Brillante Small French Press Coffee Maker with 12 Ounce Glass Beaker - Single Serve Cafetiere and Tea Maker BR-CP1-350

Very nice single 8oz cup French press! Tested with some single source Kona, hand ground with the Blisslii burr grinder. The depth and true flavor of your coffee is displayed and un-matched by any powered machine. I consider French press a caveman setup, dump in your grounds, boil 1.25 cup of water, as it cools from a boil pour in enough water to just saturate the grounds, wait 30 seconds, stir lightly then pour in the remainder of the water, place lit on top and wait 4 min, at that point slowly plunge over a time of 30 seconds. Then pour your finished brew into your cup. High quality construction vs other French presses, not a single ground was passed through the filter screens and into my cup, also very simple to wash. Well worth $29.90 if you want to taste your coffee. If I would make a comparison I would say machine brewed coffee with quality beans is like Craft beer in a bottle, and French press with the same beans is like a fresh brew pub beer.

This makes a truly excellent cup of coffee and is extremely easy to clean. I am still experimenting with different grinds (I use my own grinder) but everything except a very, very fine grind works. When you grind your own, unless you sieve your ground coffee there will always some tiny amount of silt but if you pour carefully and slowly even this is left behind. While it is not stated, the container is pyrex and there is no problem with pouring boiling water into a cool press in order to preheat it.Now with all that said, I like to make large mugs of coffee and this is a little small for that. While it is perfect for one cup, it is too small to use a double scoop with enough water for a typical travel mug.

I purchased another one to replace my prior one I purchased of the same kind. When I kept it in my office at work it lasted me 6 months of use, but when I moved into a new apartment and brought it home, it broke from falling over slightly on a granite counter... Twice.Honestly it's my favorite french press I have ever owned, makes the perfect amount of coffee and looks beautiful.But my two complains are this. 1) The pyrex 12oz beaker I have found is impossible to replace because of it's specific shape, other types of universal replacements don't seem to fit properly and that's frustrating when you are looking for a quick fix. This lead me to purchase another one of the exact same type after my first one fell and broke. 2) Durability of the Pyrex glass. For being a brand recognized for it's heat tempered durable glass, my replacement Pyrex lasted me less than 3 weeks this time around. Once again my french press fell onto it's side slightly because of my wet granite counters and once again it cracked into pieces with a deep gash going down it's side.Now I'm just going to transition over to a stainless steel one to save me future headaches.Seriously the best looking french press on the market, but after spending $50 for two, I'm not willing to spend any more because I'm not made of money.

Bought this as a space-saver when living on the road for a while. Been using it off-and-on for about 10 months now and so far so good. It's been packed into my car at least half a dozen times and has stood up to my lazy last-minute throw-stuff-in-a-bag packing, so I'd say it's certifiably durable. Love how easily the assembly at the bottom unscrews for quick and painless cleaning. My only complaint is that it could use a second mesh filter. Even when buying beans with a french press-specific grind coarseness, the coffee can still sometimes come out a little silty.

First off, I put in a question about this press when I first got it, and got a few good answers. I want to thank those who responded. Secondly, I had never used a french press, I'd never even seen one used. My question was how to pull the plunger back up after pressing and pouring your coffee. I was just pulling on the plunger while holding the glass, and there was such a tight vacuum it felt like I was going to break the glass squeezing it so tight and yanking on the plunger. I probably should have figured it out sooner, however it took me some trial and error to figure it out. It was as simple as holding the lid down with my thumb and knuckles AND pulling the plunger up simultaneously was the key to getting it to release. I was just pulling on the plunger while gripping the glass tight, and it was really hard to do!That being said, now it is a joy to use, and the coffee flavor is very very good. Granted, I ordered some Fresh Roasted Brazil Peaberry beans so I began this process with an advantage.This press makes enough for one average 12 oz. cup of coffee. I have a small metal 1/8oz scoop and I use two scoops of coffee in this press. Then I boil some water in the Medelco 12-Cup Glass Stovetop Whistling Kettle, purchased for this purpose. I pour in about twelve oz. of water (to the top of the metal band) , and stir the coffee around to mix it with a chopstick. Letting it steep for 5 minutes works for me. I grind the coffee a bit coarser than I would for a drip coffee maker, to minimize silt at the bottom, and to give a nice smooth press process. Five minutes later I have a very fine cup of coffee. Cleaning is simple once the plunger has been removed. Just rinse both parts and set in the drainer. I put some loctite on the threads of the metal ring on the bottom of the plunger, as it kept spinning loose whenever I'd take my dish brush to it to give it a scrub. I have an espresso machine, a drip coffee maker, and now this press. I don't know if the novelty is what keeps me pressing, but so far the others have sat idle on the counter top. I love this little press. I considered buying a bigger one, but it's just me here, and I don't need to sit around all day drinking coffee, no matter how good it is. So this little guy is all I need.