by Pitt87 on Sun Nov 25, 2012 4:09 pm
I bought a french press last year and did the same thing you're doing now. For me, it comes down to two components:
1. Capacity. I drink about 4 cups a day, and my wife usually has one or two cups, so 12 ounces does just fine for me. I did find, however, when I have people over and I make coffee, I need to fuss with making several batches. I was ok with leaving my drip maker on the counter, so the 12 cup capacity was just fine.
2. Material. You need to eliminate the plastics right away; if you're using this every day, you will be pouring 200+ degree water into a cold glass beaker and will see small breaks in the plastic construction. Just stay away. The metal cage will wear better, cleans nicely, and handles temperature and moisture well. If you prefer to leave coffee in your press instead of using a separate carafe, you could consider a stainless carafe. I have seen some ceramics, but ceramic is porous and usually not smooth enough to prevent some grounds from escaping your screen.
Based on this, the first one will serve you well. I ended up with a Chambord, which is practically the same thing. Had it almost a year, still in great shape.
The grind is absolutely the most important part of the press. So the real question... what kind of grinder are you going to use?