Caffettiera a Stantuffo, Cafetière, Coffee Plunger or French Press?

The very first French press. Mayer and Delforge 1852.

Whatever you call what we typically call the French Press in the U.S., you know the coffee maker we’re talking about.

The pot with the plunger you pour grinds into, add hot (or cold!) water and push down (or leave up) to make coffee. Somehow high-brow and yet plebeian at the same time - it’s timeless un-mucked with design adds a dimension of sophistication to your coffee ritual.

The origins of this coffee maker (like literally almost every coffee maker) are a bit blurry... because one idea goes to patent and then is improved by another inventor whose method goes to patent and with the trail of patents, naming conventions can get confusing.

The heredity of the French Press goes something like this... 

Bon Amie!

The first design for this style of brewer was patented in 1852 by the Frenchmen Mayer and Delforge. It didn’t have a seal inside the carafe (would have loved to hear that plunger work), which is subtle but significantly different then the models today. Still, all in all it was a very innovative solution.

Ciao!

It was not until 1928 in Italy that the first patents were registered by Attilio Calimani and Giulio Monet. Their invention, similar to the designs by Mayer and Delforge, was characterized as a “vessel adapted to contain a liquid, as f.i. water whereinto substance to be infused, as for instance coffee in powdered form is poured with a slidable filtering member having a fit sufficiently tight within said vessel in such a manner that, causing by suitable means the said member to slide towards the bottom of the vessel the infusion will be rapidly filtered to get it ready for use.” He said, she said, they said, we all said... this was a hell if a way to make coffee.

The “French Press” that most know and love came about when the French company Martin S.A. under the name Chambord started manufacturing their maker all the way up till the early 1990’s when Bodum bought out the company and the rights to produce its version of the French Press. Luckily Bodum didn’t change up the design of the Chambord so the classic design and materials has pretty much been the same for over 60 years.

What we love about the French Press is just how democratic it is, it’s at home on a workbench in a garage as well as on a barista’s teak counter top.