I've tried 'em all. Drip, espresso, those little pods, old-fashioned percolators like some cowboy would perch on a rock in the middle of a campfire, I mean, there's no way of making coffee I haven't tried. Why? Because it never tastes as good as it smells! Never, except when you make it with this little Frenchy baby here. Seriously, it turns coffee from a brown caffeine-delivery system into a delicious, adrenal-flushing nectar. Though I only use it on the road, because when I'm in Kansas City there's no need to make my own. KC is ranked #7 among the Best Coffee Cities in the country. So we know coffee. Seattle's got nothin' on us, and neither do the French, except for this great little press, which is, if I haven't made it clear, trés bon.

I would consider life incomplete without coffee.

Okay, so with that overly dramatic intro, let me just say I really like coffee and I know what a good cup is and isn't. If you're looking for a superior cup of coffee, as far as method of brewing is concerned, you simply cannot beat a french press. Yes, there are other good ways to brew a great cup of coffee e.g. Large Pour Over Coffee Maker Set - 5-Cups (27oz/800ml) of Perfect Hand Drip Coffee - Tough Borosilicate Glass Carafe - Reusable Paperless Stainless Steel Mesh Filter. Plus FREE Coffee Hacks eBook but none are superior to a classic french press. It's simple, straightforward, and incredibly effective. Enter the SterlingPro. The truth is there are many good french presses nowadays, of which the SterlingPro is only one, but it consistently ranks very highly among the vast majority who use it, and as a diehard press user for nearly two decades I can confidently recommend it as well.

When you're shopping for a french press, a few things it may help to consider:

There are three main parts of a french press that ultimately matter. the carafe (body), the filter mechanism, and the lid/spout.

The first thing to consider related to each is the construction. What is each part made of? Plastic, glass, or metal? All have pros and cons. For example, in the context of the SterlingPro, since its glass it is obviously more fragile than metal or plastic. Also, it won't retain heat like a double-walled stainless steel press would. How does it work? Does it have a double filter like the SterlingPro? That will help prevent excess grounds from finding their way into your cup. What is the lid like? Does it swivel? Will the lid/spout allow for consistent, controlled, and easy pouring?

Regarding the SterlingPro, the carafe is borosilicate glass, the lid is swivel-type combination of metal (on the very top) and plastic; it pours well without dripping. It has a dual mesh all-metal filter mechanism.

Here are some other helpful questions to ask before making your french press purchase:

Do you have an aversion to plastic parts? Then that will significantly restrict your options, because relatively few presses are utterly plastic-free, but they do exist and most of them are excellent. Do you want to let your coffee stand for two hours while keeping it hot? Then a double-walled stainless may be your best bet (although I would recommend decanting instead of leaving in the press to avoid the bitterness that comes from over-steeping). Are you worried about dropping it? Then you may gravitate toward plastic or metal. Do you have particular sensitivity to any grounds whatsoever being in your cup? Then you'd probably prefer a double filter.

There are other small details that will add up to significantly affect your personal valuing of a given press. Unfortunately, those things (like the "feel" of the construction or how the lid swivels) are difficult to assess before owning and using it. However, consider that in places where coffee originates (e.g. Colombia, Costa Rica, etc.) they use primarily very low-tech methods such as basic heat sources (even an open fire), a mortar pestle, and rudimentary filters (e.g. cheese cloth) to create the very best cup(s) coffee on earth, so I would encourage you not to get lost in the questions and details but rather find a press with consistently good reviews (such as the SterlingPro) and start enjoying a superior cup of coffee, because nearly any french press will far out perform most brew methods.

A few final thoughts: Although coffee is obviously a matter of taste and opinion, use high quality coffee and water. Don't buy Folgers in a can, boil some tap water, and expect a french press to give you a religious experience. Also, make the effort to get a grinder, a thermometer, maybe a timer and some kitchen scales (see links below). Then research how-to's on french press coffee, experiment a little, and then when you're sipping a truly great cup of coffee while having good conversation with somebody you care about or reading a good book you may indeed consider it a religious experience.

JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder | Conical Burr Mill for Precision Brewing | Brushed Stainless Steel
KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder with Stainless Steel Blades, 3-Ounce, Black
Kizen Digital Meat & Cooking Thermometer - Instant Read, Talking, Back Light, Collapsible Probe, Auto-off. Comes in Premium Gift Box, with eCookbook. For Food, Kitchen, BBQ, Grill! (Black)
2pcs Digital Kitchen Timer with Premium Magnetic Backing for Cooking, Baking and More (LCD Display, Loud Alarm, Countdown)
Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale Multifunction Food Scale, 11 lb 5 kg, Silver, Stainless Steel (Batteries Included)

This coffee maker is life changing, y'all. I'm ready to throw away my Keurig for good! My coffee tastes smooth, airy, and just all around better when I make it in this. I use plain old Folgers, but somehow it tastes like gourmet coffee in the French press. I wish it stayed hotter longer, but I definitely can't complain! All I do is heat some water in an electric kettle, pour it over the coffee grounds, wait about 5 minutes, and then push the plunger down. This French press is nice to look at, easy to clean, and definitely worth it!

