Frieling Double-Walled Stainless-Steel French Press Coffee Maker, Polished, 23 Ounces

I discovered the French press more than 25 years ago and have used them ever since for my morning coffee. Over the years I have mostly owned and used Bodum presses and I still own several. The Chambord press is well made and nice to look at and I will continue to use mine But..... the glass beakers do break from time to time. Usually, I go several years before I get clumsy and break one. After breaking two in a row I needed another replacement and found the glass beakers to be in short supply and very expensive. That led me to look for alternatives. An all-metal press, with no glass, is obviously less prone to breakage and when I discovered there were double-wall models to insulate the coffee I was intrigued. I chose the Frieling over others mostly because it appeared to be very well made and it's attractive. At nearly $100, more than double the price of a Bodum Chambord, it was rather a leap of faith but morning coffee is not something to be taken lightly! After using this press for a short while here are some observations: 1) This press keeps the coffee hot significantly longer than any single-wall glass press I have used. I usually take about 45 minutes to drink my coffee and until the Frieling, the last cup was always cold. The Frieling allows me to enjoy all the coffee without resorting to re-heating. This alone is reason enough to use this press. I have not bothered to pre-heat the press with hot water because I don't like scalding hot coffee. 2) Breaking this press would be nearly impossible! It is built like a tank. 3) Functionally, it is no different from any other press. I own five other presses, including a lexan one I use for travel and the only functional differences I notice arise from the press mechanism. Presses with a rubber ring where the plunger meets the glass, plastic or metal are sometimes difficult to use. My lexan press has this type of plunger and once in a while it jams. The Frieling has a plunger very similar to the Bodum Chambord - no rubber ring. It works exactly as it should. 4) Cleaning the Frieling is simple with no worry about glass breakage. Hot coffee for longer and no breakage are the reasons to buy this press.

[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.

This french press is of superior quality: made from 10/18 stainless steel, very heavy, with thick insulated walls and insulated top lid, perfect finish, with very ergonomic handle, a beautiful addition to your kitchen. I have never seen a better made french press before. It keeps your coffee hot throughout the brewing process even if you don't preheat the vessel with warm water prior to brewing, which I often do anyway. I wrote "throughout the brewing process" because I drink my coffee immediately after the 4 minute brewing period is up to prevent overbrewing and compromising flavor. If you are already a french press user, you will love this press from the first sight and you will find the brew superior. If not, it will take some expectation management: beware that french press coffee needs to be coarsely ground, brewed according to instructions and that you WILL get a little bit of coffee grounds in your cup and a bit of sludge on the bottom (just don't drink to the last drop). What you gain is a fresh, hot, full bodied coffee that retains the natural bean oils that would otherwise be left behind in a paper filter. It is the best cup of coffee you can brew. If you're not sure whether your will like it, I would recommend you buy a small glass Bodum french press for 1/3 of the price and try it out first, and if you don't like it you wouldn't have invested so much money. If you know you like french press, this one is worth every penny. Before I bought this product I found that many people were disappointed by the volume of the press they bought, it was usually smaller than expected. To determine which one I wanted, I looked up part number and volume information on the manufacturer's website. The manufacturer gives volume ranges, which often causes confusion when different sellers describe the same press as 8 oz or 11 oz, whereas it's one and the same. My 8-11 oz french press can only make 8 oz of coffee (11 oz of liquid may fit in the press without coffee grounds, but no way can you get more than 8 oz of brewed coffee). So if you don't know which size to buy, look at the ranges below and assume that each press can brew coffee only for the lowest volume listed. Also, by using the manufacturer part number, which is usually included in Amazon's product description, you can ensure that the press you are ordering is of the exact size and finish you need. Below is the sizing information copied from [...] website: Shiny finish: Part# 0101: 8-11 fl oz. Part# 0102: 17-22 fl oz. Part# 0103: 23-28 fl oz. Part# 0104: 33-42 fl oz. Brushed finish: Part# 0141: 8-11 fl oz. Part# 0142: 17-22 fl oz. Part# 0143: 23-28 fl oz. Part# 0144: 33-42 fl oz.

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!

