My question- does plastic leach into the coffee from a coffee machine or french press? I don't see how it wouldn't, in which case what's the safest method?

Here's my two cents: The Chemex is easier to clean than a drip machine, takes up less counter space and uses no electricity. So why is a Chemex the 'fancy' option? For the record, I am a heavy coffee drinker and in many ways a snob but I don't actually know that much about coffee. I would happily use a drip machine but I don't have the counter space so I use a french press.

I meant to add that you should never be ashamed to use whatever method works best for you!

I think it's up to the individual whether the 'fancy' methods are worth the effort. Like shlowzi, I don't really see my french press as more effort than the automatic coffee machine. I boil some water in a kettle and while that water is heating I grind some beans and throw them in a pot. By that point the water will be heated and I pour it in, wait about a minute, and then press. That's basically it...nothing terribly hard or fancy about it.

GreenLadyPants - my french press has metal and glass components that touch the coffee, so no plastic leaching possible. (It does have a plastic handle and plastic cap thing, but since those don't touch the coffee I don't see how they're particularly worrisome.)

I've been using a french press for the last year, but now that I'm running in the mornings, I'd much rather just come in out of the cold to a programmed drip machine full of hot coffee. Sometimes convenience really is worth a tiny drop in quality.

We just bought the chemex. It makes a wonderful cup of coffee and we haven't noticed it taking that much longer. Yes, you can't set it to brew while you're getting ready in the morning but it doesn't really take long to boil water. We still have the drip - so company can always make a cup of coffee. But the Chemex is our go-to coffee maker. And I agree with @shlowzi, it is much easier to clean than a drip machine.

I keep a french press close by for special occasions, but our morning coffee is brewed using an electric drip. AMs can be so rushed - if it's between drip coffee or having to stop and pay for a cup on the way to work (or worse, going without... shudder!), then I'm definitely doing the easy brew.

My wife and I gave up the drip machine for an Aeropress and a French Press depending on the occasion. The Aeropress gives us one cup when we just need something on the go, and the 8-cup french press is for entertaining more than just the two of us. I drink most of my coffee while at work (IT'S FREE!) and she only has 1-2 cups per day, so this huge 12-cup monster on our counter was just taking up space. The electric kettle does double..triple..quadruple duty in our house, so it's worth the swap.

I've been using a French press for 4 years now, and the one and only problem that early-morning brewing has given me was just yesterday when I apparently was so sleepy I neglected to turn the gas burner under the kettle all the way off. But I still think only one morning out of 1,460 is good odds.

Brewing with a Chemex definitely takes longer than automated drip (see: automation,) but the taste is worth it to me. In fact, I've perfected slowly bringing the water to a boil while I'm taking a quick shower and eating breakfast at the counter while the Chemex does its thing.

Even still, the taste is worth waiting -- but that's just me. Other people place a lower value on coffee and a higher value on time, which is an equally valid decision.

I swear by my chemex style coffee maker. . . Its a ceramic vesseled one. It takes just as long as a auto drip, it takes up less counter space, can be put way with ease, and makes awesome coffee. I would never go back. I also love my french press <3 great for loose tea too!

I used a Chemex for years until it broke in an unfortunate accident. My only problem with it was the difficulty of using non-Chemex filters, which blocked the spout, resulting in sputtering of hot coffee. Use the heavy filters and that problem disappears. I've used vacuum pots since it broke, which is delicious. I have (and use in the right situations) a stove top espresso, a little Melita, the vacuum pot and a French press(messy cleanup). Each has it's place in my coffee pantheon.
In the end, I think it's pretty simple. If you are using coffee as a stimulant in the am, then use the most efficient method. If you are taking time to appreciate the bean, use the system that brings you the flavor you crave.

I need all the time I can get in the morning, so I prefer the programmable automatic drip machine. We went from being grind-it-seconds-before-brewing-in-the-French-press people to buying preground coffee from--gasp!--the grocery store, and it hasn't made much of a difference to us.

Has anyone mentioned the quality of bean extraction on the pour-over like Chemex versus immersion of French Press and Drip-Brew methods?

In my opinion, Chemex makes a more delicious cup of coffee because the user has all the control. If done with care, one can use the Chemex and perfectly extract all of the grounds. Doing this creates no over-extraction (creating that bitterness) or under-extraction (sourness). A French-Press can make an excellent cup, but if the grounds are uneven or sit in the hot water too long can make for one helluva bitter cup of joe.

Drip coffee can be somewhere in the middle. There is a lot of chemistry going on in that little brew basket. It can get real technical and one can talk about the size of the brew basket (how long the grounds stay immersed in water), the porosity of the filter, fineness of grind, etc.

