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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters switch from electric drip coffee makers with warming plates to French press/electric kettle combos, we'll save the power used by 210 houses in a year.
COCKTAIL FACT
The expression "cup o' joe" dates back to WWII, when US servicemen (GI Joes) gained reputations for their java-love.
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home › tip library › Energy Efficient French Press Coffee Makers
Is the coffee press the greatest invention of les francais?
The Bite
Dieu merci for the French: they've brought us French kisses, French horns, French, er, fries (ok, that was Belgium) and one of our all-time favorite inventions, French presses. Electric drip coffeemakers aren't typically thought of as big energy sucks, but you may be using more juice to get your jolt than you realize.The Benefits
- Get better-tasting coffee. Electric drip machines don't always reach the right water temp to get proper extraction of the flavors, oils or caffeine from the grounds.
- Use less energy. A French press combined with an electric kettle to heat the water does the trick more efficiently than drip or espresso machines (which are typically left on for much longer).
- It's cheaper: about $400 million goes to electricity used for coffeemakers in the US. The money you save by unplugging can be used to support your organic bean habit.
- Bonus: French presses work great for tea, too.
Personally Speaking
Heather's Bodum French press has worked like magic for the past 6 years, and since she hosted visiting Ideal Bite team members for the recent retreat, everyone on the team now wants one. (If you would like to have Heather make you a slightly stronger drink tonight, check out today's blog.)Wanna Try?
From the most efficient to the least: 1. cold brewing, 2. French press/electric kettle, 3. moka pot on the stove, 4. electric drip coffeemaker.- Cold brewing (brewing coffee in cold H2O) - actually the planet-friendliest alternative, since energy's only used to heat water to add to the concentrate, which lasts up to 3 weeks.
- Bodum Chambord French Press - you can't go wrong with this classic, or keep it warmer longer with the insulated Columbia version ($30-$50).
- Chef's Choice Electric French Press Plus - French press/electric kettle in one ($70).
- Toastess Stainless Steel Electric Kettle - heats up in just a couple minutes ($35).
- Bialetti Moka Pot - as any good Italophile knows, moka pots make for a good brew but do require a little more energy on the stove ($30).
- If you're gonna go with electric drip, get one that shuts off automatically.
Nov 30,2006
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Jittery Bragging Rights
OK, I don't want to brag here, but I DO make a mean cup of coffee. Of course, I probably have to give credit where credit is due: to my trusty old French press and the killer beans I grind to use in it.
My favorite beans? Equal Exchange's Organic versions. Try this: 3/4 of their French Roast, blended with 1/4 of their Sumatran. Of course, the Sumatran only comes in a 5 lb bag, so here's hoping you have friends with the same jittery fetish as you.
In the meantime, should you want yours truly to make you a slightly stronger beverage... if you are in the Bay Area, swing by Elixir (16th and Guerrero) tonight at 9 - Tosh, Kris and I will be guest bartending our way to a greener planet. Proceeds go to carbon offsetting, well, your liquid licentiousness.
-Heather... off to practicing spinning my bottles like Tom (pre Nic or Kate) in the movie Cocktail...
Biter Comments...
French presses rock! no stupid filters-paper or otherwise. no nasty buildup. i threw out my clunky space-hogging coffeemaker ages ago. well i gently placed it on the curb for another to adopt. along with my microwave. can one live without a microwave. very nicely.
my only peeve with this bite as a nerdy former french major: It's SI VOUS PLAIT. unless there's a play on words i'm not clever enough to get.
merci beaucoup.
In response to the nerdy point above, which didn't quite get made ... The subject line should be s'il vous plait - if it pleases you. The writer may have been attempting a play on words, as si vous plait would translate literally to if you please, but it's not a phrase I've ever heard used in France.
arousiak - I, too, live microwave-free. I moved three months ago and just never got around to buying one... which made me realize I don't even NEED one.
I used to work in a Fair Trade Organic coffee roastery and I am so excited that a pound of Co-Op grown Rawandan coffee grown by widowed women who survived the massacre is on its way. These women have taught themselves the art of growing coffe after over coming a huge amount of terror and destruction. The combination of thier knowledge results in the best African coffee I have ever tasted. It is a special treat because it is only available in small amounts as the farm is still quite tiny.
I love variety in my coffee prep and I own a lot of gear. My French press is a replica of a press designed for a New York cafe in 1978 tres funky.
Tomorrow the Canadian representative is doing a product demo at the shop I work at. That being said there is a really cool option every coffe lover should try. It is the stove top or table top santos coffee maker. The two devices operate under the same principle except one is used on the stove and one uses a fondue burner.