First I should say I've only had this French press about a week, but I don't think it takes much time to evaluate something that has so few parts to break. I was looking to replace my old, faithful Black and Decker thermal coffee maker that I bought in 1982. It has worked perfectly without fail all those years until recently a small part broke off the filter holder. I would have replaced it with an identical model had they been available. But, of course, they are not, so the search began. I looked a dozens of coffee makers and read many of the reviews from different sources. And I went around and around in circles trying to decide. Somehow, I got off the topic of regular coffee makers and began to investigate other methods of making coffee. I had always known that people raved about the French press method, but thought, perhaps, it might be too labor intensive or time consuming in the mornings when I'm not quite awake and somewhat dingy. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Using this press actually takes a little less time (by a minute or so) and is no more work than putting grounds or water in my old coffee maker and less work than cleaning the same. Now, since it takes me about 3 or 4 hours to drink one 12 oz mug of coffee before moving on to the second, I'm led to my only, very slight, disappointment, which is this...the coffee only stays moderately warm in the press for about 2 hours, give or take. This includes pre-heating the press with hot water. But to make up for this minor inconvenience, I easily re-heat that second cup in the microwave. It still tastes as good; no detectable bitterness from having sat for that long and certainly better than cooking it for hours on end (although the B&D didn't have a warming plate to worry about. It's carafe did a much better job of retaining heat, too). An important criteria in my hunt, was a machine that I did't have to worry about shutting off. With the press, I nuke the water, so no burners left on by mistake, no teakettles to rust and nothing to de-mineralize. A pyrex measuring cup does the trick with the added plus of the timer to let me know when it's just the right temp. Since my old coffee maker was permanently stained white plastic, and difficult to really get clean inside, the press has a great advantage of being extremely simple to maintain, and I'm sure, more hygienic. Add to that the fact that it's easily stored in a cupboard; whereas, the old machine sadly sat in it's dismal condition on my counter due to it's great size. I like my counters free of contraptions, as much as possible, but the Frieling can happily sit out without embarrassment when that unexpected visitor arrives. In fact, it's a work of art to display! Oh, did I mention that this thing makes a great cup of coffee! I'm still experimenting with blends (and will happily accept any suggestions), but have the grind down perfectly, I think. No fines in my cup (not that it matters to me, since I relish eating that bean from the top of my tiramisu). This really deserves a 5 star rating, but since I'm an indolent coffee drinker, I had to knock it down one. I suppose I shouldn't since it's not the fault of the press really. I just need to learn to guzzle more heartily.

