Last week while I hung out with my family, I wondered if the brand of French Press truly mattered in ensuring a good cup of coffee. I decided to test this out using my Stainless Steel brand and my brother's French Press.
Let's see.
BRANDS USED
Hotel Black Label Collection Stainless Steel French Press - mine
Bodum's The Original French Press - my brother's
TASTERS
My mom, brother, 2 nieces (ages 13 & 15), and I.
MY REVIEW
I made 2 cups of coffee in each French Press.
Once again, I used New England's Blueberry Cobbler
because I LOVE IT!
because I LOVE IT! 
For each cup of coffee, I used 1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon of coffee, 1 tablespoon of cream, and 2 teaspoon of sugar.
I first tasted Bodum's The Original French Press coffee and boy was it was good. It was medium bodied, so flavorful, there was no aftertaste, it was really rich. I couldn't believe how much better New England's Blueberry Cobbler tasted. All my tasters agreed Bodum's coffee was really good, bodied, and flavorful.
tasted. All my tasters agreed Bodum's coffee was really good, bodied, and flavorful.
I then went on to taste the Stainless Steel French Press coffee and to my disappointment it was just okay, my family agreed too. There was a slight aftertaste which I believe was a result of the Stainless Steel French Press. Now I am wondering if there would be a weird aftertaste were I to use Bodum's Stainless Steel French Press?
My mind was perplexed. I went back and forth for a couple minutes trying to figure out how the exact same coffee tasted so different by using a different brand.
To continue my discovery, I went back to my mom's and she handed me yet another Bodum French Press, however I do not believe this is, "The Original French Press." I made the blueberry cobbler coffee using the same amounts of coffee, cream, and sugar mentioned above.
I tasted it, and there was no aftertaste. It was really good! It was medium bodied with a ton of flavor.
As far as which Bodum French Press is better, well, that would require yet another Taste Test. I wouldn't be able to give you a straight answer simply because I didn't perform a test on both Bodum Presses at the same time.
VERDICT
Based on the results I can conclude that brand does matter when it comes to French Press. I believe Bodum is one of the highest rated French Press brands. Unfortunately, I went out and purchased a no name brand for $20. Well guess what, the regular Bodum French Press sells on Amazon for $20 as well and has great reviews. Yup, you can say that was a bad move on my part.
sells on Amazon for $20 as well and has great reviews. Yup, you can say that was a bad move on my part. But thanks to my mama, she gave me her Bodum French Press to keep since she just happened to have one sitting in her basement. SWEET! 🙂 I suggested she keep my Stainless Steel French Press, however she refused it. 🙁
Tell Me: Have you tried Bodum or other brands of French Press? When it comes to French Presses, do you think brand really matters?
Beatrice Bachleda says
I am a big, big fan of French press coffee. In fact, I think that if there was any "right" way to make coffee, French presses would be near the top. I found it interesting that you focused on brands, but the biggest difference between the two presses is that one is a glass carafe and the other is stainless steel. I'd be willing to bet that the acidity in the coffee interacts with the stainless steel to create that aftertaste. All in all, that was a really interesting experiment! I'm going to have to try that with some of my gear, maybe nonstick skillet vs. stainless? Hmm...
Anonymous says
Hi, I just purchased a stainless steel press pot today, the same one you reviewed Hotel Collection, after breaking my bodum glass pot a couple of months ago and after noticing my Keurig isn't brewing as hot anymore. I didn't notice any aftertaste but my daughter brought to my attention that I drink my coffee in stainless steel coffee mugs every day. I thought it made a nice, hot cup of coffee but I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it or not yet. Thanks for your review.