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Article courtesy of Mark Prince @ CoffeeGeek.com
How to Use a Press Pot
The ubiquitous press pot. It's everywhere. It's seemingly easy to use,
right? Well, yes, but a little understanding of the device, how it
works, and maybe a bit about the history of the product will get you
using yours better. If you want some of the richest coffee you can get,
a press pot can deliver. What may surprise most is that you can also
get a relatively clean brew from it as well, if you have the right
tools and prep everything correctly.
The Press Pot History
First, a bit of my own history. I wrote an article on this site some time back that I called Why I like Bodum.
You see, press pots were my initiation into the world of quality
coffee, at least in North America. I have a lot of loyalty and fond
memories of this brewing method and the coffee (and situations) it
delivered me.
But how about the real history of the Press Pot?
How about this question - which came first, the vacpot or the press
pot? It might surprise you, but the press pot came later. It is, of
course, a much simpler design than a vacuum brewer, but there were
problems. In the 1840s, when the vac pot and balance brewers were first
introduced, the concept of a press, or plunger brewing system was
around, but the technology to make a tight enough fitting filter
didn't. Even the first models by Mayer and Delforge in France were met
with limited success.
By the early 1900s, the press pot, called
a "Cafeolette" starting becoming more popular and was showing up on
grocery store shelves. In the 1930s, Melior introduced the first model
with a stainless steel filter and a metal body, then soon they
introduced a model reminiscent of Bodum's current day "Chambord" line.
Why is it reminiscent? Because Bodum bought that design!
In
fact, Bodum is probably more responsible for the common day occurrence
of the press pot than any other company. In the seventies, they started
introducing their whacked out colours in their plastic, metal and glass
press pots. In the 1980s, fueled by their profits, they bought lines
like Chambord and brought out more classical-look press pots. The rest
is, as they say, history.
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Local South African 
My Expobar Brewtus has finally arrived, After much excitement, I have managed to get everything set up and even managed to pull some pretty good shots (even if I say so myself 
).