After researching all the thermal carafes out there (the camping ones, too) I decided on this one. I hated glass carafes because i was having to add oily coffee into my thermal carafes that then need to be washed out to keep clean, whereas coffee brewed with a paper filter would normally produce a coffee with much less oils and thus I wouldn't use soap to clean the carafe afterwards. Plus the extra step to keep my coffee warm already made a rather involved process even more involved when cleanup was factored in to it all. Plus I wanted one that could take car camping to all the parks we have here in Texas. That is where I am coming from. PROS:>>> It is made from quality stainless steel. Nothing feels thin or dings with a high pitch to show cheap material. The welds on this are all top notch as well. I homebrew beer and have been around craft beer equipment so I know the need and can recognize a quality stainless steel weld. The whole thing is quite heavy empty actually. All this sturdiness and its design makes this french press seem very simple and effortless. There is absolutely nothing on here that is not stainless steel of some kind. NO PLASTIC AT ALL. Even the packing material was stainless steel and not Styrofoam. (not really) The spout does not dribble at all even when you get to the bottom. The spout shape is very functional. The lid though is the only weak point on the whole thing. It obviously holds the whole press mechanism. Where the bar goes through the lid is not sealed and the bar just moves rather freely in there. I would think that some sort of rubber filler or a tighter tolerance would have been better suited than what the ended up producing. This allows the angle of the press to get slightly off and makes the press a little harder sometimes. The press itself is precisely manufactured to fit inside this carafe. It is amazing how tight the tolerances on the press is; all without the use of rubber gaskets. How I make my coffee: I fill the carafe with boiling water and let warm for 4 minutes and go and grind my coffee (Bodum Bistro Grinder BTW). I then pour the water back into the kettle and let it heat back up to boiling. I add my grounds (4T light roast) and then fill with water to just under the spout line. The filter press then fits so well that I can slide it onto the very top of the carafe to cover it to let it steep. I then pop off the lid and stir the ground to help them settle. The press is definitely harder and slower than most but that is better than the contrary as it keeps me from spurting boiling water (only time that happened is when I overfilled it). My trick to KEEPING IT WARM: As any carafe user will know; the carafe stays warm by minimizing heat transfer outward. That means there is no energy added to the liquid to keep it warm. Also, the thermal insulating ability of water versus gas are quite different. Thus, no amount of insulating material can keep a small amount of liquid hot for very long. I believe most people complaining about the presses inability to keep their coffee hot are failing to crunch the numbers. This only holds less than four cups of coffee. After pouring out a mug or two at the beginning, there is only about two mugs left at the bottom. That is not enough liquid to keep itself warm. Couple that with the head space created above that then acts to absorb the thermal energy from the liquid below; this high pressure warm gas then flows out the spout and around the lid and pulls in cooler room temperature air. This exchange is continuous. I counter this by pouring two mugs out of it that have are 1/3 full of boiling water (This also heats up the mugs). I have made the coffee bit stronger than I like to do this. I then put the lid to one side and refill the carafe with hot water and slowly pullout and re-plunge the coffee. This gives me the volume of hot liquid and the lack of gaseous headspace I need to keep my coffee very warm(165+) for hours. I can serve 5+ mugs out of this one brewing this way over 3 hours and not need to reheat because I countered the physics involved with retaining heat. \ I so thoroughly elaborated on this to explain that there is no magic thermal carafe french press that will be able to retain heat better than this one. Yes, after pouring 8-12 ounces of coffee out of this carafe, you will not be able to come back after an hour and have acceptably warm coffee. Though, what 10-12 cup thermal drip coffee maker do you know that can do that as well with only 2.5 cups of liquid on the bottom? (none...physics) Vacuum sealed thermos's can do so because they are completely sealed and the gaseous headspace warms up but then reaches equilibrium because there is no exchange with outside air. Even those cool down quickly if they are opened frequently. That is why they are designed with a small throat. If you pour quickly enough the headspace gas won't completely exchange and you can keep your liquid warm. The lack of continuous air exchange also makes the carafes from drip machines better insulators as well.

