Oh am I happy to be back reviewing something coffee related. I did a whole lot of work in my series on coffee grinders, making all kinds of coffee, all kinds of sizes, and I really thought all that knowledge would just fall by the wayside, pulled out at the more boring kind of parties. But no, I got a new thing to look into, test out and taste. Well, I won’t be tasting, that’s for my partner to do, I make coffee, she drinks it. Rather than a grinder review this is for a french press, I bought one to test out coarse ground coffee and my partner prefers it for the strength of taste made quick. The LINKYO is an interesting build, full stainless steel design, with ease of use in mind.
French press coffee has many benefits over traditional drip coffee. Foremost among them is the taste and strength. Drip coffee is kinda like rolling the dice from my perspective, there are so many things to tweak and so many ways to get a bad cup of coffee if you mess up even one of them. The grind being poor, the filter imparting flavor, the brew time over doing it, too many variable. If you want something simple, with as few variables as possible then the French Press might be exactly what you are looking for.
As I mentioned earlier, I do not drink coffee. Never got the taste for it, but I love making it. I worked for a number of years as a barista, and while espresso based drinks are my specialty, I grew found of the minor league pageantry involved in making French press coffee during my grinder reviews. The smells fill the house, and if you get the beans ground just right, and brew for the right time, you are left with one of the most pleasant drinks out there. My partner will be doing the taste tests.
So let’s start with a look at the build itself, best to know what we are working with before I go ahead and make the brew.
LINKYO French Press Coffee Maker Design and Build Quality
There is some real heft to the build too, even the smaller models. I love a good bit of weight in the products I purchase, gives a real sense of value and durably, and it is clear that those two things were in mind when this went to the manufacturers. I went with the smallest build, in the classic sheen set. 34 oz is still a bit much for the amount of coffee I make, but for those of you who need a full carafe of the black stuff this is excellent value.
The filter wand is dual layered, which is something that was missing from my own french press. I asked my partner about the sediment in the dink, and she says that the old one did leave a fair bit. I guess she thought that’s just how french presses worked, but it seems that with care a design can be put together to minimize that.
Overall we have a well built machine, that looks more than up to the task of brewing fine coffee for the entire room. It might be a little big for me, but I am sure there are those out there who will be thrilled by the volume here. Moving on to the actual coffee, and the ever important taste test.
LINKYO French Press Coffee Maker Testing
Let’s take a moment to talk about how french presses work, and highlight the important parts for when you go to brew your own. The first thing you are going to want to do is grind your beans. You can get prefabs, but I feel they lose flavor, even with the preservative techniques used these days. You want a nice uniform coarse grind. Uniformity of the grind is important due to the speed of the flavor and chemical release during brewing. You want all of the grind to release at the same time, else you end with a weak or bitter brew.
Next you want to heat water to a shade below boiling, I tend to aim for 200 degrees, and fill the press to about the half way point. Clean off the excess water on the sides then add your grind. be sure to grind no longer than five minutes before hand, else it will begin to lose flavor. Cover the mix of coffee and water, but do not press the plunger. Let it sit for thirty minutes or so, I prefer a little longer, but it is up to you.
Next we open it up again and fill to the top with water, same temperature as before, here we give it a slow stir. Once there we cover again and let it settle for a further three or four minutes. Once done come back and push that plunger, but do so slowly. Once firmly at the bottom it’s ready to pour. My partner prefers to drink hers as is, but you can add whatever you like to the fresh coffee, down to preference really.
So I made the coffee and asked her opinion of the drink. She loved it, a rich and full bodied flavor, strong enough to wake you up and get on with your day. French press really does have the edge in terms of flavor over drip, and while it is not quite as strong as the classic espresso, you tend to be able to make more of it at a time, circumventing that short coming nicely. It smelled amazing, I have to say. The dual layer plunger led to a significant reduction in the sediment too, barely any there, to the point where a final quaff tasted no different that the first. Overall an excellent brew.
Cleaning the press was easy. LINKYO choose their materials well, and all of them are machine washable. If I had a washing machine I would be thrilled, instead I am left with a sink, and found pretty easy to get in there and remove the grind. Took me about ten minutes including drying, which wasn’t bad at all.
Finally we come to the price. I expected this to be a little higher than what it is, but no. You can find the LINKYO French Press on amazon for a little over $20. That’s the smallest size though, which suits me, but if you are looking for something a little bigger they have a 50 oz model usually for sale around $30. These prices are sale prices though, so if you are in the market for a new coffee maker you’ll have to be quick to take advantage of the deal. The base price is closer to $50. The model also comes with replacement filters, a pair worth $9.99 on their own.
That said to see the current pricing on the LINKYO French Press Click Here.
LINKYO French Press Coffee Maker Conclusion
I spent only a short time with the LINKYO, and I am already impressed with the ease o use, and the quality of the coffee made. The double insulated container keeps the coffee hot for a long time too, though I do not recommend drinking it after it has been in there for more than forty minutes or so, else you’ll get a bitter brew. I have heard some reports regarding the supposed dishwasher safe nature of the build, and while I was unable to test this myself, not owning a dish washer and all, I suggest you simply clean it my hand.
Overall this is a low cost build, looks good, and makes a great cup of coffee to top it off.
To check out the current deals on the LINKYO French Press click here.
