We reveal the best cafetieres and French presses for keeping coffee grounds out of your brew and the easiest ones to press and clean
A cafetiere (also known as a French press) makes drinking delicious coffee easy without the need to go out to a coffee shop. But which cafetiere is best? We originally tested cafetieres in January 2021 and have tested more in January 2022. We bought 16 popular cafetieres from brands including Bodum, John Lewis, Kitchen Craft, Le Creuset, ProCook and VonShef, to find out which ones are most effective at filtering out coffee grounds, and which are the easiest to press, pour and clean. Overall, we found most of them pretty good, but there were a few that stood head and shoulders above the rest to earn our Best Buy recommendation. See our full results below to find out which cafetieres came out top in our tough tests. Prices and availability last checked 7 March 2022.
The best cafetieres and French presses from our test
Best Buy: Bodum Chambord
Cheapest price: £22 at Amazon, also available at Bodum, John Lewis, Ocado
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Glass
Sizes available: 350ml, 500ml, 1,000ml, 1,500ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes (beaker and frame only)
Pros: Easy to press, pour, and clean, excellent filtration
Cons: Nothing major
Our verdict: We can’t fault the Bodum Chambord. It soared to the top in every one of our tests. When pressed it glides down smoothly without incident and the handle is comfortable and cool to hold when pouring. The pour itself is precise and clean.
The filter screen in the press worked brilliantly for us, filtering out all but a few tiny bits of sediment that you won’t notice until you get to the very bottom of your mug. We had no issues cleaning it, either. It’s very easy to take apart, and the filter screen is smooth with no sharp edges. It won’t keep your coffee hot for longer than a stainless steel cafetiere, but it was better at this than most of the other glass cafetieres we tested.
Best Buy: Bodum Kenya
Cheapest price: £13.02 at Amazon, also available at Bodum, Dunelm (out of stock), Ocado, Robert Dyas
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Glass/plastic
Sizes available: 350ml, 500ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: 7g plastic coffee scoop
Pros: Easy to press and pour, excellent filtration
Cons: Beaker can’t be separated from casing for cleaning
Our verdict: A very close second to the Chambord, and much cheaper to buy, we think the Bodum Kenya is a fantastic cafetiere well choosing. We couldn’t find any problems when using it. Once our coffee was ready to drink, the press went down easily and it poured our coffee precisely, with no rogue drips or splashes.
The filter also worked magnificently. We only found a tiny bit of sediment had crept through, with the larger grounds kept firmly below the press while we poured. The loss of heat from this cafetiere was similar to that of the Bodum Chambord. Not bad, but nowhere near as good at keeping in the heat as stainless steel cafetieres. The only slight drawback with this cafetiere is when cleaning it. We didn’t find it a terribly difficult task, but it’s a shame the glass beaker can’t be separated from the plastic casing. If it could, it would make cleaning much more straightforward. It also can’t go in the dishwasher, so avoiding hand-washing isn’t an option. Despite these minor issues, we were still delighted overall with the Bodum Kenya, which is why we’re happy to make it a Best Buy.
Best Buy: Coffee Gator Cafetiere Coffee Maker
Cheapest price: £37.99 at Amazon
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Stainless steel
Sizes available: 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Accessories included: Coffee storage pot
Pros: Easy to press, pour, and clean, good filtration, excellent heat retention
Cons: Nothing major
Our verdict: Some prefer more durable stainless steel cafetieres over glass or plastic, and we think the Coffee Gator is the best stainless steel cafetiere you can buy right now. Preparing, pressing and pouring our coffee couldn’t have been easier when using the Gator. It also has a few extra helpful touches, such as a maximum fill line on the inside, and an arrow on the lid to help ensure you have it facing the right way when it’s time to pour.
Stainless steel cafetieres generally don’t filter out coffee grounds and sediment as effectively as glass ones do, but the Gator is the only one we tested that came close. Only a tiny amount made it’s way through the press, so you’re unlikely to notice any bitter bits when drinking your coffee. The thick, insulated walls of this cafetiere also made it the best we tested for keeping your coffee hot. Overall, despite not quite matching the filtration quality of our other Best Buys, we think the Gator is still one of the best there is.