We make coffee every morning but broke our Bodum coffee press, twice. We've been using this Sterling Pro French coffee press for over 3 weeks and are very happy with your purchase. I noticed a difference the first time we tried the Sterling Pro. Our coffee definitely tasted better. The double mesh filter plunger is well made and presses through the glass tightly unlike our Bodum which seemed more loose. Even though the plunger pushed through the breaker tighter, it does so evenly, requiring little effort. Overall our coffee was just more favorful and smooth with noticeably less sediment (something I really appreciate as I no longer have that griddy bitter aftertaste I had before. The glass beaker, frame, & handle also feels sturdier because the press over all and its components are better quality. We use our Sterling Pro coffee press EVERY morning and let it sit for about 5 minutes before we pour out the coffee into our 2 Hydroflasks. OVERALL: Sterling Pro works really great, our coffee tastes better, there is noticeably less sediment :), it easy to clean/dry after each use. and for the great price, I feel we are getting a quality product. We love it and would definitely recommend this product over the SIMILAR Bodum model or any other version they offer as they do not have the double filter system the Sterling Pro does, this is the key difference.

I purchased this French press to replace the one with a beaker I had accidentally cracked. I selected the Sterlingpro model based exclusively on price and what appeared (from the reviews) to have satisfactory quality. I have been using it daily now for a month, and I write this review to report on my use of this French press. I have used a French press for over 40 years.

Overall: this is an excellent product for the price. Characteristics of this press which attract my attention:

"Tightness:" There's probably a better term for this, but I'm referring to the way everything fits snugly together, especially the lid (while brewing) and the screen as it is depressed via the plunger at the end of brewing. Also, when cleaning the plunger, I partially unscrew the housing which holds the screen. The machining of the parts is accurate, resulting in a tight-fitting assembly which comes apart for cleaning without exhibiting any wobbliness.

Position of the stainless steel housing: the beaker is held in place by two stainless steel rings, fastened to four vertical bands which extend below the beaker to form small feet. In French presses I have previously owned, one of these vertical bands is sometimes positioned so that it is exactly opposite the handle. This positioning is a design flaw. My Sterlingpro press avoids this error.

Here's why it makes a difference: no French press - including the Sterlingpro - will ever ~completely~ remove particulate matter from the brewing. Even the most coarsely ground coffee will contain fine bits of coffee which the strainer simply will not remove.

For French press fans, this is NOT a problem! We love the earthy, robust punch of a French press brew. HOWEVER, the very fine silt that is still present sinks to the bottom of the beaker by the time the brewing is finished, to lie calmly on the TOP of the screens. If one decants the resultant brew ~carefully~, almost all of this silt can remain in the beaker.

Here's where the positioning of those bands is critical: if one of them is directly opposite the handle, then it lies immediately below the beaker as it is being decanted. This makes it very difficult, mostly impossible, to see the residual sludge as the beaker is being decanted. The Sterlingpro, however, does not place a vertical band of stainless steel in this position, allowing one to easily see the small amount of sludge remaining as decanting is coming to a conclusion, and so enabling the brewer to stop decanting just before this sludge departs the beaker.

Yeah, I know - picky, picky, picky. But, I've been using a French press for about 40 years now. Plenty of time to develop all sorts of pickiness.

The screens: this product uses a dual screen, the first press I've run across that does this. Additionally, the box contains an EXTRA pair of screens. When I first examined these I wondered if they were too much of a good thing. But, the plunger depresses without any muss or fuss, and except for the inevitable micro-bits of ground coffee which no screen system will every remove, the resultant brew is totally free of visible grounds.

The screens clean easily. After brewing, I run hot tap water over the screen assembly, unscrewing it six or seven turns - enough so that the plate over the screens can rotate and I can flush larger pieces of ground coffee away from the screens. I do not need to totally disassemble the plunger to perform this cleaning. Running hot tap water is sufficient, and this avoids damaging the very fine screens.

Overall, the design of this press is excellent. Also well done is the execution of that design. I've though hard about what is do not like about this product, or what suggestions I might make for improvement. French presses are not complicated things! Every press should be as well done as the Sterlingpro, but many are not. So, I recommend this one without reservation.

By the way, I paid for this product myself. It was NOT provided to me by Sterlingpro.