I bought the mirror finish 44 oz. unit. I was told by a customer service rep at Frieling there will be a brushed finish available in Spring of 2013. I thought it might help with possible surface spotting, but I was not willing to wait. First, this is a beautiful unit. The mirror finish is great, can be wiped clean with ease and is better than expected appearance wise on all counts. It has the feel of a quality tool with no area that suggests that short cuts were taken in the manufacturing process. It is shockingly simple with just the pot cylinder and the lid/plunger/screen assembly. The 44 oz. quantity is the amount that reaches the very bottom of the V on the pour spout - possibly an unusable amount. I judge that approximately 42 oz. (about ½" below the bottom of the V) is close to the actual safe usable quantity if the bloom and screen depth, etc. are taken into account. The Frieling customer service rep told me that pouring water just off boil into the pot at room temperature would yield 205 degree water in the pot. I later verified this with my thermometer. He suggested that the ground coffee could be added to the 205 water and briefly stirred to saturate it before putting the lid in place for brewing. I did this and verified a temp drop to 199 degrees during the four minute brewing time. I used this method for awhile then switched to putting the coffee in first and stirring after adding the water. Either method seems to produce a comparable result. There is no requirement of preheating the pot or trying to measure or estimate the temperature of the water to see if it is in the 195-205 degree brewing range. While I have only been using the Frieling for a few days, it has produced an exceptionally good cup of coffee for me. I am experimenting with the coffee to water ratio to find the best result for my taste. I expect to use this unit for many years. To address some of the cons that I have seen in other reviews: 1. French Presses are expected to have some amount of sediment come through the screen/filter. This unit has less than any other I have used. I was surprised by this. I am using a Baratza Encore burr grinder with medium coarse grind setting. I suggest that those who have remarked on having "grinds" in their cup not use pre-ground coffee, not use a blade grinder, move to a courser grind, pour the coffee only until the pot is almost horizontal, and if none of that works, contact Frieling customer service to see if a replacement screen is needed. 2. The lid can slip forward/downward slightly with a metallic clunk as the pot cylinder approaches horizontal while pouring even if you have your finger on the knob of the plunger rod. You can put your finger on the lid and prevent this, but the lid or escaping steam could warm your finger past the comfortable point. There is a permanent solution for this issue. I call it the 25 Cent Solution. I went to Ace Hardware and bought a little bag containing two 1/4L Beveled Bib Washers for 25 cents (item number 02-1076P). Any hardware store should have these. Initially I cut the washer and slipped it onto the plunger rod, however after a couple weeks it became loose fitting, so I unscrewed the screen assembly from the bottom of the plunger and slid the other washer (flat side down) onto the plunger rod (it fits tightly) and replaced the screen assembly. The washer can now be moved up or down the rod (it gets easier with a little break-in period) into position to hold the lid during a pour. I don't even have to touch the plunger or lid during a pour as long as the washer is positioned against the lid. The washer does not detract from the general appearance of the pot, in fact I think it kind of adds, and can be easily removed if needed. Perhaps Frieling should consider a factory installed custom washer. 3. The lid does not have a closure system at the pour spout of the cylinder. It has been suggested that this will cause heat loss that is bad for the brewing process. Please see this YouTube video: [...] for a comparison of the Frieling and other steel units that have spout closure. There was no significant difference in heat loss even after two hours. Keep in mind that this pot should not be used as a carafe to store your brewed coffee for any prolonged time until it is served after brewing or it can become bitter. The coffee should be served after brewing is complete or poured into a heated or thermal carafe until it is served. 4. It has been noted that this is an expensive coffee pot. I think about it differently. The purchase price is higher than some coffee makers. However the cost of a 40 oz. pot of coffee made with this unit is about 65 cents using (Yes I know, non-gourmet) Costco Columbian beans ($236 annually for 1 pot/day), The result is comparable to Starbuck's Pike Place Roast and is a joy to drink. A 6 oz. cup of Kuereg coffee (made in a machine of comparable price) runs 50 to 60 cents ($438 annually for two cups/day) and to me tastes poor by comparison. A grande Starbucks Pike Place Roast runs $2.11 with tax ($1,540 annually for two cups/day) and it has a very good flavor. While I could choose a $40 Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker recommended by CR, the taste would without doubt not be as good, the machine would have a limited life expectancy and cost about the same $219 annually. So, to me, the pleasure I get in the morning from the coffee produced by me and this inanimate object is worth the difference in the cost of the starter kit. I also enjoy the morning ritual. I say 5 Stars.

My rating is 3 stars but that's because: 5 stars for everything about the product except 2 stars for the product's big flaw. I wanted a non-glass French press coffee maker that wasn't American Slurpee sized. This is for making one single reasonably sized cup of coffee for myself. At 8 ounces, the size of this product was perfect. I also like the stainless steel and it certainly keeps the coffee warm. The materials and construction feel like they'll last. Here is the big flaw: The lid has only an "open" position. When you start pressing down the plunger, the coffee almost always spurts out or dribbles out the pour spout. The first few times this happened, I was surprised (and ruined some papers on my desk). Even when I carefully depressed the plunger very slowly, the coffee will sometimes still dribble out. This is because the lid has no "closed" position; it's always ready to pour. (A lot of other French press makers have an "open" and a "closed" position. You rotate the lid to set that.) This problem can be overcome by filling less water in the maker so that there's headroom between the top of the water line and the pouring spout. But then your 8-oz. coffee maker is really a 6-oz. coffee maker. To avoid wasted coffee but still fill up the container, I stir the grounds after I fill up the container to try to reduce the air bubbles and froth, and then I depress the plunger VERY SLOWLY. This results in only a small dribble of coffee running out of the spout when I first depress the plunger. So, buyer beware. Either you only fill the unit up to 6 ounces or you do what I do and still get the occasional unwanted dribble from the spout. Other than that, the product is great.