Best Buy: Le Creuset Stoneware Coffee Press
Cheapest price: £44, at John Lewis, also available at Le Creuset
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Stoneware
Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Accessories included: None
Pros: Easy to press and clean, excellent filtration
Cons: Poor heat retention
Our verdict: Le Creuset’s cafetiere was the most expensive cafetiere we tested, and we’d say it’s worth the money. We couldn’t fault it for how easy it was to press, however, we did find it could pour messily if you tried to fill your cup too quickly.
The filtration was excellent. As can be seen from the above picture, we couldn’t spot any grounds and only a tiny amount of sediment had escaped through the press. This was the only stoneware cafetiere we tested, so we can’t comment on how well these types of cafetieres retain heat generally, but this one was one of the worst we tested for keeping coffee hot. It was brilliantly straightforward to clean, though. Overall, it may not be perfect, but Le Creuset’s cafetiere has got it where it really counts – easy to use and fantastic filtration. That’s why it’s a Best Buy.
How the rest of the cafetieres fared
Here are the results of the other cafetieres we tested, listed alphabetically.
Asda George Home Double Walled Stainless Steel Cafetiere
Cheapest price: £12 at Asda
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Stainless steel
Sizes available: 350ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Accessories included: None
Pros: Excellent heat retention, easy to pour and clean
Cons: Poor filtration, tough to press
Our verdict: Although some way behind our overall favourites, we think Asda’s cheap-and-cheerful steel cafetiere has plenty going for it. It kept our coffee warmer for longer than any of the glass cafetieres we tested, and for about 30 minutes it was just as good at retaining heat as the other stainless steel ones we reviewed. Afterwards it did drift 1 or 2°C below the others, but that’s not a major gap.
We were pleased with how cleanly this cafetiere poured, but it needed much more effort to press than the glass cafetieres we tested.
There weren’t too many coffee grounds that slipped through the press, but we did spot quite a lot of sediment. If you like a cleanly filtered coffee, we think you can do better than this one, but it’s not a bad cafetiere by any means.
Bodum Caffettiera
Cheapest price: £12.60 at Amazon, also available at Bodum, Robert Dyas
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Glass
Sizes available: 350ml, 500ml, 1,000ml, 1,500ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes (beaker and frame only)
Accessories included: 7g coffee scoop
Pros: Easy to pour and clean
Cons: Average filtration
Our verdict: Bodum’s Caffettiera is a good cafetiere, but if you’re buying a Bodum we’d recommend going for the Best Buy Chambord or Kenya over this one. We found the Caffettiera mostly easy to press, although towards the bottom it needed a bit more of a push. Like the Chambord, though, it was a delight to pour and was as straightforward to clean as you could expect a cafetiere to be.
Although there wasn’t much sediment, quite a few grounds slipped through the press on the Caffettiera. It wasn’t the worst for this of those we tested, but you may find yourself picking one or two grounds out of your mug. In terms of heat retention, the Caffettiera cooled at almost exactly the same rate as the Chambord, which wasn’t bad but a far reach from the insulating qualities of a stainless steel cafetiere.
Cafe Du Chateau French Press Coffee Maker
Cheapest price: £23.95 at Amazon
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Glass Sizes available: 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: Spare filter screen
Pros: Easy to press and pour, good filtration
Cons: Filter screen has sharp edges, tricky to clean
Our verdict: The Cafe Du Chateau cafetiere did well in most of our tests, but we had a couple of issues cleaning it which ultimately led to it missing out on our recommendation. It’s a large glass cafetiere that sits in a stainless steel base. The press also has two filter screens in it instead of one, providing an extra layer to catch coffee grounds and sediment.
