The Best French Press Coffee Makers for the Perfect Morning Cup (2026)
There’s a coffee brewing method for every kind of coffee drinker out there. And somewhere between pour-over and those large-capacity carafes from countertop drip coffee makers lies the French press coffee maker. French presses offer simple, analog, and versatile brewing — essentially, if you can boil water, you can make good coffee. When paired with fresh whole beans, a fine-tunable coffee grinder, and a coffee scale, you’ll be able to dial in on your perfect couple of cups.
- Best French press overall: Espro P7
- Best inexpensive French press: Espro P3
- Best large-capacity French press: Yeti 64 oz. French press
- Another great thermal French press: Zojirushi Fresh Brew
How to brew French press coffee
French press brewing offers rich, bold coffee by simply steeping the coffee grounds in just-under boiling water (usually 195° to 200ºF) for several minutes, then plunging a filter down to contain the grounds before pouring a fresh cup of coffee.
- Step 1: Measure out your grounds and add them to the press.
- Step 2: Heat your (measured, ideally) water, pour it over the grounds, and stir.
- Step 3: Wait a few minutes.
- Step 4: Push down the filter.
- Step 5: Pour and enjoy your coffee.
Why use a French press?
A French press just might be the most economical coffee-making option out there: You can generally brew as much or as little as you like, and it creates very little waste (no paper filters, plastic pods, or other bespoke gear necessary). French presses come in a variety of sizes, from one or two servings all the way up to (in our list below) 64 ounces. They’re especially good for weekend drinkers of brewed coffee who may get their caffeine fix from an office or barista most days and don’t need or want a machine cluttering up their countertops. While they’re sometimes a pain to clean (they’re one-and-done brewing, so second batches require a full reset), it’s a small trade off for a pretty foolproof way to make great coffee.
If you’re truly all about one-cup-at-a-time coffee, you have single-serve coffee makers and other manual methods like pour-over and the Aeropress to choose from instead. Plus, we’re talking full cups of coffee here, not shots of espresso for which you’ll want an espresso machine or Nespresso pods for something espresso-ish. But for the perfect nexus of volume and quality, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better method than French press.
In this story
More on our top picks
How we tested French presses
What makes a good French press
Other French presses I liked
French presses I don't recommend
The best French press coffee maker overall: Espro P7
Espro P7 French Press
Amazon
Espro
- Best-in-class filtration
- Effective insulation
- Expensive
Pros and cons
Pros
- Best in class filter system
- Thanks to that filter system you can take advantage of the insulation in the carafe
Cons
- Insulation is good, but not the best tested
Specs
Size: 6.7" x 4.6" x 10.1"
Weight: 2.7 lb.
Material: Stainless steel
Capacity: 32 oz., 18 oz.
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
Espro’s top-of-the-line French press is our favorite for many reasons, but none more so than its carefully thought out filtration and extraction system.
What we love: The dirty secret of many cheap French presses out there is that their mesh filters aren’t one-way, meaning if you let your hot water and coffee grounds sit together for too long, you’ll get a bitter, gritty, over-extracted coffee that you absolutely don’t want. So, generally speaking, you’re supposed to serve or decant your brewed coffee after the timer goes off. You may wonder, isn’t the point of an insulated French press so that you can keep your unpoured coffee hot inside it? If it’s Espro’s P7 (or the Yeti, below), the answer is yes. Espro’s filtration system offers two separate layers of mesh, plus a double silicone seal around the edge, effectively keeping the brewed coffee and spent grounds totally separate once the plunger has been pushed down. This means the double-wall, vacuum-sealed, stainless steel body of this French press can actually function as a serving vessel, keeping your coffee warm throughout the morning without ruining the coffee inside. The plunger apparatus (and lid, which features yet another slotted filter) come apart and go back together easily, and all parts are dishwasher safe. It’s available in 18- and 32-ounce options, and it comes in six colors to meet your aesthetic needs.
What we'd leave: While insulated, it doesn’t retain heat all that long, hitting room temperature after less than two hours. For most morning coffee drinkers—or if you’re sharing your coffee with someone else—this likely won’t be a problem. We had slightly better heat retention results with the Yeti French press.
