Frieling French Press Coffee Maker - 17 oz, Polished Stainless Steel - Double-Wall Insulated French Press & Cold Brew Pitcher for Camping & Travel - Manual Non-Plastic Coffee Maker

I have been on the road a lot staying in a boutique hotel and they recently served me coffee in the form of a press. I never had pressed coffee before so I felt it was a pleasant surprise. The press itself looked much like the smaller 22 (or even smaller) version of the Frieling Ultimo 25. Anyway, so I tried it and really liked the flavor it produced. Now, months later, I decided to go shopping for a coffee press especially since my Bialetti Moka Express was getting long in the tooth. It became very obvious that either Bodum or Frieling were the clear front runners. I decided to go Frieling for three reasons: 1. Good looks and stainless steel all around. 2. Double-walled steel for keeping the liquid hotter, longer. I do not care about glass being the preferred choice of a coffee connoisseur, I am not one nor do I care to be one. I just enjoy nice tasting coffee. 3. It turns out that the boutique hotel's coffee press is also Frieling so I knew what to expect from taste and build quality. The build quality is outstanding. The base without the press mechanism has a very nice weight and feel to it - I see how it may double as a serving carafe for cold drinks. The internals are very solidly built and have withstood the coarse grinds I have put in. In fact, never have the grounds come through nor gotten stuck in the wire mesh. Basically, clean up is a breeze - the grounds just rinse away from the filter mesh. This was an especially nice surprise when compared to my Bialetti where small amount of grounds seem to perpetually stay in the Bialetti funnel. Two different products I know, but comparatively from a clean-up standpoint, the Frieling press is a night-and-day experience. When making pressed coffee for the first time, I used the look/consistency of the boutique hotels pressed coffee output as my benchmark. I was disappointed in my first attempt. I scoured these reviews and followed what seemed to be a 1:3 ratio of tablespoon to ounces of water. First pot tasted "funny". Then I realized I missed the step about "stirring" the coffee before letting it steep. Nope, the second pot tasted just as "funny" -- at this point I was concerned that I chose the wrong product by getting too large of a carafe. I gave the effort a rest for the remainder of Day 1. This morning (3rd attempt) I made sure I had a thermometer to ensure the water was at 200 degrees. Bingo, this was the critical missing piece to the puzzle. So everything else I did right: ratio of coarse grounds to ounces of water; preheat the carafe with hot water; stirring the coffee grounds; letting steep for 4 to 5 minutes. The step I overlooked was temperature of the steeping water to be at 200 degrees. What I was doing wrong: I let the water come up to a boil and thought that was hot enough. Answer: keep the gentle boil going for a bit after it reaches 200 degrees. Now I am enjoying pressed coffee and the parents like it too - good thing I did not give them a cup of the first two attempts. Get the Frieling, you will not be disappointed.

I have a fully automatic Espresso machine, one that grinds the beans, compresses the grounds into a cake, heats water, and pushes the heated water through the beans....all by just pushing one button. It also makes both regular strength coffee and espresso, and 99% of the time I'd use it to make regular coffee. I'd never tried using a French Press, until I saw a video where the VP at Starbucks in charge of tasting ("cupping") said that it was his favorite way of brewing coffee. Based on his comments, I decided to try the French Press technique. I bought this Frieling unit because it looked well-made, and was made of steel and thus wouldn't break if it was dropped by accident. I have to admit, I was really surprised at how good the very first cup tasted. In fact, it was much better than my Espresso machine! I've since retired my Espresso machine, and this Frieling is my sole means of satisfying my morning addition. As for the product itself...I have to sing its praises. It's attractive, well constructed (built like a tank comes to mind), and straightforward to use. From start to finish, it takes 5 minutes to brew coffee, not counting the time needed to heat the water. It does make a quiet, metal-on-metal grating sound that some people don't like as you push the plunger down, though that doesn't bother me. Once you're finished, you clean it by running water across the plunger screen, dumping the used grounds out of the carafe, and then rinsing it. I do all this rinsing over a paper towel placed in a strainer basket to avoid possibly eventually clogging up my kitchen plumbing with grounds. The Frieling's double wall insulation is excellent; you can feel a slight warmth on the outside, but it is not hot, which means you won't accidentally burn yourself by picking it up when full of hot liquid. To make coffee, I place four heaping tablespoons of coarsely ground coffee into the bottom, pour about a quarter cup hot water into the unit, let that steep for 30 seconds, then pour hot water just up to the bottom of the V-shaped spout. Cover, wait four minutes, then slowly push the plunger down. I found that you don't want to add so much water that the level goes beyond the bottom of the spout, as that will allow an opening for grounds to escape into your coffee. If you want coffee for two people, a single brewing on this unit will yield two 8-oz cups. Be advised that 8-oz will look a bit skimpy in a traditional size coffee mug. If one large serving or two 8-oz servings isn't enough for you, then get the next size up. Strongly recommended!

