− | A french press is for making coffee and/or tea. You put the loose coffee grounds or tea leaves in the bottom, add hot water, then put on the top with the plunger raised. When you think it's brewed long enough, you push the plunger down, separating the grounds/leaves from the vast majority of the hot water, thus stopping the brewing process. Gourmets think that this creates a much better flavor than drip and filter coffeemakers. Generally speaking, a french press which has been used for coffee regularly has too much residual coffee flavor on it to be a good choice for tea.<br><br> | + | A french press is for making coffee and/or tea. You put the loose coffee grounds or tea leaves in the bottom, add very hot water, then put on the top with the plunger raised. After it has brewed long enough, (about 2+ minutes for coffee) push the plunger down, separating the grounds/leaves from the water. Generally speaking, a french press which has been used for coffee regularly has too much residual coffee flavor on it to be a good choice for tea.<br /><br /> |
| + | Coffee that is ground too coarsely may clog the filter, preventing the plunger/filter from being pressed down easily or smoothly. If the water can't pass through the coffee grounds, the edges of the spring-loaded filter may separate from the glass sides, causing a "burp" that can send coffee grounds into the coffee, and grounds and hot water out of the pot and onto you. |