Le Creuset Stoneware French Press, 34 oz., Artichaut

This is my go-to coffee maker.I had been mostly indifferent to coffee, and then I was suddenly converted. I've been a dedicated daily coffee drinker for thirty years since I first visited Italy. Coffee bars in every Italian city or town I came upon were nearly everywhere, and most delivered coffee with taste that varied only from excellent to superb.Since then I've yet to find an American coffee shop that regularly brews at that high level. At home, I've been trying to reproduce the delightful Italian taste (with allowances for my homey, less exotic atmosphere), but failed. I worked at it. I bought a wide variety of custom-roasted beans, an excellent coffee grinder, and two well-reviewed, expensive Italian espresso machines. After much research, years of experimentation, a second trip to Italy where I was able to consult with a friendly, talented barista, I was able to come close to that delightful Italian taste in my kitchen, but I couldn't quite match it.I have no doubt that there are many non-professional, talented people around the world who can make splendorous coffee at home. I wish that I were one of those.My elegant espresso machines made very good coffee, but not good enough to justify the effort of my endeavor. By "effort" I'm not referring to my research, my experimentation with techniques and grinds (that part was interesting), or the cost of the ridiculously expensive machines. Rather, I mean that the espresso machines were fussy, often required readjustments, and were difficult to clean.I bought and used several electric drip machines, a Nespresso unit, and and two well-rated European models. I have have tried multiple non-electric devices including pour types, stove-tops brewers, and infusion coffee makers. In the end I switched to coffee press machines. Carefully done, presses make excellent (yet not superb) coffee.Over years I tried many different brands of presses, including Melior, which may be the original, hand-crafted, French-made model. (Melior was bought by Bodum,. That company now makes a similar model, although without a craftsman's small details.) I've tried glass presses, a few double-walled stainless machines (a weld on the priciest Frieling model broke after a few months), and porcelain and stoneware versions.I am now settled in with this le Creuset model. It's pleasant to look at, feels good in to hold in my hand, is comfortable to use, and is not difficult to clean. I love the color I chose. The parts fit together well; it doesn't leak or rattle. This device makes consistently good - although still not barista-quality - coffee.I prefer stoneware for presses over alternative materials. It keeps the coffee sufficiently hot with no need for a cozy. The outside gets pleasantly warm to the touch soon after the hot water pour, but it doesn't burn my fingers. I've found that glass and porcelain release heat faster and get hotter on the outside. And beond protecting a user from burnt fingers, there is no need to use an insulated press, made from steel or otherwise. Leaving coffee in a press for more than about five minutes just to keep it warm ends with grounds producing an over-extracted, bitter brew.This le Crueset isn't perfect. I even considered rating this model with four stars, but it makes no sense to be nit-picky about a press that I've re-purchased a few times over fifteen years after I accidentally broke one.That thought leads me to my biggest criticism of this model. The steel shaft of the press goes through an opening in the stoneware lid. The shaft is tightened with a small steel nut on the inside of the lid and a threaded steel knob on the top. The threading is a reasonable solution, and the knob will never break off the shaft like my welded Frieling did. However, the shaft mustn't be screwed too tightly because it might damage the breakable lid.That's how one of my le Creuset presses was finished off; the the knob became loose and I didn't notice. The lid slipped away and hit the hard floor. I don't consider that particular breakage to be one of my accidents.The threaded knob is an imperfect, but perhaps necessary, design compromise. I've tried carefully tightening the knob with a wrench, yet even that strong connection eventually loosened. I might, sometime, try tightening the knob further, but I'm wary of breaking the lid. Now, once in a while, I check that the shaft connection to the knob is finger-tight. The extra bit of effort is a small nuisance, but not enough to put me off this good press.So, after considering many alternative ways to brew, I am content with le Creuset.

My husband and I fell hard for French pressed coffee a few years ago and I bought him this Christmas of 2012 (I figured I couldn't do any better than a French made French Press!).I work night shift and he and I both are in grad school, so we go through a ton of coffee. When I say this I don't just mean we make a pot every morning, but rather multiple pots a day—every day. Given its frequent use, this press has become a permanent counter fixture. For us this unusual, as I normally hate for things to sit out. Though surprisingly I don't mind to see this product out when I walk in the kitchen. One, because it's beautiful. Two, because we seriously use it all the time. And three because coffee makes me happy :)Unfortunately my husband chipped about a centimeter size piece off the spout a couple months back. It initially made me pretty sad because of how much I love this French. I ended up getting some epoxy and reattaching the chip—now you can hardly tell it's there. I don't fault the product for the break. My husband was forcibly shaking out some used grounds and hit the side of our metal bin pretty hard with the spout . It’s actually surprising that the break wasn’t a lot worse. It is stoneware after all.In response to those who complain the press feels light and/or is not a durable product:You may have gotten an Le Creuset imitation product (I have seen others report such).If they have authentic products and still think they are too light--think of this. This product holds nearly 30 oz of fluid which equals to around 2lbs. Add this 2lbs of fluid weight to the product's dry weight of nearly 3lbs, you get a pretty hefty little French press. I doubt the manufactures’ would want to make it much heavier as some may have trouble controlling the pour of the hot liquid.The only negative I can think of for this product is: I wish there were replacement screen/filters available through Le Creuset. The metal screen filter is very thin (which makes for excellent non-grainy coffee) and I am sure it will eventually breakdown. So far I have not noticed any wear. However I plan on using my pretty blue French press as long as possible and don't see the filter lasting through the decades.