[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.

It was a long search to find the best French Press coffee maker for me. I spent at least 5 hours (may be more) reading and researching. And I ended up buying this why. You might be struggling to decide on which one is the best for you, so here is my review and reasons why I bought this one. I hope it will help you. Selection process: I had several wishes: 1) Made in USA or Europe 2) Quality of materials and product 3) Usability (easy to use and to clean) 4) Price After a quick search I realized that there was no ideal French Press coffee maker. However, I realized that I have several favorites and Frieling was the number 1 for me. Why? 1) Frieling is a solid professional brand 2) Product had good reviews 3) Product looked solidly built. Concerns that I had: 1) Made in China (I have nothing against China but I prefer products that are built in here or in Europe for, I assume, obvious reason) - Nothing can be done about that. But again, Frieling is a solid brand and their French Presses looked not cheap. 2) Quality of Steel (Everyone should be concerned about it since you will eat/drink food that was made there and we consumed enough toxins as it is) - I contacted Frieling about it and they answered me very quickly. Thank you, Frieling! Other companies are not that professional. For example, Cousinox ignored all my emails. However, the answer from Frieling was not what I wanted to hear. They told me they use either Chinese or Korean stainless steel from a big Korean manufacturer but they assured me that their 18/10 stainless steel was of high quality. I hoped for German, Russian or American 18/10 stainless steel but at least it was not a noname brand one from G*d knows where. I thought hard about those two minuses, plus the product was not cheap. But at the end, I felt it was the best French Press I could find and I decided to buy Frieling Brushed 18/10 Stainless Steel French Press, 23-Ounce. I paid $79 for it, I see that now it is $59. So, it has been two years and I love it and gave it 5 stars. 1) The coffee maker looks like new and is beautiful. I have used it at least 100 times, most likely more. I am glad I decided to get a brushed one. They always look like new for a long time since micro scratches are not noticeable and no finger prints. 2) It is made well. You can see it is not a $20 one. 3) It is very easy to clean. I have owned at least 4 different french presses before and always had issues. With this one, I just put a plunger under running water and that is it. Plus, all the parts are dishwasher safe. I usually hand wash it ones every two weeks. Put it in dishwasher at least 10 times too and had no issues whatsoever. 4) Makes good coffee - only remember about a 4 minute rule. 5) I purchased some parts (screens, plunger stick) but it looks like the original parts will last for years to come. I am going to add some pictures too. Good luck in your search for a perfect French Press maker and I hope it was useful for you!