That said, Mr. Coffee is my go-to every morning.

I get up WAY too early in the morning (3-4am, depending on the day) to use anything other than a programmable drip maker: Cuisiniart Grind and Brew. Outside of the convenience factor, the fact that I have to take apart, clean and thoroughly dry no fewer than four different parts of this machine is a real pain. We have a french press that we use occassionally on weekends/holidays and a stovetop Bialetti espresso machine. Those don't take any more time to use and are much easier to clean obviously but being able to wake up and get my bleary eyed self to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee trumps all else.

I like my insulated French press but we do usually revert back to the auto drip because it can be programmed. I want a chemex but I need a good way to keep it warm for longer.

I think I have to agree with Mr. Bruni. I don't have time in the morning to do all the tweaking a Chemex would require, nor do I have the cash to buy $20/lb beans or a $200 coffee grinder and I don't have time in the morning to actually savor the perfect cup of coffee. Not that I don't appreciate the finer things in life, I think at some point though I just have to acknowledge the caffeine is what's key to me delivered in a fast and easy format.

I agree that french press is super easy and the result is excellent coffee (assuming you buy quality beans of course!). It's conveinient for me because I put the kettle on to boil and then blow dry my hair. The timing works out perfectly. But I think shlowzi said it best, that you shouldn't be ashamed about what method you use. I'm seeing/hearing an alarming trend towards shame-based food choices. (just food for thought!)

We switched to a Chemex four years ago and I'm now so used to the routine that it doesn't seem like a hassle at all. Of course there are mornings when I don't get the coffee made - but those are usually the same mornings when I don't get a shower or don't eat breakfast.

Like other commenters have mentioned, it just becomes part of your routine. While the coffee is blooming, I measure the water. While the coffee is brewing, I pack my lunch or eat my breakfast or feed the cats. And then I go to work with an excellent cup of coffee brewed exactly the way I like it.

Chemex makes coffee that is so much better, but I agree that especially when big families are involved, it just takes way, way, too much time. We just battled this problem over Thanksgiving at my parents' house with 8 people drinking coffee each morning.
My solution is to give my mom a 51-ounce Bodum French Press for xmas. I think it will be a good happy medium.

My husband is a big coffee drinker and he loves his Mr. Coffee. Sometimes, it's just worth it to have a large pot all brewed up and ready to go. He does grind his own beans every other morning. He also has a fresh press to-go mug for when he really wants to indulge. He'll pour the hot water as he's leaving, press it while he's driving along, and voila, a great cup.

my only issue w chemex, and why i stopeed using it...is that it's slow-drip process (why the coffe tastes so good) takes so long that by the time you have your coffee made, it's lukewarm. and you must take care with the chemex and an open flame. otherwise, it makes great coffee.

Well, my husband and I need fresh coffee quickly each morning, so we have a basic Bunn coffeemaker that emulates a restaurant brewer (hot water is always at the ready). From popping in the grounds to fresh cup, it only takes about three minutes -- exactly the amount of time it takes me to take the dog outside before coming inside for a cup. It's especially great for entertaining, too, since we can make multiple pots quickly and easily. I'm not so much of a coffee snob that I can't appreciate the simplicity of a simple cup of hot coffee in the morning. Even if, *gasp*, it's made with an automatic drip. /sarcasm

I had a super simple plastic manual drip for a long, long time. When that broke due to some overzealous cleaning by my boyfriend, we chose the Chemex for a few reasons. One, well, because it was pretty and we liked the manual drip. And two, because we don't have the counterspace. I have lived with the auto drip and the manual drip and I would say the coffee is better with the Chemex, it is very easy to clean and once agin...it's pretty. It does take a little longer, but I know that and just adjust accordingly. I make lunch while it does its thang. Give it a try I think you will like it.

yeah and PS just reading some other comments I have two things to add: you can keep the coffee hot by putting the chemex on a burner on low. It works perfect and also it most def. would not work to serve coffee to a crowd. So if you do that a lot get a Mr. Coffee or whatever you choose.

We use a plastic cone and paper filters atop a pyrex pitcher and then pour it into a thermos.
I tried the French press and the gold filter thing but noticed that the extra oiliness of the coffee made me a bit jittery.

I use a plastic single cup drip cone for myself. I think it makes great coffee and it is amazingly fast to use and clean up. When my parents are visiting they like to drink 1-2 cups each in the morning. The drip cone becomes a hassle to hover over to make 4-6 cups of coffee each morning. I plan to get a small electric drip machine for my parent's next visit.

