Glass or Steel? How to Choose the Best French Press

Mexico grows a lot of good coffee. Chiapas produces the most, followed by Veracruz, Puebla and Oaxaca, and Coffee Review’s tasting notes for Mexican coffees often mention chocolate and nuts. A French press suits that kind of coffee well: it steeps the grounds in the water, keeps the oils in the cup and makes a full-bodied pot with nothing more than a kettle.

Most presses look alike, but they differ in the things that matter: whether the pot keeps the coffee hot, how much grit gets through the filter, and whether the body is glass that can break. This guide sorts those differences out and names eight presses worth buying, from America’s Test Kitchen’s co-winners to a classic glass beaker and a plastic-free steel pot.

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Quick verdict: which French press to buy

Recall note: On October 29, 2026, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced recall 27-055, covering about 5.9 million Bodum French presses: 8-cup and 12-cup Bistro, Brazil, Caffettiera, Chambord, Crema, Java, Jesper and Kenya models with replaceable glass carafes, sold from 1974 through October 2026. CPSC says the carafe can unexpectedly break during use if it is damaged or cracked, including by use of a metal spoon to stir the coffee, posing a risk of serious burn injuries. CPSC lists the remedy as a repair: stop using metal spoons or utensils to stir coffee in the glass carafe immediately, and contact Bodum at 888-879-8213 to receive a plastic Bodum stirring spoon and a warning label. The label reminds owners not to use cracked or damaged carafes. Those are the sizes CPSC names. The Chambord we link holds 17 ounces, which is not one of them, and the steel Bodum Columbia is not a named model and has no glass carafe. The 34-ounce Chambord is an 8-cup press. The recall covers Bodum presses only; the other brands here are not part of it.

The details below explain why the filter and the walls of the pot matter more than the brand name on the side.

Five French presses compared

Our five standout picks side by side, one for each kind of coffee drinker, with the body and filter each maker or listing states. All eight French presses are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacities and materials are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing for the size you want.

Our picks for the best French press

These eight presses cover the real choices: glass you can see through or steel that keeps the heat, a plain mesh or a finer filter, and sizes from a two-cup pot to a 51-ounce family press. Each pick explains who it suits and one honest reason to skip it.

How to choose a French press for your kitchen

Five things decide whether a press suits you. Looks come last.

1. Glass or steel

Glass lets you watch the coffee, and borosilicate glass handles boiling water well, but it can crack if it is knocked or forced. America’s Test Kitchen found that uninsulated glass presses cooled in about 30 minutes, while insulated pots kept coffee drinkable for about an hour. If the pot sits on the table through breakfast, choose double-wall steel. If you pour it all at once, glass is fine.

2. The filter

A standard wire mesh lets oils and fine particles through, which gives French press coffee its body and also its sludge. Silicone-edged plungers, like the one ATK found on the 34-ounce Columbia, and multi-layer micro-filters, like Espro’s, hold back more of the fines. ATK notes that its tasters were split on whether that cleaner cup is better, so this is a matter of taste rather than right and wrong.

3. Size

Press sizes are often given in small “cups”: SterlingPro, for example, says its 34-ounce press makes up to eight cups or four mugs. A 34-ounce press is the common family size. Choose the 48-ounce Stanley or the 51-ounce Columbia if you regularly brew for four or more, and a smaller press if you mostly brew for one; a press works best when it is filled to its line.

4. The lid and spout

A spout that closes keeps heat in. ATK marked down presses with open spouts or lid slots, both because heat escapes and because hot coffee can slosh out near your hand. Wide openings make it easier to pour in water and scoop out the grounds.

5. Cleaning

Every press needs the plunger taken apart now and then, because grounds lodge between the screens. Single-mesh plungers rinse quickly; double baskets take longer. Check whether the maker says the press is dishwasher safe, and never pour spent grounds down the sink drain; tip them into the trash or compost, and use a fine-mesh strainer to catch what is left in the rinse water.

How we picked these eight presses

We started with what a Mexican kitchen asks of a coffee pot: a full-bodied cup from medium and dark roasts, enough coffee for a table, and a pot that survives daily use. We then narrowed the field to presses sold on Amazon in the United States and in stock when we checked, from makers who publish their materials and filter design. We used America’s Test Kitchen’s French press review for how the presses performed; where we cite heat retention or sediment, those are ATK’s findings or the maker’s own claims, and we say which. We have not brewed with every press on this list. We left out a Le Creuset stoneware press because we could not find a statement from the maker that its glaze is lead-free, and we left out near-identical steel presses from sellers who publish little about them. Secura’s stainless steel press is a reasonable alternative to the Mueller if it is unavailable. If you look at other glass Bodum presses, check the size against the recall note at the top of this page first.

