If you’re an old-school coffee lover, you’re probably a fan of preparing French press coffee – but have you ever started wondering if French press coffee is bad for you?
Pressed coffee has gained a lot of popularity among coffee enthusiasts all over the world in the last few years. It’s easy to see why this has occurred.
Cafetière, coffee plunger, caffettiera a stantuffo, cafetière à piston, press pot, or coffee press are some alternative names for a French press. Let us go over the specifics, drawbacks, and some alternatives of the French press.
History Of French Press
The first French press coffee-making device was introduced in 1852. This innovation was created by two Frenchmen, Mayer and Delforge.
Since the first original concept was conceived in 1852, it has undergone several design modifications. It became popular after Michael Caine used it in the film The Ipcress File in 1965. It gained popularity, particularly in Europe.
After several changes in the past, the current French press presently comprises a cylinder beaker that is usually made of glass, but if not, it is made of plastic. It features a plastic or metal top, depending on its exterior body, and a stainless steel wire. It also has a mesh filter.
Downside Of French Coffee – What Can Go Wrong?
Despite its convenience, ease of preparation, and portability, French press coffee is not all rainbows and butterflies. Having French press coffee might be harmful to your health.
Let’s have a look at why this is the case.
It Can Cause Diabetes
According to a study, coffee prepared in a French press may raise the level of cholesterol. This unfiltered coffee contains the compounds cafestol, which is identified to raise cholesterol levels.
Cafestol is a kind of diterpenoid compound found in coffee beans.
Because the French pressed brews unfiltered coffee, the level of cafestol found in French press coffee is substantially larger than in filtered coffee because the filter paper holds the majority of the amount, allowing just a little or inconsequential amount to flow through the filter.
This does not necessarily imply that drinking coffee from a French press is the sole factor that raises your cholesterol, nonetheless, persons with high cholesterol should avoid drinking French press coffee.
If you have a genetic disorder that wears down coffee metabolism in your system and consumes two or more cups of coffee each day, you could be at a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.
It Can Cause Heart Problems
Persons with low lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, in particular, should avoid or consume French press coffee in moderation since it might be detrimental to them.
LDL cholesterol is thought to be harmful cholesterol. It causes cholesterol buildup in your arteries. When your blood has a high percentage of LDL cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol, together with other chemicals, creates plaque.
This plaque accumulates in the arteries over time. This causes the arteries to constrict and harden, impairing blood supply to the heart.
Blood is crucial for transporting oxygen to the heart, and when blood flow to the heart is impaired due to artery hardening and constriction, one may have mild chest discomfort, commonly known as angina.
If the damage is severe enough to completely obstruct the blood supply to the heart, it will eventually result in a cardiac arrest.
Adverse Health Effects Of Coffee Oil
The coffee oils that wind up in French press coffee taste a lot better for caffeine enthusiasts, but these compounds, known as diterpenes, raise LDL cholesterol levels, which has a negative impact on heart health.
Those who are addicted to French press coffee and think it too late to give it up should get regular cholesterol testing performed.
Unfiltered French pressed coffee has a distinct flavor that no other coffee can equal, but this flavor should not cause you to neglect your heart health.
Effects Of Excessive Consumption
We can see why caffeine enthusiasts enjoy French press coffee more than filtered coffee; the caffeine surge they experience from unfiltered coffee makes them love it more.
Even though one or two cups per day may not cause harm by elevating LDL cholesterol, as the saying goes, excess of anything is undesirable. Excessive consumption of unfiltered coffee is no exception.
Caffeine addicts who drink five to eight cups of coffee per day may have negative effects from this coffee. They are raising LDL cholesterol levels.
Other Factors
Some of the most serious risks are also associated with what you add to your coffee — some people enjoy adding cream, sugar, or syrups to their coffee. These increase the number of saturated fat and calories in your coffee, causing you to gain weight.
The dilemma is, how to make French press coffee safe enough that one does not have to worry about its negative effects on health all the time?