The filter worked well for us, but there were still a few grounds that escaped through the press, so it didn’t quite match up to our Best Buys. We had no problems pressing it, though, and pouring it was also straightforward despite becoming a little messy towards the end. It was a little frustrating to clean, though. Taking apart the press for cleaning was tricky, as the top of the press was prone to coming loose instead of the filters at the bottom. The filter screens have sharp edges, so make sure to wear washing-up gloves when cleaning it. Thanks to its large size it retained heat well over the course of an hour in our tests, but it didn’t match the insulating qualities of the stainless steel cafetieres.
Great Value: Habitat Cafetiere – Black
Cheapest price: £7.50 at Argos, Habitat, Sainsbury’s
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Glass/plastic
Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: 7g plastic coffee scoop
Pros: Easy to pour, excellent filtration
Cons: Can be tough to press, beaker can’t be separated from casing for cleaning
Our verdict: It isn’t perfect, but Habitat’s cafetiere is superb for filtering out coffee grounds, and a good overall performance combined with such a low price earns it our Great Value recommendation. We found it mostly easy to press, but when the press was fully raised we noticed the lid didn’t sit comfortably and the filter was caught in the lid. Pouring it was also fine for the most part, but it got a little messy when pouring out the dregs.
The filter worked brilliantly in our tests, though. As you can see from the image above, barely anything escaped through the press. Cleaning it was easy, but it was a little frustrating not to be able to separate the glass beaker from the plastic casing. Similar to many other glass cafetieres we tested, there isn’t too much to shout about with this one in terms of heat retention. After an hour, the coffee inside was about half as hot as it was at the beginning.
Great Value: John Lewis & Partners Anyday Cafetiere
Cheapest price: £7 at John Lewis
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Glass/plastic Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: 7g plastic coffee scoop
Pros: Easy to pour, excellent filtration
Cons: Can be tough to press, beaker can’t be separated from casing for cleaning
Our verdict: Despite one or two niggles around pressing and cleaning, overall we think John Lewis’s Anyday Cafetiere is worth buying, especially when it costs so little. The filter got slightly caught in the lid when we first started the press, but after that initial hiccup it was smooth and easy. We also had no major issues pouring the coffee, but it did get a tad messy when pouring out the last drops.
In terms of filtration, it worked superbly for us. We couldn’t spot any grounds that had escaped through the press, and there was only a tiny amount of sediment. We didn’t have trouble cleaning it, either, although it would be an easier task if the glass beaker could be separated from the plastic casing. Following the trend of the glass cafetieres we tested, this one isn’t great for keeping coffee warm for a long time. If heat retention is important to you, you’re probably better off looking at stainless steel options.
John Lewis & Partners Double Wall Stainless Steel Coffee Press
Cheapest price: £25, available at John Lewis
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Stainless steel
Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Accessories included: None
Pros: Excellent heat retention, easy to clean
Cons: Poor filtration, tough to press
Our verdict: John Lewis’s stainless steel cafetiere was a bit of a mixed bag for us. It’s one of the best we tested for keeping your coffee warm, but it had a few issues that kept it from being a Best Buy.
It took noticeably more effort to press than the glass cafetieres, which was something we noticed among several stainless steel cafetieres we tested. When pouring, the stream of coffee was unpredictable. There wasn’t a specific point on the spout that the coffee poured out of, so it was prone to changing direction. We had no problems cleaning it, though.
As you can see from the image above, this was one of the worst cafetieres we tested for filtration. We were disappointed to see that a lot of sediment and grounds had slipped through the press. It’s great for keeping coffee warm, though. The insulated walls did a good job of preventing too much heat from escaping over the hour we monitored its temperature. If your priority is keeping coffee hot and you don’t mind a few bits floating around in it, this could well be a solid choice for you. It’s no match for the Best Buy Coffee Gator, though.
KitchenCraft Le’Xpress Deluxe
Cheapest price: £15.22, available at Amazon
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Glass
Sizes available: 350ml, 500ml, 700ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes (beaker and frame only)
Accessories included: 7g plastic coffee scoop
Pros: Easy to pour, excellent filtration
Cons: Filter screen has spiky edges, tough to press
Our verdict: We liked the KitchenCraft Le’Xpress Deluxe, but we had a couple of quibbles with it that made it fall short of our Best Buy recommendation.