If it's good enough for Mary Tyler Moore, it's good enough for me. I would consider trying it because it's beautiful in it's simplicity. The comments that the drip is so slow that by the time your coffee is done it's no longer hot concern me, however.

We gave up our drip coffee maker because of the worries of BPA (or other toxins) leaching from the plastic - it is being exposed to very hot water and steam, after all. We certainly couldn't find an affordable drip coffee maker that didn't contain plastic on the inside. So we went to a (glass) French Press.

Like some other reviewers, I also get up very early for my commute (4:45am!). But I just make my coffee the night before and reheat it in the morning - not ideal, but it works!

I have a porcelain little cone dripper that makes one cup of coffee for me. or several if i drip it into a teapot. i like that coffee has a mediation period attached this way. i boil a teapot (takes what, 1:30?) and pour the hot water over the grounds as it seeps into the pot or cup (takes what, 4 minutes?) if you can't wait 5 minutes for a good cup of coffee, that makes me sad! i really like the slower experience and not having an appliance on my counter taking up unecessary space.

go for it. its not expensive and its rather lovely to wait a little bit for something you can savor!

** meditation period. :)

@JaclynS If you have a gas stove you can heat it back up over a small flame. I do it all the time. From the Chemex website "Because of its purity, Chemex® brewed coffee can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for reheating...without losing its flavor!"

They also sell a wire grid that you can use if you have an electric stove. I am drinking a reheated cup right now, Yum!

So interesting to read all of the comments. I have a basic plastic drip coffee maker and have been wondering about a full-time switch to either a French press or Chemex. Glad to know that there are ways of keeping both warm (on the stove top or using an insulated sleeve of some sort?) and that they generally don't take tooooo much longer.

Also, I agree with others that you should just use what works for you! No judgment here :)

Where the heck have I been? I haven't heard of this Chemex thing!

My electric coffee maker is getting kind of old and yucky-looking, so maybe I will give the Chemex a go around.

i have used a chemex for about 15 years. i try to stay away from plastic and high heat. i microwave my cup of coffee when it gets too cold. my bf grandmother had one with extra equipment--i think she had an electric hotpad to set it on. but that is what i do not like about the machines--heat on the bottom.

For 4 years, I used a travel french press mug. While it could make good coffee, I was never awake enough to really measure the water going into it, so then I got lots of different tastes. I just bought a drip coffee maker, and while the coffee isn't as good as the french press, it makes my mornings a bit less fussy, and therefore I deem it great. I'm intrigued by the Chemex, but I don't know if I'll buy one just to experiment with it.

Really depends on your daily routine and priorities..

I always take time in the morning to have breakfast at home so it's not a huge deal to grind the beans, put in the hot water from my electric thermos, and let it steep for a few minutes while putting together my breakfast and feeding the cats. Yummy coffee done! And on the weekends when my husband makes the coffee for me.. I like feeling the love! ;)

But many people are in a rush in the mornings and want their coffee quickly.. so by all means, go for the convenient option.. If others sneer at you, you sneer right back at them for being superficial dolts!

While we do have a french press, we usually rely on our Zojirushi drip machine. The insulated basket and thermal carafe work really well to keep the water hot enough to brew effectively and keep it hot without cooking the coffee. We make between 6 and 8 cups each morning and the quality is on par with our french press--and doesn't require the careful timing to avoid under- or over-steeping. My husband sets it up the night before so we just hit a button when we wake up (we could set a timer, but our routine isn't very precise).

I think a good drip machine does just fine. Especially since I can set it and make enough for me and my girlfriend. I also do not really like French Press. Admittedly, I am not good at it and since my financial situation will not let me get anything better than a blade grinder (i know, I know), I do not have much luck with french press. Plus, I really do not like the sludge.

A chemex would be fun to play with but I do not see my drip machine going anywhere.

I've been drooling over the Cuisinart Grind & Brew for a couple of years now. I moved in August and counter space is so limited that the thought of having a coffee pot on the counter made me cringe, so I left it in he box and started using my french press. Frankly, I don't see any difference in the effort. It's just spaced out through the process instead of all at the beginning. I don't know that I'll go back to a drip pot, unless I get a bigger place and the Grind & Brew simultaneously goes on sale. :-)

I've used the Chemex for about a year now, and I find it SOO much easier to clean than a french press. That alone is worth the extra hassle. And I don't find it any more time consuming than the french press. I brew while I make my breakfast.

I do drip coffee in the morning, and for afternoon coffee, special occasion coffee, or weekend coffee, when I have more time, I like to use my French Press. I just don't have the time to do anything other than drip coffee on busy weekday mornings, and I think my coffee tastes just fine!

