and there is an oily film at the top of the coffee, I'm sure it enhances the flavor somehow, there's also a small amount of grounds that end up in the finished product as well.

When I'm done making coffee I always prop open the lid to my drip coffee maker with a clothespin, so it can dry out a little and cool off. Then I can dump the grounds and filter, rinse everything out, and get it ready again.

However, if I have a day where I have to leave first thing in the morning, I might not dump the filter and grounds until later at night, or the next day.

One morning I was getting ready to make my coffee and I noticed something. There was a dark ring around the top edge of the paper filter. When I took a closer look, I realized that the dark ring was oily.

This means the oily residue is being caught up in the paper filters I've been using. I thought to myself, "Perhaps that's why drip coffee, passed through a paper filter, never tastes as good as the French press coffee."

I wanted to find a way to replicate that French press flavor, not stripping the oils, not having to heat up a kettle, or spend time cleaning the French press each morning.

Then it dawned on me. I just need a filter made of something non-absorbent. I went on Amazon and started peeking around and found this.

I figured that this might do the trick, as the holes are small, but not so small that they will stop all of the little bits of grounds from getting through.

I tried it out as soon as it arrived. It was not good. The coffee was very weak, and tasteless.

The filter has holes in the bottom as well as the sides, so there's nothing to keep the water from displacing the grounds -- and dripping through -- where it just displaced them. Which was exactly what was happening. Just like this picture showing how easy it is to clean.

So, I figured, perhaps I could put something in it that would cover part of the bottom. I used a shot glass first, something I knew the hot water wouldn't ruin, but would cover a portion of the bottom. It made the coffee a little bit better, but still not like the French press.

Then I thought, "Why even have openings at the bottom of the filter at all? Why not force the water to pass through the grounds, by blocking the entire bottom portion of the filter?"

After measuring, the precise dimension of the bottom of the filter, I looked for something to cover the entire bottom of the filter and found this.

It's the perfect size, covering the entire bottom of the filter, forcing the water to pass through the grounds before exiting the sides.

I used it the first time, and it was great! Perfect French press-tasting coffee, but without all the hassle.

Let me know what you think in the comments.

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