The filter screen was prone to getting caught between the lid and the beaker when we pressed it. It poured perfectly with no mess, though, and it was easy to clean despite a few sharp points we found on the filter screen that can prick you if you aren’t wearing washing-up gloves.
The filter was superb for separating the coffee grounds from the coffee. Only a few small sediment particles could be found after we poured the coffee. This was also the best glass cafetiere for keeping your coffee warm. It can’t compete with the stainless steel cafetieres, but it was one of the only glass ones that managed to keep the coffee above 50°C after sitting out for an hour.
La Cafetiere Monaco
Cheapest price: £17.39, available at Amazon
Date tested: January 2021
Pros: Easy to pour, excellent filtration
Cons: Poor heat retention, filter screen has sharp edges
Type: Glass Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes (beaker and frame only)
Accessories included: None
Our verdict: This cafetiere was pretty good at everything, apart from heat retention, so we can’t recommend it. We didn’t have much trouble pressing it, but it tended to jerk down rather than gliding down at a consistent, smooth pace. It poured cleanly, but the lid hangs loosely and looks like it might fall off as you tip it to pour out the last drop of coffee. The filter screen has sharp points that can prick you if you aren’t careful, but apart from that we had no issues cleaning it.
Filtration was where the Monaco really impressed us. We couldn’t spot any coffee grounds, and hardly any sediment escaped through the filter screen. This was, however, the worst glass cafetiere overall for keeping your coffee hot. Over the first 10 minutes, it cooled at a similar rate to the other glass cafetieres, but after 20 minutes it had dropped by at least 2°C more than the others.
ProCook Satin Stainless Steel Double Walled Cafetiere
Cheapest price: £21, available at ProCook, also available at Amazon (out of stock)
Date tested: January 2021
Type: Stainless steel
Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: Yes
Accessories included: None
Pros: Easy to pour and clean, excellent heat retention
Cons: Poor filtration, tough to press
Our verdict: Although great for keeping your coffee hot, we didn’t find ProCook’s cafetiere good enough overall to earn our recommendation. It was the toughest cafetiere to press of those we tested, needing an undue amount of effort to push down before pouring. When pouring, the coffee came out sooner than expected but it was nonetheless even and smooth, and we also had no issues cleaning it.
We spotted that a few grounds and a fair amount of sediment had escaped through the press. The bar for filtration was set high by the best cafetieres, so although the ProCook wasn’t terrible, the gap in quality was clear.
Robert Dyas Plastic Cafetiere
Cheapest price: £6.99 at Robert Dyas
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Glass/plastic
Sizes available: 350ml, 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: None
Pros: Easy to press
Cons: Poor filtration, messy pour, beaker can’t be separated from casing for cleaning
Our verdict: We found this Robert Dyas cafetiere easy to press and clean, but we couldn’t find too many other positives. Pouring it was a messy experience, as the spout is prone to drips.
Sadly this cafetiere didn’t do a good job of filtering, either. Although not many grounds crept through, a lot of coffee sediment escaped through the press. Cleaning it was straightforward, but some may find it frustrating that the beaker can’t be taken out of the plastic casing. It’s also not dishwasher safe, so there’s no avoiding the chore of washing by hand.
Robert Dyas Stainless Steel Cafetiere
Cheapest price: £20.99 at Robert Dyas
Date tested: January 2022
Type: Stainless steel
Sizes available: 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: None
Pros: Easy to press, excellent heat retention
Cons: Average filtration, messy pour
Our verdict: Robert Dyas’s Stainless Steel Cafetiere is great for keeping your coffee warm, but it didn’t quite impress enough in other key areas to earn our recommendation. Pressing it was easy in our tests, but when pouring we found the flow of coffee difficult to predict. It would often change direction slightly, which heightens the chances of it spilling.
Most stainless steel cafetieres struggle to effectively filter out all the coffee granules and sediment, and although this one wasn’t bad at it, there was still a fair amount that slipped through. Cleaning it was mostly straightforward, but collapsing the filter proved a little frustrating as the handle at top of the press was prone to coming loose instead of the filter.