My parents love their steak charred. My mother puts it on the stove and lets it cook until the inside is grey and the outside resembles something like a hockey puck. She opens a can of beans, puts them in a pot, and then snips open a salad package and dinner is served. This is what my mother "has time for." I believe she could do better for her health and for her own state of mind, but she doesn't like to feel rushed or pressured to make dinner when she gets home. I completely understand and respect this, but I disagree.

I feel the same about coffee. Sure, if you insist you don't have time and would rather a machine do the work for you, your priorities are your priorities and there is nothing wrong with that. I assume that most people don't really like the taste of actual coffee anyway, as they dump sugar and milk into it and go. For most people, coffee is a wake up tool, just as dinner is simply fuel for my hungry parents.

However, from a culinary standpoint, I think it is somewhat irresponsible for Bruni to dismiss coffee as simply a means to an end. In a way, it's kind of like promoting the sale of fresh, pre-chopped vegetables in packages, as it saves time. I doubt this would happen.

The truth is the Chemex, V-60, French Press, Siphon Pot are all fairly easy to use and do not take much longer to brew. What they do require is manual labor, which is somewhat off-putting at 5am, just as cooking is for my mother at 6pm after a 12 hour day. I personally love the ritual of making my own coffee. When I drink it, I savor it, and don't feel the need to consume cup after cup. I think this is the danger of convenience, and what we should consider before relying on it; rate of consumption. After all, many of the issues in the US surrounding food and indulgence are products of the ever increasing desire for convenience.

No guilt though, please. It's unproductive!

We own a Chemex but use it most frequently to make cold brew coffee at home. This finally prompted me to finish my how-to-blog post, which has been sitting in draft form for ages:

http://eatlocal365.com/2010/12/01/how-to-make-cold-brew-coffee/

whatever works for you, but for me personally- if i don't have time to use a french press and make some good coffee then i don't have time to drink coffee.

I use a French Press and it wasn't too big of a transition from drip to press. I have an electric kettle so it heats up quick and shuts off when it's done. Perfect.

The only thing I don't like about the French Press is that I can't make it, take my share and leave the rest for my husband, who gets up later than I do. It's a quick solve by pouring the leftovers in an insulated travel mug. Leaves the grounds behind and keeps it warm until he gets up.

I think the French Press is so easy that we took it camping. Boiled some water over the fire, ground the beans ahead of time, and made it at the campsite. Tasted 10 million times better than instant coffee and was as easy as any other morning.

I use a stove top espresso maker for my coffee. And I honestly think it's the best for my budget and my taste.

Depending on how much coffee I care to make, I'll either use a manual drip coffee maker for a single cup or a 4-5 cup French press. With all things being about equal (how easy each is to clean afterwards, the same type of beans, home-roasted, water just below a boil), I really prefer the French press, since the coffee seems to come out feeling slightly thicker and, as mentioned above, oilier. But there is definitely nothing wrong with drip brew - when it comes down to it, you just have to make sure you're using good coffee. :) Like others have said, it depends on your lifestyle (not to mention how much space you have in your kitchen)!

In our home, the french press method is SO much faster than the drip machine. We only use the drip machine if we are entertaining too many people and we can't get enough coffee out of the french press. Not sure how the french press is a fancy method.

I have a Chemex and a French press that's about 15 years old. I use the Chemex when I'm feeling lazy because it's so much easier to clean up! I have a diffuser ring that I put on my electric burners so I can keep the coffee hot over low heat.
The French press makes the best coffee, though it's a bit messy to clean up. Not bad, but not as easy as the Chemex. The press makes about 2 cups, but it doesn't have an attached bottom...it's just glass. It came with a plug in warmer that I lost years ago. It can also sit on the diffuser ring on my burners.

Either way...Chemex or French press. I'm not a drip (hee hee).

What about us poor tea drinkers?

I use a french press for a few reasons;
*I think it makes the coffee taste better & stronger
*I have no counter space
*Easier To clean
*No filters needed, so less waste
*And makes the perfect amount of coffee for my boyfriend and I in the morning

I'm intrested in the way they made coffee at the vietnamese place I went to the other day though, like a single serving drip coffee maker put on top the cup, anyone know?

I have a French press. I don't drink coffee every morning (I'm more of a tea girl), and I'm not a purist, so it works well for me. I heat up the water and then pour it over the grounds, and it sits (I do five minutes) while I make my eggs and toast. The rest goes into my awesome Thermos travel mug and stays hot for hours, and I drink it later! It's so much better than that dreadful drip coffee in the glass pot at work.

Even if I leave it in the pot, it stays hot for quite a long time, and that's just a regular glass carafe. Someone just gave me a second French press, with an insulated metal carafe, and I bet that's even better!