The best inexpensive French press: Espro P3
Espro P3 French Press
Amazon
Espro
- Best-in-class filtration
- Feels a little flimsy
Pros and cons
Pros
- Same excellent filter system as the top pick for much less money
Cons
- Has a cheaper feel fitting its glass and plastic parts
Specs
Size: 6.1" x 4.3" x 9.5"
Weight: 1.8 lb.
Material: Borosilicate glass and BPA-free polypropylene
Capacity: 32 oz., 18 oz.
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
With the P3 you get the fantastic filtration system of the P7, but for less than a third of the price. You do give up that insulated carafe though.
What we love: According to Espro, the thick glass used in this French press is the same borosilicate glass used in scientific beaker. And, for what it’s worth, it is nice to actually see your brewing coffee at a glance, something their insulated press doesn't allow. If you usually make coffee and immediately pour it into a mug or travel tumbler, then this more traditional-looking French press for under $40 is hard to beat.
What we'd leave: The plastic frame, while lightweight, feels and looks cheaper than the Espro P7, as its lower price tag might suggest. Because of its blasé looks and the fact that it only comes in black, we’d be less thrilled about giving this a permanent home on our countertop. (For something more polished but still color-limited, consider the shinier, stainless steel Espro P5.)
The best large-capacity French press: Yeti 64 Oz. French Press
Yeti 64 Oz French Press
Amazon
Yeti
- Excellent filtration
- Excellent insulation
- Durable enough to use outdoors
- A little unwieldy to pour from
Pros and cons
Pros
- Great filter system
- Good heat retention
Cons
- Quite heavy
- Only available in one XL size
Specs
Size: 7.1" x 10.1"
Weight: 3.7 lb.
Material: Stainless steel with ceramic lining,
Capacity: 64 oz., 34 oz.
Warranty: 5 years
As the brand has continued to branch out from its core of excellent (but expensive) coolers, Yeti has created a number of top performing, durable pieces of gear, including this huge French press.
What we love: I like Yeti’s take on the French press for many of the same reasons I do the Espro P7. Similar to Yeti’s travel coffee mugs, it features vacuum-insulated, double-walled stainless steel construction which keeps coffee hot long enough that you don't need to suck down all 64 ounces (!) in one sitting (similar to the Espro P7, we found it gave us about two hours of sufficiently warm coffee). It also has a white ceramic coating on the interior, which offers both easy cleaning and enhanced visibility of the contents when looking through the clear, plastic lid of this opaque carafe. Speaking of the lid, it twists on with a satisfying locking click once locked, and stays put while pouring. Like the Espro P7, the plunger assembly is designed to fully separate the grounds away from the brewed coffee once pushed down. In the Yeti, this is accomplished with a single-layer mesh filter with a silicone gasket plus an additional silicone disc that keeps siltier grounds at bay. The whole contraption unscrews into a few pieces that are all dishwasher safe. Both sizes come in an array of stainless steel-accented colors so matching it with your kitchen decor shouldn’t be a problem.
What we'd leave: No French press that holds 64 ounces of coffee is going to be easy to wrangle, and the utilitarian, nearly rectangular handle on this press doesn’t make that any easier—in fact, you might find yourself using two hands to steady it. As a Yeti product, it’s probably no surprise it’s bulky and heavy even before you add in 64 ounces of water. It would be nice if the lid’s pouring spout wasn’t just an opening and had some kind of slider lock (like Yeti’s bottles and tumblers) which might also enhance its heat retention.
Another great thermal French Press: Zojirushi Fresh Brew
Zojirushi
Fresh Brew French Press
Amazon
Pros and cons
Pros
- Good filter
- Great heat retention
- Easy to disassemble and clean
Cons
- Top doesn't have a strong seal
- Hand wash only
Specs
Size: 4.9” x 6.9” x 9.25”
Material: Stainless steel with plastic lid and parts
Capacity: 34 oz.