False Health Claims
The use of French press coffee has not been associated with cancer or any other condition. Any claims to anything more than what has been said above are a myth. The only other health issue is that pressed coffee has significantly more caffeine than ordinary coffee. This should only be a concern for heavy coffee drinkers or individuals who are caffeine-sensitive. High quantities of caffeine, on the other hand, translate to increased levels of caffeic acid, a potent antioxidant. Controlled use can thus provide several advantages such as decreased tiredness, reduced inflammation, a lower cancer risk, and numerous neuroprotective impacts.
How To Remove Cafestol From French Press Coffee?
Having your French press coffee through the filter can remove any floating coffee grounds or greasy residue. Any paper coffee filter will suffice, but unless you’re filtering directly into a cup or container, you’ll most likely need to trim it to a size that fits into the French press. If you’re planning to cut the paper to fit, make sure it’s the same diameter as the press and position the filter precisely behind the plunger. Press down, as usual, gently pouring to ensure that the coffee travels through the plunger and paper. It will take more effort than usual to push out your coffee. Simply apply pressure in the same manner as previously, but harder and for a longer period of time.
Rather than straining it into a cup or trying to cut one to size, we recommend using a big metal coffee filter or filter paper and filtering all of the coffee in the press to a separate container first. There’s a lot less room for messing. Use a large coffee filter as-is to quickly clear many servings of French press coffee. Pour gradually and evenly, taking care not to oversaturate the paper.
French Press Alternatives
People who prefer the French press are unlikely to transition to another brewing technique, especially one that uses a paper filter. Unfortunately, it is impossible to duplicate the full body and aroma of French press coffee using a filtered brewing technique, however, there are a few solutions that we believe come close.
Hario V60 Switch
The Hario V60 Switch is a paper filter brewer that comes the closest to the French press with its least amount of fuss. The V60 Switch is a conventional V60 cone with a bottom switch. The switch regulates the aperture at the cone’s base. To prepare coffee, place a paper filter in the cone, pour it with water and coffee, and steep it. You open the switch after a few minutes, and the coffee drips into your mug.
The V60 Switch is a convertible brewer that produces coffee with some of the qualities of an immersion brew but in a cleaner, healthier, and oil-free manner. The coffee isn’t as strong and forceful as French press coffee, but it’s fuller-bodied than other paper-filtered coffees.
Kalita Wave
The Kalita Wave is another superb French press substitute. The Kalita Wave, like the Hario V60 Switch, is a hybrid brewer that aims to provide the best of both worlds by combining immersed percolation and brewing.
The V60 Switch is a convertible brewer that brews coffee with some of the characteristics of an immersed brew but in a healthier, cleaner, and oil-free way. The coffee isn’t as robust and potent as French press coffee, but it’s more full-bodied than some other paper-filtered coffees.
The texture of Kalita Wave coffee is more like a French press than V60 coffee, but on the contrary, is less full-bodied compared to V60 Switch coffee. Still, it’s an excellent choice for folks who want to avoid using a French press but aren’t ready to totally accept filtered coffee.
To Press Or Not To Press
After discussing the drawbacks of French press coffee, we now have a good idea of why French press coffee is harmful to you.
We can clearly state that, while this technique of drinking coffee is convenient, easy, and inexpensive, caution must be exercised when drinking this coffee.
Make doubly sure your daily dose does not surpass four cups, since it might elevate “bad” cholesterol levels in your body even if you’ve never had a cholesterol problem previously.
If you have health issues, particularly those connected to cholesterol, it may be a good idea to reduce your intake of French press coffee. Please remember that taking an excessive amount of coffee will not benefit you, even if you adore every cup.
But, when you’re not ready to give up your daily French press coffee owing to its perfect flavor and long-lasting scent, be sure to filter your coffee using filter paper so that the hazardous ingredient cafestol somehow doesn’t work its way into your cup.