We got this press because it is very beautiful and promises to be sturdy. It is really really well made and quite substantial when compared to glass french presses. We got it thinking that there might be slightly more volume and there seems to be a slight amount more volume. We also got this because it is all metal and over the last 15 years we have broken the glass of 8 presses. Maybe we are just klutzy. I had bought a bunch of extra glass parts for bodums in the 1990s for about 8 dollars a piece with free shipping figuring I could just replace the glass. All of those are long gone and the new ones cost about 18-19 each plus shipping which is more extravagant. Our 2 Ikea presses have been destroyed and our last bodum has a chipped spout. So being that the holidays have arrived, we realized we needed to get another french press and decided to go with one which hopefully won't break and looked very nice. The Good: Gorgeous and clean. Seems to be very well made. Very sturdy. Quite heavy. Beautiful - we only hand wash since it is supposed to be a vaccuum insulated item and we use non-phosphate dishwasher soap which can over time lead to a dingy surface. This press pot should be very very nice looking 20-30 years from now. The glass bodums and other press pots don't really remain looking very nice for very long. After about 3-4 years they just get rather rattletrap. Screens get bent, plastic handles begin not working and sliding around. Even our all metal cage press pot started to rust and pit from water getting trapped between the glass and the metal. The glass gets worn and marred. The screws and metal bits seem to rust so you can't tighten them to hold the handles in place. Eventually, all of our press pots get a bit rickety so if they don't break, they look bad for a long long time. I don't really think that will happen with this press. There are none of the areas which we have found to be a problem on other pots. It should be easier to keep it looking nice since its lines are so clean and there is nowhere for residue buildup to take place. Wash by hand. and easily drip dry or dry with a cloth. There is nowhere for water or grime to accumulate!!!!! Yippie!!!!! We wanted something which we could take on car camping trips with the kids. The glass ones are less likely to return from our adventures and breaking one early in a trip can be a bad happenstance when one is away from being able to replace it. Cowboy coffee is good, but not as good as press pot coffee! The bad: Not much bad really. Mostly minor quibbles. 1. There is a learning curve on using this press. It needs to be filled less or the coffee and grounds can shoot out the front even if you press lightly. Having used the glass ones for 20 plus years this is a bit of a readjustment for us about how much we fill it. It would be nice to have some sort of a fill line, but then again we use so much coffee that we always use a stir stick to stir in our 1.5-2" of coffee crust once the water is poured and it might be hard to see a fill line. We just need to find our groove with this pot. --edit: I now fill the water/grounds up to about 1/4" below the pour spout on the inside. I stir in the coffee with a stir stick and then add more water to bring it to 1/4" below the spout. Now when I plunge I don't get grounds in my coffee and I don't shoot coffee out the front and across my countertop. 2. The pressing part is harder since the mesh is fit rather tightly. Until one gets used to it though, you may push really hard and the press will give way suddenly shooting coffee out the spout rather. I think perhaps that with more use there will be better glide and it will not be as hard to press the mesh down. Only time will tell. At least if done properly, there is a nice tight fit and no grounds escape. This is part of the tricky -do not overfill- part. Overfilling I feel is at the root of all grounds in the coffee. 3. The lid will drop if not held once you get to the last cup unless you put your finger on it. I just stick my thumb on it, but guests are not used to this and it can be surprising. The lid seems to fit well but not tightly. Frieling could have engineered this so that the lid fit just a tad more snugly to prevent the lid from popping off once it is tilted farther. Onother possibility is to put a rubberized gasket to prevent the lid from sliding up the plunger shaft. Anyway I have to use my thumb on the lid and now I always do. Guests may not unless you tell them. 4. We also thought it would be nice to keep the coffee warmer and that the vacuum insulation part would do just enough to keep the coffee warm for a few more minutes. We have found that it stays about as warm as the glass ones and not more. Usually this isn't a problem because we go through the coffee so quickly and are on to a new pot soon. Would I buy this again? You bet! We will pick up another because our other Bodum with the cracked spout is in bad shape and also needs replacing. This pot is well worth owning and the price we got it for was fantastic on Amazon. EDIT: (The following is from a comment I had about another post where the person was disappointed with this press. It reminded me I should followup on this now that we have had it for longer) Perhaps the original author got one that was defective. It certainly sounds like it. Seems like it might have been too tight and needed some help with some steel wool to give it a slightly wider bore and better glide. Our plunger is tight and it certainly takes more force than our old bodums and other glass presses, but that is good since we get no grounds that way. The plunger is a much stouter design than any of the other flimsy ones we have owned which would eventually get bent and allow grounds to sneak past. The plunger does not glide as easily as it would on glass since metal will always have more friction and the plunger is more stout. But that is not a detractor. We certainly don't get awful scrapping or scratching sounds. Anyhow, we have been using our Frieling for months now... no metal taste in the coffee or tea, nothing grey wiping off on towels, sponges or cloths. Couldn't be more pleased really. Still looks as good as it did. Still functions perfectly... no damage to the screen. In fact the plunger glides more nicely now than it did. Still tight to start pressing, but better glide as it goes. No rust, scratches in the glass, worn and fragile plastic parts.... solidly designed press and very pretty to boot. And best of all.... no more broken glass. My only real complaint would be that the lid can slip out and once you are pouring the last 1/3 of the pot. This can be messy, but we are accustomed to placing a finger on the lid and no more slips happen. I have thought of placing a nice o-ring about 1/2 inch down from the plunger handle to keep this from happening, but who knows if I will ever get that done. Perhaps the company should pre-install a nice clear silicone one. Otherwise a great press.

