French Press Coffee: Is It Unhealthy To Drink?

Coffee in general has been established to be healthy with some cavetes. In general, the studies have shown that drinking a few cups of coffee per day can have positive health benefits: namely in protecting against age related diseases, certain forms of cancer (liver). This is due to the rich antioxidants found in coffee. Overall, the consensus is that coffee is a healthy drink.

The cavets, mentioned above, namely focus on hypertension (high blood pressure) as well as the less dangerous discoloration of teeth. These are the major drawbacks of drinking coffee. However, there is another facet to consider, namely how you make your coffee. Everyone knows that you should not pour tons of sugar into your coffee, but the method of production is also important.

One particular method of making coffee that has drawn some harsh criticism from the scientific community is the french press method. The problem with the french press method of making coffee is that you are not filtering out the oils in the coffee. This has led some scientists to say that the coffee is unhealthy because it has been linked to raising cholesterol levels.

Before we trash the French Press, let’s quickly look at why coffee in general is healthy!

Why Is French Press Coffee Is Potentially Unhealthy

The main problem with drinking from a French press seems to center on the fact that the oil is not filtered out from the final cup of coffee. Whereas with a drip method, or a pour over method of making coffee, you will not be drinking as much oil.

If you’ve ever had the feeling that your cup of coffee from a French press is a touch too heavy and silty, then you understand what I’m referring to. That heavy feeling you get from a cup of French press coffee is due to the fact that you’ve not filtered out a lot of the sediments and oil.

The oil in coffee that is normally filtered out by paper filters is not healthy and in fact has been linked to raising cholesterol levels. So, if you’ve recently purchased a french press and have been disappointed to find that that trendy french press you’ve purchased is making a silty, thick and heavy cup of coffee that is also potentially unhealthy, then you have a few options.

  1. You can toss that French Press
  2. You can use it to make tea
  3. You can use a French Press Filter
  4. You can store it in a cupboard and forget about it

Healthy Alternatives To A French Press

If you have decided to use an alternative to a french press coffee filter because you think that there is too much risk (primarily due to the cholesterol raising properties of the oils) then you will want to look into the different alternatives. You have a few options. First, you can keep the french press and retrofit it with a filter design. This is perfect for people who like the “look” of a french press. After all, there is something romantic and sexy about that classic carafe design.

There are various hacks that let you turn regular coffee filters into french press coffee filters, but they all require that you do cumbersome things such as change the regular filter by unscrewing it and replacing the mesh screen with a paper filter. Really, that’s a bit time consuming.

Paper Filters For French Press Coffee

(not an alternative, but let’s not toss out that French press just yet)

You can buy paper filters for french press coffee machines here on Amazon. They work more like sieves and are easy to use. This is what i suggest if you want to continue using your french press without having to have all of the unhealthy oil make it into your cup.


This will effectively eliminate the problem of oils found in french press coffee. The other benefit, and one that I really think is cool, is that it makes it much easier to clean out a french press coffee pot.

Anyone who has ever made coffee using the french press coffee method knows how difficult it can be to clean up the pot. You get lots of grinds in your sink, which is one of the major problems that cause clogged pipes.

Drip Method Coffee Makers (ala Mr. Coffee)

As an alternative, you can get a good old fashioned Mr. Coffee (still my favorite and you can get them for a steel at stores like Target or similar places when they have sales). You can even find them on sale at Amazon for a great price. I don’t need to elaborate too much on these style coffee filters as they are ubiquitous all over. Many people don’t like them, especially if you are a coffee connoisseur. But if you get whole beans and blend them yourself, then you’re not going to get bad coffee.

Pour Over Coffee Makers: Great Alternative To French Press

If you do like the look of a french press (it’s glass and not that office style, behemoth drip coffee method machine like good old Mr. Coffee) then you can consider a pour over design such as the type Bodum makes. These have the benefit of looking sophisticated, while retaining the paper filter design that eliminates not only the oil, but makes the coffee taste lighter (another often criticized aspect of French Press style coffee is that it is just too heavy on the mouth– mouthfeel isn’t great as a rule for people who prefer a clean cup of coffee).

This Bodum style works really well and is cheap.

 



 

 

The main takeaway is that coffee is healthy, it’s the oil that you need to be wary of. So, if you’re someone who is into making buttered coffee, or simply wants to drink a nice cup of black coffee to start the day, there is no reason to give up your drink, just make sure you eliminate any of the cholesterol raising oils by following one of the methods described above.

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