Frieling Double-Walled Insulated French Press Coffee Maker - 17 Oz Stainless Steel French Press for Smooth Coffee, Cold Brew & Camping

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.

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.