How we rate french press

In a press, the filter is the machine. Everything else is a jug. How many stages the plunger has and how fine the mesh is decides whether the last mouthful is coffee or silt.

What we can actually read: Filter stages and material are published. Mesh size in microns almost never is, which is why stage count carries the weight it does.

Scored directly from published figures.

1 of the 3 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 2 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 26 of the category's 100 points.

• Filter stages4.5 of 10

  Also read under Ease of Cleaning, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  1 or less

  2 pts

  over 1, up to 2

  3.5 pts

  over 2

  4.5 pts

• Mesh finenessnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 3.5 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  50 micron or less

  3.5 pts

  over 50 micron, up to 100 micron

  2.5 pts

  over 100 micron, up to 200 micron

  1.5 pts

  over 200 micron

  1 pt

• Filter material2 of 10

  stainless steel

  2 pts

  mesh

  1.5 pts

  nylon

  1 pt

  plastic

  0.5 pts

10 of 10

A press is glass or steel, and that decides whether it survives a kitchen. Replacement parts matter more here than anywhere else, because the part that breaks is usually the cheap one.

What we can actually read: Body, plunger and lid materials are published, as is the warranty. Replacement part availability is stated by about half of makers.

Scored directly from published figures.

1 of the 5 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 4 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 20 of the category's 100 points.

• Body3 of 10

  Also read under Heat Retention, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  stainless steel

  3 pts

  borosilicate, stoneware

  2.5 pts

  ceramic

  2 pts

  glass, tritan

  1.5 pts

  plastic

  1 pt

• Plunger2 of 10

  stainless steel

  2 pts

  plastic

  0.5 pts

• Lid1.5 of 10

  stainless steel

  1.5 pts

  plastic

  0.5 pts

• Replacement parts soldnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 2 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  present

  2 pts

• Warranty1.5 of 10

  none

  0 pts

  up to 1 yr

  0.7 pts

  over 1 yr, up to 2 yr

  1.1 pts

  over 2 yr

  1.5 pts

10 of 10

A press brews for four minutes and then sits. Glass loses heat through the whole of both. Double-walled steel is the difference between a hot second cup and a lukewarm one.

What we can actually read: Insulated and double-wall are published as plain yes or no, and the body material confirms them.

Scored directly from published figures.

The 3 rules below score this criterion out of 10, and they add up to 10 exactly. That result is then worth 16 of the category's 100 points.

• Insulated4 of 10

  present

  4 pts

• Double wall3 of 10

  present

  3 pts

• Body3 of 10

  Also read under Build Quality & Durability, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  vacuum, stainless steel

  3 pts

  stoneware

  2 pts

  ceramic

  1.8 pts

  borosilicate, plastic

  1 pt

  glass

  0.5 pts

10 of 10

The one genuine chore of a press is getting wet grounds out of a filter assembly. Four stages filter better and take four times as long to rinse.

What we can actually read: Dishwasher safety and filter construction are published, and the two pull against each other, which the score reflects.

Scored directly from published figures.

The 3 rules below score this criterion out of 10, and they add up to 10 exactly. That result is then worth 14 of the category's 100 points.

• Dishwasher safe5 of 10

  present

  5 pts

• Filter stages to rinse3 of 10

  Also read under Brew Quality & Filtration, which asks a different question of the same fact.

  1 or less

  3 pts

  over 1, up to 2

  2 pts

  over 2

  1 pt

• Filter type2 of 10

  single

  2 pts

  mesh, screen

  1.5 pts

  cross

  1 pt

10 of 10

Pouring a litre of near-boiling water from a glass jug by a plastic handle is the moment a press is judged.

What we can actually read: Handle material, weight and capacity are published; balance is not, so this reads the proxies.

Scored from figures that predict it, because the thing itself is not published.

1 of the 3 rules below are struck through in this category, because too few makers publish the input. The 2 that remain score this criterion out of 10 between them: a struck rule leaves the sum entirely rather than counting as a zero. That result is then worth 12 of the category's 100 points.

• Handle3 of 10

  silicone, wood, bamboo

  3 pts

  stoneware, ceramic

  2.5 pts

  stainless steel

  2 pts

  polypropylene, plastic

  1.5 pts

• Weightnot scored here

  Fewer than one maker in four publishes this here, so its 4 points leave the sum rather than being guessed at.

  400 g or less

  4 pts

  over 400 g, up to 700 g

  3 pts

  over 700 g, up to 1000 g

  2 pts

  over 1000 g

  1 pt

• Capacity3 of 10

  350 ml or less

  1.5 pts

  over 350 ml, up to 1000 ml

  3 pts

  over 1000 ml

  2 pts

10 of 10

Points per pound against the category median, where the spread runs from $14 to $115 for the same four minutes of steeping.

What we can actually read: Needs a published price here and on at least three rivals.

Computed from price, not from a rule list

Value is the only criterion here with no thresholds of its own, because it cannot be read off one product. It asks what else the same money buys in this category, so it needs the category. That result is then worth 12 of the category's 100 points.

Points already earned on everything else

out of 10

Multiplied by the category median over this price

median ÷ price

Capped at

10

No price published, or fewer than 3 priced rivals

5 of 10

Half marks is not a verdict, it is a refusal to guess: with nothing to compare against, a product is neither good value nor bad, and scoring it either way would invent a finding. It corrects itself as the category fills.