Is a press type coffee maker worth the upgrade?

Anything that reduces the contact between your coffee grounds and the water you use to extract the coffee will impact on the flavour.

So a drip filter will capture some of the essential oils from coffee and stop them reaching your cup. On the other hand, you can also get a smoother flavour, without the coffee grounds you will often find in the bottom of your cup after a french press (or plunger coffee as it's known in other parts of the world).

If you are fussy about your coffee, and you are looking to upgrade without the expense of an espresso machine, why not look into a stove top or turkish coffee maker? If you already have a grinder, you simply grind the beans finer, put them in the stove top with water, and put it over heat on the stove. The result is as close as you can get to espresso (rich, strong, pure) without buying a machine. And they're not at all expensive, you can buy one in a department store for less than $30.

There is a page of coffee tips at http://www.roastandpost.com.au/pages.php?pageid=19

I happen to like the coffee made with the French press - compared to a drip coffee maker. But you are already starting with, what I think, is a great way to make coffee already. You can control the temp of the water just like with the press, and I think that goes a long way in getting the right extraction.

I think the only thing you may gain by going to the press is you can control how long the coffee is in direct contact with the water - and choose to plunge the filter when you find the extraction is at it's best for your taste.

One thing I learned is to decant the coffee into a hot carafe after you plunge (if you are making more than what you will pour at one time). If you don't do that - the pressed coffee ground sit at the bottom of the press and will eventually turn the coffee bitter from over extraction. Of course -the press doesn't heat so if you were to leave the coffee in the press it would soon get cold.

The press is a great way to make coffee - you might want to pick up one second hand and give it a try. I'm thinking the improvement over the coffee cone won't be as great as it is over the drip coffee makers.

Enjoy!

Paper will absorb a lot of the natural oils in coffee, oils that carry a LOT of flavor. You can up-grade to the french press or try using a SWISS GOLD cone filter without a paper insert which will give you a good cup also. It is used almost the same way as the MELITTA using a pour over method of brewing.

Can't lose with either choice.

If you go French press you want to use a bigger one since they are more of a hassle to clean. I think the cone is a lot easier to use and the coffee is just as good. The French press is more impressive though for company.