FRENCH-PRESS COFFEE CARAFE

Introduction

            A French press coffee carafe is a kitchen appliance designed for coffee brewing; over the years this appliance has undergone many modifications.  A French coffee maker is used to produce coffee in a unique process where the grounds stay in contact with the water throughout the entire brewing process. The French press is more portable and self-contained when compared with other coffee brewers.  The French press is used to brew coffee without the application of a coffee brewing pot (Harrington, n.d).  Most of the French press have glass carafe. These carafes are known to vary in size from single-serving models to those that are designed to hold liquid that could fill up to four cups. Carafes are also available in a variety of different shapes to include, cylindrical shapes and tea kettle shapes.

Description of parts and functions

            Main parts of a French press coffee carafe include a plunger and liquid assembly, the plunger is responsible for allowing an individual to strain the coffee from the already finished brew, the plunger rod protrudes through the lid where the handle is added on top (Harrington, n.d). At the bottom of the plunger rod is the filter assembly which serves the purpose of filtering the already finished brew. Before pouring the plunger, rod is moved up and down while the lid is still in place. The filter screen is another major part of the French press coffee carafe, this part is made of fine mesh screen that strains most of the grounded coffee before serving. Most French press carafes are known to have two screens that have varying sizes of mesh to aid the removal of much of the grounded coffee. The filter screen is the only part of the equipment that requires periodic replacement.  The structure disc is another part of this equipment, the structure disc connects to the bottom of the plunger and is responsible for holding the filter screen in place, this disc has coiled wire around its circumference and holds the screen in place and ensures that the ground does not strain through the sides when the plunger is depressed. In a French press carafe, a handle and a pouring spout help in simplifying the serving when the brewing is finished.

Conclusion and operating cycle

            A French press coffee carafe is a device used to brew grounded coffee. The device works by steeping coffee grounds and hot water in a beaker after the grounded coffee is done steeping, the metal mesh filter presses to the bottom of the beaker where it allows the natural oils and fine particles from the coffee to pass through resulting in a richer more aromatic and flavored coffee (WebstaurantStore, 2018). The steps used to make a French press cup of coffee are very simple, the first step is adding water to the French press and swirling the water to allow the appliance to heat up, removing the water and drying the French press, adding coffee beans and boiled water just enough to cover and soak the grounds,  stirring and letting the ground settle, adding the remaining water then stirring, attaching the lid and subsequently pushing down the plunger for some few minutes and lastly pouring the coffee (WebstaurantStore, 2018).  The below presented is a well labeled diagram of a French press coffee carafe.

 

Figure 1 Main Parts of a French press carafe

 

 

 

 

References

Harrington J., (n.d)., “ Parts of a French Press” Retrieved from;     https://www.leaf.tv/articles/parts-of-a-french-press/

WebstaurantStore (2018). “How to Make French Press Coffee” Retrieved from;             https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/116/how-to-make-french-press-coffee.html