Warranty: 5 years (on the vacuum insulation)
My tests of travel coffee mugs have regularly picked Zojirushi as the best in both portability and heat retention, which is great once you’ve made your coffee. But what about the actual brewing? For that, Zojirushi has an insulated French press that offers some impressive features.
What we love: In lieu of double basket systems like Espro, Zojirushi opts for a semicircular fine mesh filter embedded in a plastic disc. When you tip the carafe, the non-mesh half doesn’t allow the finest grounds to slide forward, reducing sediment in your cup (though there was some unavoidable silt). Like the Yeti, this double-walled stainless steel pitcher was a beast when it came to retaining heat. After an hour, the coffee in the carafe was still a very toasty 150ºF+ and the limited filter exposure did its job of not overextracting the coffee while it sat. Zojirushi touts this press has a “dribble-reducing spout” and in the multiple times I tested it, I never had much if any issue with drippage. The pitcher is wide and easy to clean/scrape grounds from. All of the internal plunger parts disassembled and were clean with just a little dish soap and a sponge or brush (which you’ll have to do, because this is not dishwasher safe).
What we’d leave: Despite this generally feeling like a solidly built French press—and the fact that Zojirushi makes some of the most secure travel bottles out there—it was a little surprising that the rotating cover on the lid was so wobbly and not sealed in any way. It didn’t allow the coffee to cool too much, but I can only wonder how much warmer it might have been with something more airtight like the Yeti. Zojirushi also warns in the instructions that it’s not leakproof, something that was easily and unfortunately verifiable by tipping the press even with everything “closed.” Aesthetically, it’s not offensive, but it does look more like something you’d be served coffee from in a truck stop diner than a fancy brunch spot. Because it has a stainless steel pitcher the entire French press and all of its parts are hand wash only. They did, however, disassemble and clean up very easily. It’s just not as convenient as some other dishwasher safe models on this list.
How we tested French presses
After cleaning and inspecting each model for design features or pitfalls, I tested each with a 14-to-1 ratio (by weight) of 200°F water to coffee grounds to account for different capacities. Then I disassembled and washed each press and its parts according to manufacturer instructions and noted any pain points. Finally, I incorporated these French presses into my own coffee routine for two weeks for further one-the-job testing.
What we looked for in French presses
Durability
Many French presses on the market are of varying thicknesses of borosilicate or heat-proof glass, which means they’re pleasingly clear but also prone to breaking. While you can definitely use a glass French press for years, we still opted for stainless steel French presses as two of our top picks for longevity.
Form and function
It should offer ease of use and feel comfortable in your hand, not only from an ergonomic perspective, but for balance and control while pouring. Did the design of the actual product—its size, shape, or storability—make it easier or harder to brew with and keep. Also, does it look good?
Easy clean up
Ideally, parts come apart for cleaning and can be reassembled easily. Bonus points for dishwasher-safe status.
Does it make good coffee?
Is the coffee that actually comes out of the French press free of grounds and sediment, and does leaving coffee in the carafe exposed to the grounds risk over-extraction?
Other French presses I liked
Oxo 8 Cup French Press
Oxo
Oxo’s penchant for making quality, user-friendly products is on display in this inexpensive French press that we’d rank right up there with the Espro P3. Its filtration is sufficient for keeping most sediment out. I also appreciated the GroundsLifter feature, a silicone-lined disc at the bottom of the carafe with a handle (think a flat ladle) that can slide your spent grounds out and into the compost bin with one motion. This is probably the French press that’s the easiest to clean.
Bodum Chambord French Press
Amazon
Assuming your grandparents drank French press coffee, this is their French press. It has been around for decades for good reason: It does the job. But I simply favor the innovation of Oxo’s GroundsLifter and the more effective filtration of the Espro over this steel-and-glass classic.
Ad Hoc
French Press
Best Buy
If my French press tests were a beauty contest, this one might be the winner. The one-liter model I tested is tall, dark, and slender, made from tinted grey borosilicate glass, which makes it lovely to look at but also difficult to clean and scrape grounds out (the smaller 600ml model might not have that issue). One of the more confusing aspects of both models is that they each have a silicone lid that doesn’t seal snugly around the rim of the pitcher, buckling a bit with the hot water added. That was particularly troublesome for heat retention — it just left an open gap where the pour spout sticks out. Pouring was a little lackluster, too, as there were frequent drips. All parts are dishwasher safe, however some of the pieces that screw the filter together are extremely small and begging to get lost down the drain. I score this one higher on form over function, but it certainly scores high on form.
