Immersion
↓French Press
“The French press does not filter out the oils, the sediment, or the character. It gives you coffee exactly as it is.”
⏱ 4 minBody: FullLow
Origin Story
The earliest ancestor of the French press appeared in 1852, when two Frenchmen — metalsmith Henri-Otto Mayer and merchant Jacques-Victor Delforge — patented a device in Paris that pressed a screen through brewed coffee. Their design used cheesecloth instead of metal mesh and never entered production, but the principle of immersion-then-separation was established.
The modern French press took shape in Milan, not Paris. In 1929, Italian designers Attilio Calimani and Giulio Moneta patented a spring-loaded plunger that created a proper seal around the filter. Decades later, Faliero Bondanini — an Italian living in France — refined the design and manufactured it under the brand Melior at a French clarinet factory in 1958, giving the brewer its enduring French association.
The press crossed the Channel to Britain through Household Articles Ltd. (La Cafetiere) and reached Scandinavia via the Danish company Bodum, whose Chambord model became the most recognized French press in the world. Despite its name, the French press is a truly international invention — Italian in engineering, French in commercialization, and universal in its simplicity.
The French press does not filter out the oils, the sediment, or the character. It gives you coffee exactly as it is.
The Ritual
Four minutes of stillness, the grounds suspended in hot water like tea leaves reading themselves. The plunger descends with slow, even pressure, and the kitchen fills with the deep scent of something unhurried.
What you'll need
- French press
- Burr grinder
- Kettle
- Scale
- Timer
- Spoon
Today's Recipe
French Press Full Immersion
The simplest way to brew a rich, full-bodied cup. This James Hoffmann technique reduces silt and bitterness compared to the traditional method.
⏱ 4:00Beginner
