I love french press coffee, especially a finely ground extra clear pressing, for it's clean and bright extraction. Also I love the Freudian coffee piston action, it's pretty. What I don't like about it is need for constant pressure on the plunger. With my preferred grind the cake is a slow but effective filter, and much like any other substrate layer filter it requires a low but constant pressure to prevent the collapse of the proper filtration bed. This means constant pressure not constant flow. My invention solves the problem of inconsistent hand pressing and subsequent poor filtration by placing a large brass or lead filled casting weighing a pound or so atop the french press plunger. This should be decorative (a hand, a coffee bean, a "1 ton" weight) and rest securely atop the press.
-- WcW, May 11 2010

Nice idea - I'm slightly worried about the "Freudian coffee piston action" though.
-- hippo, May 12 2010


Talking of Freudian, have you ever tried putting a small amount of water (1 or 2 inches) and washing-up liquid in the bottom of your press, and then pumping the piston up and down rapidly through the solution? The mesh, water and detergent combination creates copious amounts of thick, white foam that can be made to squirt out of the top of the press, if pumped vigorously enough - it's really quite satisfying.
-- zen_tom, May 12 2010


I used to clean the press head that way but it turned out to be more effective to break it down and wash it in the dishwasher.
-- WcW, May 12 2010


[...looking for the Freudian subtext in WcW's anno...]
-- hippo, May 13 2010


Um, don't use lead. Spent uranium is toxic, too. Gold would be nice.

A gold ring might get you some intense piston action.
-- baconbrain, Nov 22 2010



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