It is a vaccum coffee pot that is so fabulous to watch in motion that everyone at your dinner party will be huddled around the stove to watch it.
You can see it in action at the bodum website.
PS:
If you love your drip coffee get one with a carafe to keep your coffee hot, that way your coffee maker is only on while its brewing and isn't burning your black gold while you sip away.
I too gave up my microwave and realised I didn't need it. I gave it up to make room for my precious espresso machine. Which I turn off after very use. :)
Um, er, yeah - we TOTALLY meant "if you please..."
What? My four years of Spanish classes and propensity to travel and handful of French friends who put up with my pidgeon words don't translate to appropriate written French??? ;)
Mea culpa. You guys are right. I shouldn't try to sound sassy in French phrases if I have no idea what I 'm doing...
Thanks for keeping us on our toes, Biters!
-H
that's just blasphemy about microwaves!
when i moved from NYC to a smaller Upstate town, without a microwave, i'd have to revert to my undergrad days...PB&J organic-style and turkey sandwiches...
now my organic turkey pot pies and other stuff takes minutes instead of many, many, many minutes!
Salut Heather
C'est superbe! What you said about French Presses is awesome. I was born in France and I did that. My granny (in France) still makes a pot of coffee and then, each time she wants more drinks from it, pour what she needs in an old casserole (pan) and warm it up (yeah! it is like dark and bitter afterwards...The coffeezilla French way). I SHALL (as I live here now) buy a French Press ASAP! merci for the tip...Did I say that you guys totally rock? J'adore votre site!
Au revoir...
I found my vintage kitchen sink was eating up glass French presses left and right. REI has a nice variety of stainless steel or plastic ones, if you need something a bit more durable :)
I found my vintage kitchen sink was eating up glass French presses left and right. REI has a nice variety of stainless steel or plastic ones, if you need something a bit more durable :)
I was wondering if anyone could suggest a good non-electric coffee bean grinder? I love the french press as well! I'm having a hard-time finding a grinder though, the only ones I can find are made to be "vintage", nice to look at but NOT meant to use, just decoration...I'm looking for one I can use every couple days and wont die in less than a year from doing so?
Hello!
Nice article :)
Just thought I'd share an interesting twist that I discovered recently: the French press is actually from Italy! Apparently it just didn't catch on so well there, in a land of moka pots...so I guess we still have the French to thank for keeping it going ;)
Hey DMR yesterdays tip had an ad link to a kitchenwares/housewares site. On there they had what looked like a fabulous and durable non electric coffee grinder. Another reccomendation I have would be to get a Turkish Coffee Mill as they can grind coffee from coarse to the oh so fine texture needed for the thick cardomomy goodness of turkish coffee.
vivaterra's got a hand coffee grinder too, i think. great stuff, except for their bamboo sheets!
wow, my bad. a sleepless work night will do that. but i am still ashamed. i corrected si vous plais to si vous plait, and neglected to correct it to s'il. my father would tsk me right, but the universe will forgive.
but i am happy there are other microwave-free people out there. go yous.xx
Amanda: What a coincidence! I recently bought a bag of Free Trade Rwandan coffee from the IFC free trade store called Pangea in Wash, D.C. and it taste GREAT. Reminds me of my grandma's strong brew back in the days...
We brew, then use an insulated carafe to keep the coffee hot. When we have guests, we brew a pot at night, fill the carafe, and take it to the guest room with cups, powdered creamer and sweetener, and a few wrapped biscotti. That way our guests don't have to face us until they have had a hot cup in the morning.
One thing not mentioned about the french press - because it does not use a paper filter, which traps the oils from the coffee, the flavor is a lot fuller.
This is a little late to this thread but I highly recommend that you give the Aerobie Press a try. http://aerobie.com/Products/aeropress_story.htm
much better even than a french press because no grounds floating on top of the coffee!
i have a bodum chambord and i really love it, the only hang up i have with it, is when i pur the first cup it pours all down the side of the pot and onto the counter . i have enough of a mess on my counter and don't need to add to it. can somebody recommend a way to stop this. i have held my hand on the lid while pouring and held the pot at different heights but the end result is still the same only a half cup of coffee. the coffee is too good to waste . thank you
me again, still having trouble with my chambord. this time, i poured it into a pan then into the cups--it helped some, but some still went down the side of the press as i was pouring it into the pan. i may not be up to speed as most of you byters are so please help a new byter. thanks so much.
my bathe spelling i'm so sorry biters. nothing personal, i just need help with my chambord press--ta ta!
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: Lizzy | November 30, 2006 at 09:42 AM