In Italian, it is known as a caffettiera a stantuffo;[3] in German as a Pressstempelkanne,[4] Stempelkanne ("stamp pot"), Stabfilterkanne, Kaffeepresse ("coffee press") or Bistrokanne; in French as cafetière à piston,[5][6] or simply as cafetière (also the usage in Dutch),[7] though some speakers might also use genericized trademarks, such as Melior or Bodum.
In 1852, two Frenchmen, a Paris metalsmith and a merchant,[8] Henri-Otto Mayer and Jacques-Victor Delforge,[9] patented a forerunner of the French press, that did not create a seal around the filter.
In 1928,[11] a coffee press was created by Milanese designers Giulio Moneta[12] and Attilio Calimani which had a spring to seal the filter, and patented it in the United States in 1929.
[13] It underwent several design modifications through Faliero Bondanini, who patented his own version in 1958 and manufactured it in French clarinet factory Martin SA under the brand name Melior.
[22] Other approaches, such as cold brewing, require several hours of contact between the water and the grounds to achieve the desired extraction.
Plunging slowly prevents accidental scalding of the brewer and is purported to maximize the extraction of the oils and flavonoids from the ground bean.
Travel mug versions exist, which are made of tough plastic instead of the more common glass, and have a sealed lid with a closable drinking hole.
Some versions are marketed to hikers and backpackers not wishing to carry a heavy, metal percolator or a filter using drip brew.