My parents use a percolator, which I haven't seen mentioned yet. I guess it's kind of outre, but they love it and they've been drinking it that way forever. I love the sound it makes - it's so comforting!

A method and product only hinted at thus far in the comments: cold-brewed coffee and a Toddy coffeemaker. You want convenience? Mix your coffee and water the night before, steep overnight, warm it in the morning. Ridiculously rich coffee with less acid, and only a slight hit to caffeine content. Now THAT is convenient.

I had a Cuisinart coffee on demand 12-cup programmable coffee maker. It only lasted me 2 years. When I was looking for a new coffee maker I decided to just try the French press. It's the best thing I could have done! It makes excellent coffee! I even used it for my Thanskgiving guests who wanted coffee with their dessert. And the French press was five times cheaper than the Cuisinart!

I have a vintage stovetop percolator and I LOVE it! Yes, it's a little more work than a drip coffee pot but the coffee tastes so much better. It doesn't really take that much more time either. I usually set my coffee up before I got to bed at night, then turn it on first thing in the morning, and by the time I'm out of the shower it's done!

In my dreary 5 a.m. state, I've often forgotten to put in the water to our programmable electric drip coffeemaker, so I've gotten in the habit of washing thermoses and filling in the water the night before and programming it to start at 5:30. Knowing that I have to grind the beans (I was given a burr grinder not long ago) and get them in before the timer sets keeps me from dawdling in the shower and keeps me moving in the morning.

I've always, always been turned off by French presses for the sludge and the time it takes to clean up afterwards, and my in-laws have switched to simple cone-and-filter over their glass stovetop. I'm tempted to take that method, but my husband insists that the Mr Coffee machine stays for mornings where he has to make the coffee. It's just easier that way. To me, it tastes just fine.

Want to get a toddy maker, though. Really want to.

I grew up with my father only using a Chemex for coffee, I thought it was the only way to make coffee. I will admit that I use a preset drip machine now because I don't always have the time to heat water for the Chemex, but I do miss how it tastes.

I use a chemex only. It's more aesthetically pleasing sitting on my counter than a drip machine, and since I usually only have time for one cup of coffee in the morning, it doesn't involve much extra time or effort beyond what a drip machine would require. I still enjoy drip coffee but for my at-home coffee consumption, it doesn't make sense.

The best coffee I've ever had was in my mom's old Corning Ware stove stop perculator. Her's broke years ago so my husband found an all stainless steel stove top perculator that makes up to 8 cups. It's delicious and whenever I have company they always compliment the coffee. Go perculator all the way!

@paigep: you can find these at some Asian supermarkets. They're quite inexpensive (I paid about $3 for mine) and kind of fun, particularly if you want a Vietnamese-style iced coffee. I haven't played with mine a lot, but generally found it a little fiddly and imprecise... the grind has to be quite coarse, and you control the drip rate (and thus the extraction) by tightening or loosening the compression on the whole thing. Kinda cool, though!

(this shows a pic of the device: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_iced_coffee)

I agree with most above: French press takes no additional effort over the measuring and waiting for auto drip, except that you have to stir it after a minute to make ensure even extraction. Big deal. I can make my bagel and arrange my lunch in the time it takes the French press to be done.

I have limited counter space but I have made a choice: I choose you, Electric Kettle! Unbeatable for boiling water for soup, pasta, blanching vegetables, tea, coffee, everything. *That* is the kind of automation I am on board with.

If you're concerned about over-extraction with French press, or about it getting cold, my advice is to decant the brewed coffee into another vessel. Pour some extra boiling water into a teapot, ceramic jug, whatever you've got, let it sit in there while your coffee brews, and then pour the water out before pouring the coffee in. Voila! When we have a lot of people over, I just use a larger teapot and make several French presses back-to-back. Obv this is not an issue in the rushed mornings, since you're just brewing and gulping, right?

(I can't speak to Chemex, but the easier clean-up certainly appeals to me. I may give it a go.)

A lot of people are mentioning the rush of the mornings, which I totally understand. But as someone who recently got rid of his drip coffeemaker, I will give this defense for taking MORE time:

Now (with either my espresso machine or the french press), coffee feels more like a ritual. I take five minutes to sit down and look out the window and I've discovered that I will gladly get up a few minutes earlier for the pleasure. I am also one of those people who is a zombie before my first cup-- but I think the anticipation makes it that much better.

I've never owned a drip machine. At first I couldn't afford the counter space for one, now I just prefer my moka pot. I use either the moka pot or the french press, and both work great. It doesn't take much longer (the french press is actually faster), and I prefer the coffee.