How to brew good French press coffee

1. Grind coarse. Stanley recommends a medium-coarse grind; a coarse, even grind keeps fines out of the cup and lets the plunger move freely. Coffee ground for drip machines is finer than a press needs.
2. Measure. Frieling suggests two tablespoons of ground coffee per cup. Once you find a strength you like, weigh it so you can repeat it.
3. Use water just off the boil. Let the kettle rest a moment after boiling, then pour over the grounds and stir. In a glass carafe, use a wooden or plastic spoon, not metal: CPSC’s Bodum recall says a carafe can break during use if it is damaged or cracked, including by use of a metal spoon to stir the coffee.
4. Steep about four minutes. Stir or break the crust of grounds before pressing, as ATK recommends, with the same wooden or plastic spoon if the carafe is glass, then press slowly and evenly. Forcing the plunger can spill coffee or crack a glass beaker.
5. Pour it all. Coffee left in the press keeps steeping on the grounds below the filter, so pour it into cups or a thermal carafe straight away.

For café de olla, the spiced coffee traditionally made in a clay pot with piloncillo and cinnamon, you can steep a stick of cinnamon with the grounds and stir piloncillo syrup into the pressed coffee in your mug. It is not the same as the olla, but it is close on a weekday morning. On hot days, pour pressed coffee over a tray of coffee ice cubes so it does not water down; our guide to the best ice cube trays covers trays with lids that keep freezer smells out.

French press questions, answered

What is the best kind of French press: glass or stainless steel?

Stainless steel for most homes, because it keeps coffee hot and cannot shatter. Glass is fine if you drink the pot right away and like watching the brew. ATK’s two co-winners are both insulated steel presses, and its Best Buy is the glass Chambord in the 34-ounce size, an 8-cup press covered by the CPSC recall noted at the top of this page.

Which French press makes coffee with the least sediment?

The Espro P7, with its dual-layer micro-filter, followed by presses with a silicone-edged plunger such as the 34-ounce Bodum Columbia ATK tested. A coarse, even grind matters as much as the filter.

What do reviewers like Wirecutter, Serious Eats and America’s Test Kitchen recommend?

We read America’s Test Kitchen’s review, which names the Stanley 48-ounce and the Bodum Columbia as co-winners, the 34-ounce Bodum Chambord as its Best Buy (an 8-cup press, now in the CPSC recall noted at the top of this page) and the Espro P7 as best for a cleaner cup. We were not able to read the current Wirecutter and Serious Eats guides, so we do not quote them.

Is the Bodum Chambord recalled?

CPSC recall 27-055, announced October 29, 2026, covers 8-cup and 12-cup Chambord models with replaceable glass carafes, among other named Bodum models. The 17-ounce Chambord on this page is not one of the sizes CPSC names. If you own a covered press, stop stirring with metal and contact Bodum at 888-879-8213 for the plastic stirring spoon and warning label.

Is a French press good for everyday use?

Yes. It needs only hot water, has no paper filters to buy and few parts to wear out. The daily work is rinsing the plunger and emptying the grounds, which takes a minute.

Can you make cold brew in a French press?

Yes. Espro and Stanley both say their presses work for cold coffee. Steep coarse grounds in cold water in the refrigerator, then press and pour off the coffee. Keep it chilled and follow the maker’s instructions for how long to keep it.

Our final word on French presses

Buy the Bodum Columbia if you want one press that keeps coffee hot, serves the whole table and cannot break. Choose the 17-ounce Bodum Chambord if you like glass and drink the pot straight away, the Espro P7 if sediment is what puts you off, and the Stanley if you brew for a crowd. Whichever you choose, grind coarse, steep about four minutes and pour it all once it is pressed.

A French press pot also makes a fine vessel for Mexican hot chocolate when the coffee is done; see our guide to the best Mexican hot chocolate for the tablets worth buying, and our page on what to drink with Mexican food for what to pour alongside dinner.

More coffee gear we’ve covered: coffee makers, coffee grinders, espresso machines, single-serve coffee makers, pour-over drippers, cold brew makers, milk frothers, coffee mugs, espresso grinders, travel mugs.

On a budget? See our guide to the best value French presses.

Want the body without the grit? See our guide to French press alternatives.

Related guide: French press vs pour over.

And if you would rather someone else made breakfast, see the menu or call to order.