If you like the press method of making coffee, I can't imagine a better one than this. If you are not familiar with the French press method, you should be aware that coffee from a press is not nearly as "squeeky clean" as typical American drip coffee. Grounds are separated by a fine wire mesh on a plunger and a certain amount of fine grinds will ALWAYS get through. To minimize this, your coffee needs to be ground specifically for a press - a much coarser grind than for drip. But the press is widely regarded as the best way to get all the subtle flavors out of a great coffee bean. This one is beautiful and built like a battleship - you'll never have to replace broken glass insert again. All parts are dishwasher safe. The Frieling is also insolated but don't get the idea you can let your coffee sit in it. It is not a "thermos". It really is only enough insolation to offset the undesireable thermal conduction properties of stainless steel and keep it superior to its glass/ceramic rivals. No matter to me. Most coffee experts will tell you to get your coffee separated from the grounds after a 4-5 minute brew or over-extraction and bitter taste can result. So my coffee goes into a pre-heated, insolated carafe as soon as it is brewed. Because the Frieling is steel, dense, and more massive than your typical glass press, you may need to adjust your brewing procedure slightly to keep it from adversely affecting your brew temperature - ideally 190-200F. I preheat mine with some hot tap water before brewing but I have heard that you can just put boiling water in one, insert the plunger briefly, then brew using the same water which will now have dropped "into the zone". Happy brewing. P.S. If you are going to "do the press" I have two suggestions: - The Baratza/Solis Maestro Plus burr grinder: It's expensive but it produces a vastly superior (consistent) grind to blade grinders. - CoffeeBeanCorral.com : Learn to roast your own beans and the world will be your cup of coffee. (one year later) I am back to say this is STILL the best. I use it every day and it gets sent through the dish washer every day. It has taken a couple drops and still works fine. (FOUR years later - WOW!) What a great press! I still use this every day and it still makes a great cup of coffee! (TEN years later!!!!) - Well! 2014 and this thing is still selling on Amazon! Mine still works just fine so they can't be getting much repeat business. Still the best!

இ Fuzzy Wuzzy's Summary: ѾѾѾѾѾ Highly recommended with warm fuzzies! Along with coffee, this double-wall French press can also be used to make tea or, without the plunger lid, the carafe can be used as a pitcher for cold liquids like water, milk, ice tea, and juices. But I only use this to make coffee. And as a French press coffee maker, I think this is the best one available. For both my electric kettle and French press, I prefer stainless steel over glass because it is more durable and unbreakable. I also previously looked at the Bodum Presso Doublewall Stainless Steel Thermal 8 Cup Coffee Press, 34-Ounce , but that one uses plastic in its handle, lid, and (worst of all) plastic is used on its mesh filter press plunger assembly that you are immersing into the really hot coffee. Uggh! This Frieling model is entirely stainless steel. No plastic is used anywhere. Yay!! It is solidly and precisely built, and when it is not in use, its elegant shape and mirror finish looks lovely just sitting on the kitchen counter. Even though this is not like a sealed double-wall vacuum-insulated Thermos bottle (the outside wall of the carafe will become and remain hot while coffee is inside it), the double-wall design keeps my coffee hot for more than two hours. I actually would not care to drink coffee that has been sitting for four or six hours anyway. But if you want to keep your coffee hot for the entire morning and afternoon, get a double-wall vacuum-insulated carafe or pump pot, and transfer the coffee into it right after you press down the plunger. The instructions tell you to pour the hot water into the pot, leaving at least one inch of space from the top rim to allow for clearance when pushing the plunger into the carafe. But if I just follow these instructions, fill the water up to one inch below the rim, and then insert the plunger, I would always get about one tablespoon of coffee squirting out of the spout as I slowly pressed the plunger down, even though I tried really hard to do this very slowly. The method that finally worked for me was to fill the pot to about two or three inches from the rim, then insert the plunger about one inch below the rim (the plunger is still not touching the liquid), and then add the remaining water while still keeping the final water level one inch below the rim. And then when it comes time to plunge, for better control of slowly inching the plunger downward, I initially grab the plunger stem using my thumb and index finger of *both* hands positioned right above the lid and start very slowly sliding the plunger downward. For some reason, the plunger always moves less smoothly during those first few inches downward. As the plunger travels lower, it seems to slide easier and I can just grab the knob with one hand and slowly press downward for the rest of the filter's travel to the bottom. Obviously, you can plunge more quickly and easily if you only fill the pot up halfway with water. This is not an inexpensive French press, but at least the replacement parts of the mesh filter screen and screw-on plunger press only cost $3 and $6 (ordered directly from Frieling).

I've had this French Press coffee pot for a year now. The only thing I like is the high capacity (44oz), but larger would be better. The spout and lid design needs reengineered work. Spout is too small and tends to squirt grounds and coffee out during the initial plunge. I learned quick not to have my arm anywhere near the spout. Better lid design also mitigates this problem. Bodum makes a superior lid and spout, but large capacity is not available. The double walled SS construction does a decent job retaining heat. And Made In USA is a big plus. But more time needs to be spent with the tooling engineers for the fabrication process. I am continuing my search for a better designed large capacity French Press.

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!

This is a beautiful plunger to have displayed in the kitchen. It keeps coffee very hot and Im enjoying using it very much.

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!

Have not used yet but quality is so great that it looks like a 1980s stainless product. Finishing end to end is super quality. Adding this bit after using, it’s a perfect French press. It keeps coffee hot for over an hour, and filters perfectly, the press is slightly hard than plastic ones because it’s stainless. Highly recommended than any other steel cafetière in the market

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