REVIEW – Look at my fancy coffee maker! The PINKAH Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker is a contemporary take on the French Press design that features an innovative leakproof pouring mechanism and a double-walled design that keeps your beverages hot for hours. We love all the coffee things, so let’s learn more. To the review!.
What is it?
It’s an insulated french press that can be used for hot coffee, tea, or cold brew. Available in black or stainless steel exterior.
Tech specs
Click to expand
32 ounce capacity
9.25″ tall by 4.60 wide caraffe, 7.75″ wide with handle
18/8 stainless steel double walled construction
Design and features
The PINKAH French Press Coffee Maker rocks a clean, contemporary design that’s begs to be displayed on your counter. I particularly like the black-on-black design of my test model. Metal and plastic are the main components in the body, but the handle boasts a subtle woodgrain pattern that elevates the look.
Do not be fooled by the prettiness, however! This French press is designed for use as a daily driver with beefy plastic hardware and a stainless steel body.
Access to the innards is achieved by pinching the two spring-loaded tabs on either side of the center post. A squeeze releases the internal clips and the center stack slides up and out to load the press.
The ultra fine mesh filter is housed in a durable plastic frame and has a rubber gasket to keep grounds from making their way back into your coffee after plunging. This filter also unscrews from the center post for thorough cleaning.
You’ll also find this little foot under the lid. This is part of the sealing mechanism for the pour spout. Note that it sports another thick rubber gasket similar to the rest of the build.
The seal is activated by pushing that little spring-loaded button in front of the spout. In the up position it seals the spout (first pic below), and in the down position it remains open (second pic below). Push the button and you’ll hear a click as it locks into either position.
There’s a max fill line clearly marked on the inside of the chamber. A double wall insulated design coupled with all those thick gaskets keeps your hot beverages hot for hours.
A hefty knob allows for easy management during the brewing process with one handed operation.
I did find that the mesh filter pushes all the way down to the bottom of the chamber which is great for some applications (like frothing milk), but your plunger will stick up a bit if you’ve loaded coffee grounds in there as shown below.
Performance
I’ve been using the PINKAH Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker daily for about four weeks now, and I’ve been super impressed with the performance. The max fill line is actually very helpful for making sure you don’t overflow your press. I’ve done it, and some liquid will leak out the top of the lid at the point where the plunger connects with the lid.
The generous chamber opening allows for easy deployment of the grounds from my grinder’s container.
I like my coffee heavy, so I usually use approximately 40 grams of beans for what amounts to about 30 ounces of coffee. I have a Baratza Encore for my grinder which I set to the 16 setting, which is finer than a typical french press grind.
After a bit of testing I have found my favorite method for the French press. I like to set my kettle to 205 degrees. I’ll wet the grounds down and let them bloom for 30 seconds, then fill the chamber with water and stir. I then set a four minute brew time before plunging.
Once I’ve plunged the press, I have found that the coffee will stay hot for quite some time. The manufacturer states up to 8 hours, but that’s pushing it based on my experience. I usually brew a pot around 8:00 on the morning, and the contents will be hot until around noon. Once you get past that the coffee will still be warm at the 5-6 hour mark, but not hot.
The design of the spout built into the side of the chamber coupled with the excellent seal design makes for easy use and coffee deployment. There’s no random leaking of coffee or possible burnt fingers from hot liquids or steam. It’s a very clever and safe design that keeps the hot beverages where they need to be. The pistol-grip style handle is also very nice. It feels good and is easy to grab and maneuver from multiple angles.
I’ve also found that the fine mesh screen and tight-fitting gaskets keep sediment out of my cup. You’ll get a little bit of stuff –you always do with a French press, especially as you get to the last drops — but the amount of sediment is a low lower than what I see from my “traditional” Bodum French press.
I also found cleanup to be very easy, with durable parts that hold up well to scrubbing. Hand wash only, though!
What I like about PINKAH Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker
- Beautiful display-worthy design
- Excellent usability
- Designed for daily use with excellent construction
- Keeps your coffee warm for 4 hours +
What needs to be improved?
- No major flaws to date
Final thoughts
I’ve had a “traditional” Bodum Chambord French press for years but I usually only bring it out for special occasions. It can be a bit messy, and works best when serving multiple guests at one time. The PINKAH Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker has changed my coffee habits. The overall usability, leakproof deployment, and insulated design make it ideal as a daily driver. I’ll make a pot in the morning and get three good 10 ounce cups (my daily allowance) to carry me through to the early afternoon. It’s a great little design. Now we’ll see how it holds up in long term testing.
Price: $54.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by PINKAH. PINKAH did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