Ikea
365 French Press
Shop at
Ikea
The main draws for an Ikea French press would be size, functionality, and (as it is with most Ikea items) price point which, as of this writing, is just under $20. I liked the overall weight and feel of it (though it did dribble some when pouring), and the bamboo knob and cork coaster add a flair of sophistication to serving at a breakfast table. All parts, except those two I just mentioned, are also dishwasher safe. However, the lid is a little wobbly and the mesh portion of the filter stuck me a few times with sharp fiber when I washed it. It’s simply a case of managing expectations in quality considering the price.
Zwilling
Sorrento French Press
Amazon
Williams Sonoma
If you’re torn between the elegant look of glass and heat retention of a vacuum-insulated steel, Zwilling’s Sorrento Plus has just about everything you’re looking for. The double-walled borosilicate glass pitcher has that magical “floating” effect when filled with coffee, which does the more scientific duty of keeping the coffee warm for longer than other glass carafes (but not as hot or as long as stainless steel). The filter isn’t as good as Espro’s or Yeti’s, but after one hour, leftover coffee only tasted slightly over-extracted and sediment wasn’t too much of an issue, either. All parts are dishwasher safe and easy to disassemble. The lid, like so many other presses, was a little wobblier than I would like, though the stainless steel “cap” portion sits nicely on top of the pitcher to stabilize the plunger push. One worrying aspect was multiple mentions in the accompanying literature to “keep away from children.” I take that to mean it’s fragile in a way that might worry anyone living with someone prone to clumsiness (of any age).
Le Creuset French Press
Williams Sonoma
Amazon
Like so many Le Creuset products, this French press is more about delivering on that French countryside aesthetic than any singular coffee brewing innovation. I'd liken its performance to that of the Bodum Chambord, but its stoneware construction offers better heat retention. For daily use, it might just be too fancy for its own good. However, it does come in some pretty Le Creuset colors, and would probably serve a dual purpose as a serving pitcher for any kind of liquid.
Frieling Insulated French Press
Amazon
This sleek, stainless steel French press is well loved by other online reviewers, and while I generally liked it, I did find the filter was perhaps too good at keeping coffee and water separate to the point that it produced a lighter cup compared to pour-over methods and not what French press drinkers typically want. That effective filter was also a little too snug to push down the plunger easily. It does come in a variety of sizes, and as for looks, it’s definitely a stunner.
Sterling Pro French Press
Amazon
If you’re looking for something insulated and stainless steel that still looks fancy without the high price tag of the Frieling or Espro P7, this French press delivers on those points. However, it also delivered a few too many grounds in our coffee, which was weaker than we’d like.
Secura French Press
Amazon
Another budget-friendly option that still manages to look sleek, Secura’s French press performed similarly to the SterlingPro, but comes in a matte black in addition to a stainless steel finish. It comes with extra screens, which is nice, but we think the superior filtration of the Espro P3 still has this one beat in the same price range.
French presses I don't recommend
Typically Fellow is at the top of all our coffee reviews, but not this time. The positives? This is another beautiful press that we’d want to keep out of the cabinet for sheer eye candy value. It also has an effective filter and vacuum-insulted design for keeping heat in. The thing it didn’t keep well was the coffee, which leaked from various parts of the lid while pouring. And for the price, that shouldn't be an issue.
Stanley Classic Stay Hot French Press
While Stanley makes some cute and colorful water bottles and tumblers these days, its French press harkens back to its rough-and-tumble utilitarian roots. It’s big and rugged-looking, and it only comes in a 48-ounce size, making it more ideal for serving a group of your outdoorsy buds around a campfire than daily use in a home kitchen. The Yeti checks all those boxes as well and makes better coffee.
The rest of your coffee set up
Source: This story originated with Bon Appétit.
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