VonShef French Press
Cheapest price £16.99, available at VonHaus, also available at Amazon
Date tested: January 2021
Our verdict: We were mostly pleased with VonShef’s French Press, with just a few minor issues preventing it from being one of our top performers. We had no problems with pressing or pouring it, but when it came to cleaning we found it quite tricky to disassemble, and the filter screen has some spiky points that can prick you if you aren’t careful.
The filtration was good but not great, with a smattering of coffee grounds and sediment managing to escape the press. This is a 1,000ml cafetiere, so its heat retention results can’t be compared directly with the 350ml cafetieres we tested, but when filled to capacity the rate at which it cooled down was similar to the smaller stainless steel cafetieres. This shows that larger cafetieres should be filled up fully to help them stay hotter for longer.
Pros: Easy to press and pour, good filtration
Cons: Tricky to clean
Type: Glass
Sizes available: 1,000ml
Dishwasher safe: No
Accessories included: None
How do you make coffee in a cafetiere?
Cafetieres combine ground coffee and hot water to brew fresh coffee. You can buy pre-ground coffee, or you can grind the coffee beans yourself using a coffee grinder, which makes for a much fresher brew. See our picks of the best coffee grinders.
How do you use a cafetiere?
Follow these four simple steps to make your perfect brew: Load up your ground coffee into the cafetiere. If you’re unsure how much to use, 7g of ground coffee for every 120-150ml of water should work as a rough guide. Pour your hot, but not boiling, water into the cafetiere and put the lid on with the press raised to start brewing. After about four minutes of brewing, gently push the press down to separate the coffee granules from the coffee. Pour the coffee into your mug and add any milk or sugar as preferred.
How long should you leave a cafetiere?
Rather like how long you should leave your tea bag in for, this question has a different answer depending on who you ask.
Four minutes is the generally accepted amount of time people let their cafetieres brew for before pressing, and is how long we left each cafetiere to brew for in our tests.
If you prefer your coffee to be milder, let it brew for less time, and if you like your coffee stronger and more bitter you can leave it for longer.
Be careful not to leave it for too long, though.
Once you go past the four-minute mark you risk over-extracting the coffee, which gives you a very bitter brew that most people will find unpleasant to drink.
Five things we learned testing cafetieres
1. Size doesn’t matter
We bought the 1,000ml version of one of the 350ml cafetieres to see if we could spot any major differences in how well they worked. When using the same amount of ground coffee and hot water in each we couldn’t spot any major differences.
2. Stainless steel cafetieres keep coffee hotter for longer
Stainless steel cafetieres are popular for keeping your coffee insulated, and our heat retention tests confirmed that they’re effective. The stainless steel cafetieres cooled more slowly than any of the other cafetieres we tested. The best stainless steel cafetiere for heat retention lost less than half the heat in the first 10 minutes than the worst glass cafetiere did.
3. Filled cafetieres also keep coffee hotter for longer
We measured the rate that the temperature of each cafetiere dropped over one hour, and discovered that a 1,000ml cafetiere containing 350ml of coffee cooled down faster than a fully filled 350ml cafetiere. However, a fully filled 1,000ml cafetiere retained heat for longer than a fully filled 350ml cafetiere, so whatever the size of your cafetiere you should fill it up to capacity to keep it warmer for longer.
4. Stainless steel cafetieres take the most effort to press
Although there were one or two exceptions, we found most commonly in stainless steel cafetieres that extra effort was required to press them . Anyone who is concerned about how much effort they will need to press down their cafetiere should bear this in mind when choosing.
5. Wear washing up gloves to avoid spiky filter screens
It’s important to take apart the press when cleaning, as coffee granules can get wedged between the various parts, but the metal mesh filter screen can have sharp edges.
Take care when washing the mesh and wear washing-up gloves to reduce your chances of pricking yourself on the sharp bits. Prefer to go for a full-size bean-to-cup coffee machine? Compare our coffee machine reviews.
