Frieling Double-Walled Stainless-Steel French Press Coffee Maker, Polished, 23 Ounces

I discovered the French press more than 25 years ago and have used them ever since for my morning coffee. Over the years I have mostly owned and used Bodum presses and I still own several. The Chambord press is well made and nice to look at and I will continue to use mine But..... the glass beakers do break from time to time. Usually, I go several years before I get clumsy and break one. After breaking two in a row I needed another replacement and found the glass beakers to be in short supply and very expensive. That led me to look for alternatives. An all-metal press, with no glass, is obviously less prone to breakage and when I discovered there were double-wall models to insulate the coffee I was intrigued. I chose the Frieling over others mostly because it appeared to be very well made and it's attractive. At nearly $100, more than double the price of a Bodum Chambord, it was rather a leap of faith but morning coffee is not something to be taken lightly! After using this press for a short while here are some observations: 1) This press keeps the coffee hot significantly longer than any single-wall glass press I have used. I usually take about 45 minutes to drink my coffee and until the Frieling, the last cup was always cold. The Frieling allows me to enjoy all the coffee without resorting to re-heating. This alone is reason enough to use this press. I have not bothered to pre-heat the press with hot water because I don't like scalding hot coffee. 2) Breaking this press would be nearly impossible! It is built like a tank. 3) Functionally, it is no different from any other press. I own five other presses, including a lexan one I use for travel and the only functional differences I notice arise from the press mechanism. Presses with a rubber ring where the plunger meets the glass, plastic or metal are sometimes difficult to use. My lexan press has this type of plunger and once in a while it jams. The Frieling has a plunger very similar to the Bodum Chambord - no rubber ring. It works exactly as it should. 4) Cleaning the Frieling is simple with no worry about glass breakage. Hot coffee for longer and no breakage are the reasons to buy this press.

[UPDATED REVIEW-3/23/12] We're new to French Press coffee preparation, but we finally gave in earlier this year and popped for this Frieling stainless steel press. This wasn't cheap, but it has proved to be well worth it in the 6 weeks or so we've been using it. It is very easy to use and to clean and its double wall keeps coffee hot for quite a while. [UPDATE: Don't let your coffee sit in this pot, however.] On the counter it is a thing of beauty and it works very well. After all, the real test of any coffee pot is whether it makes a good cup of coffee. Right? The directions that came with it are good and provides the basic details you'll need, although we have used some tips we found online to modify them a bit. I use one level scoop of course-ground coffee per 4-ounce cup, instead of the heaping scoops they recommend, and I stir the coffee for the first minute of the four-minute steep to make it a bit richer. The actual sequence we use looks like this: I fill the pot with very hot tap water to preheat it and then measure the coffee I plan to use into a paper filter. Meanwhile, I bring the filtered water heating on the stove to just boiling (in contradiction to what most places tell you to do). I then take the water pan off the heat and let it cool while I prep the Frieling pot. I first pour the pot's preheat hot water into our coffee mugs to warm them. I then empty the contents of the paper filter into the pot and put the filter away for reuse. By now, around 20 or so seconds [TIME UPDATED] have elapsed since the just-boiling water was taken off the burner. I add the now slight-cooler water to the Frieling pot and begin the 4-minute steep with my 1-minute stir. Then I put the pot's top in place and push the press plunger down slightly to help insulate/seal the pot. Three minutes later, you press the filter plunger gently and slowly down the rest of the way and you have a great cup of coffee. The plunger goes down very smoothly. {UPDATED ADDITION FOLLOWS] I now know not to leave the coffee in the pot. Instead I pour it immediately into a thermal carafe. That way it does not get bitter. We got the 33 ouncer and I can report that you really can't make more than about 28-30 ounces unless you plan to clean up grounds that will get on the spout during your initial stir. Forewarned is forearmed, so if you want to make a full pot, be prepared to towel the lip just before your put the pot top and plunger in place after stirring. Great pot and a joy to use. [UPDATED ADDITION FOLLOWS] Thanks to comments by Carl May (thanks so much, Carl!), I now know more about what to do, hence my updates. But, after reading a *lot* of things here and elsewhere online, I also now realize that there is a near-religious fervor attached to making coffee with a French Press. One can buy specialized burr grinders whose purchase price exceed the gross GDP of many small countries, special water kettles for heating one's water (also not cheap), digital thermometers to make sure your water is within the magic temperature range, digital scales to weigh the coffee, super accurate liquid and dry measures for water and coffee, books on coffee, and the list goes on. Fortunately, I can report that one can make a pretty doggone good cup of java without all these specialized devices and using the somewhat less precise units and times I suggest in my review above. So don't be deterred! One can resist the draw of the French Press cult, although, in all honesty, I need to confess that my special water kettle is on order and I am beginning to dream of owning a burr grinder. My last caution, watch out for Carl; he knows so much it is frightening. Carl employs a refreshingly scientific approach to figuring out how to make the *very best* cup of coffee and his product reviews are detailed and informative. He is generous and willing to share what he has learned and his enthusiasm is *highly* infectious. Given this fact, it is possible that he may actually end up being your French Press pusher, helping you to move from a one-device habit to a full-blown French Press habit. I am not worried about myself, however, I can stop buying devices *anytime* I want.

Received it yesterday and had my first coffee this morning - excellent! I'm a very picky on coffee, "espresso drinker" all my life, had all different coffee machines - I was a bit sceptic, "to buy or not to buy", as it's not a cheepy one.... The taste is great, easy to prepare and easy to clean. Plus, as I'm an "early bird" always felt guilty, that the noise of my espresso machine may wake the rest of the family up - well, this "French Press" coffee is a very quiet one. Just one thing remains to be seen - how long it'll last, hopefully for a couple of years, looks very solid made, cross fingers!

Bought for my nephew’s birthday present. My husband purchased one himself about 15 years ago, and it’s still going strong! Uses it every day and thoroughly recommends it. I am hopeful the one for my nephew matches up to it. Over time he has only had to replace the mesh filter twice (in 15 years). Definitely worth the cost.

This is an amazing French Press!! I bought this for my husband to use when we are on our sail boat. The stainless steel is great for anyone who has a boat or lives in an area with salt in the air from the ocean because it doesn't rust. It is easy to use and makes a great cup of coffee that stays hot for a long time. He gets about 4 cups (8 ozish) of coffee from each brew. It is a breeze to wash up. It is very durable and looks as good today as the day we bought it. This is very important to us because things can get bounced around a lot when the water conditions are bad. There is nothing better than being anchored in a remote bay, sitting back enjoying the morning sun and drinking a fantastic cup of coffee brewed in this amazing french press!

This is a fine coffee maker. It takes a little more effort to press plugger down than it does for glass but not too much. Additionally the extra force can cause more coffee to come out the spout. With practice this can be avoided; learning the correct amount of pressure to use. It keeps the coffee warm for more than an hour. Using the four minute rule there is little to not no bitterness. With pure JBM there is none at all. Cleaning is easy, running water though it is usally all it takes. For a more though cleaning using hand dish soap, hot (tap) water and a few pumps of the plunger. Followed by water is excellent.

It's a coffee press, and it works. Probably about the twentieth I've owned, but I don't ever expect to have to replace this. It is so solid and heavy duty! Even the filter part is very robust. Yeah, great quality