French Presses

[debrycruise]

BF and I leave in 11 days. Holy moley. First cruise for both since we were pre-teens (with our own separate families since we definitely didn't know each other back then).

 

BF is a bit of a coffee snob and drinks a lot of it. Since we moved in together he uses my Keurig with his own coffee but he used to be obsessed with French Press coffee. We're tempted to bring the french press and a bag of coffee with us...

 

How does it work though? Would we order a pot of hot water from room service to make the coffee?

 

Would love to hear people's experiences with this. We're also debating which press to take -- we have 2 -- one is a stainless steel model but the filter is going on it and one is a new glass one but we're worried about it breaking...

[PCWalton1]

BF and I leave in 11 days. Holy moley. First cruise for both since we were pre-teens (with our own separate families since we definitely didn't know each other back then).

 

BF is a bit of a coffee snob and drinks a lot of it. Since we moved in together he uses my Keurig with his own coffee but he used to be obsessed with French Press coffee. We're tempted to bring the french press and a bag of coffee with us...

 

How does it work though? Would we order a pot of hot water from room service to make the coffee?

 

Would love to hear people's experiences with this. We're also debating which press to take -- we have 2 -- one is a stainless steel model but the filter is going on it and one is a new glass one but we're worried about it breaking...

 

You could bring a press and order a pot of water from room service, but it is not going to be adequately hot for a proper press. To properly brew a french press the water should be just off the boil and it will not be that hot in a room service delivered thermal carafe. But if he is drinking k-cups at home he is probably not that picky and the water from room service should be fine. :)

[dixieva]

If you are in a JS or above you will have a kettle to boil water and a one cup coffee maker. Kurig cups won't work in it though.

[monn_a]

I was wondering about using a press on board as well, but was concerned about the water being hot enough. I use a percolator at home and it's so much better than drip coffee and the press is the best...I'd be interesting in knowing, too, if anyone has had success with it on a ship.

[endymion6942]

I live in New Orleans and cannot live without having my coffee&chicory every morning. Having said that, I have stopped bringing coffee with me on a cruise, it is just too much hassle.

[sherilyn70]

I have a stainless steel french press as well... but when I thought about several things I realized it wasn't practical (same with the tea press).

 

The water will not be the correct temperature if ordered from room service.

You will have no good way to properly clean the press and dispose of the grinds. Rinsing it in the tiny sinks with no disposal system would not be good for the ship.

The weight of my stainless steel press is not something I want extra in my luggage.

Glass I wouldn't even consider taking, they are too delicate.

[PCWalton1]

Keep in mind you have to figure out how to clean the press after use. And please don't pour the ground down the sink drain as you would not want to clog up the plumbing for your fellow passengers. :o

[Tom.Terrific]

As coffee aficionados ourselves (read snobs) :D We've been hard pressed to enjoy the coffee served onboard some of our cruises. (IMHO the after dinner coffee seems to be the best) And while the french press can make a great cup of coffee, cleanup's a mess. I use an Aero Press at work. It makes a great cup and cleanup is simplified, but you still need a kettle to get the water temperature right, and maybe a grinder too...

 

So to eliminate the maintenance and bulk of the presses, we've elected to have room service deliver hot water and creamer, and we bring Starbuck's Via coffee packets. I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but they provide a perfectly acceptable cup of coffee, they're quick, there isn't any cleanup, and they don't take up any space. Works for us anyway...

[eel]

I have an Aero Press too. Makes a very good cup of coffee fast and with very simple cleanup. But you do need hot (190 degree) water. You can get an Aero Press pretty cheap from Amazon. Maybe if you tip your cabin steward $10 he will bring you a kettle?

[cruisegirl1]

I too, love a good cup of coffee. That is why I drink hot tea while on a cruise :D..

[PCWalton1]

As coffee aficionados ourselves (read snobs) :D We've been hard pressed to enjoy the coffee served onboard some of our cruises. (IMHO the after dinner coffee seems to be the best) And while the french press can make a great cup of coffee, cleanup's a mess. I use an Aero Press at work. It makes a great cup and cleanup is simplified, but you still need a kettle to get the water temperature right, and maybe a grinder too...

 

So to eliminate the maintenance and bulk of the presses, we've elected to have room service deliver hot water and creamer, and we bring Starbuck's Via coffee packets. I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but they provide a perfectly acceptable cup of coffee, they're quick, there isn't any cleanup, and they don't take up any space. Works for us anyway...

 

That is what we did last month on Splendour and it made for the best option in the mornings. :)

[sakigemcam]

We're coffee snobs too (and tea snobs actually) but for the vacay we are just giving up on quality coffee (not paying the premium Starbucks prices). Part of vacay is relaxing on some stuff. I'll be so relaxed there will be no need for caffeine!:D

[Lady_Gamecock]

I wonder if the Starbucks on Oasis class ships might have a French Press, or the ability to brew a pot of French Press for a fee?

 

When I was a poor, college graduate, I worked at a Starbucks here in Charleston and learned the "ins and outs" of coffee, including the wonderful world of French Press.

 

Good Luck!

 

Lady_G

[cruisegirl1]

I wonder if the Starbucks on Oasis class ships might have a French Press, or the ability to brew a pot of French Press for a fee?

 

When I was a poor, college graduate, I worked at a Starbucks here in Charleston and learned the "ins and outs" of coffee, including the wonderful world of French Press.

 

Good Luck!

 

Lady_G

 

Sorry - REALLY off topic

 

Hope you saw the baseball game last night! Go Gamecocks

M ( from Columbia)

[medfordgirl]

I just bought myself a small wireless electric kettle (1 pint) when I take the top part off the small part the plugs in, it lust looks like a mug. It also turns off my itself when boils. It is by bodum. I plan on taking it with me so I can make my hot chocolate. I just take the hot chocolate packets from the promenade cafe. I got used to that on my last cruise on freedom in a jr suite with the water kettle that they have in the room. I also may bring my hand held espresso maker (really easy to use and clean and it is manual) for my hubby. Just hope they don't confiscate my bodum kettle. hoping they just think it is a mug.

[Lady_Gamecock]

Sorry - REALLY off topic

 

Hope you saw the baseball game last night! Go Gamecocks

M ( from Columbia)

 

I actually didn't watch the game, but I followed it on Gamecock Central on my iPhone all night long. DH watched the last inning and watched the team cinch up the game.

 

Looking forward to Tuesday night's game, though. :D

 

Lady_G

[rubrrick]

I just bought myself a small wireless electric kettle (1 pint) when I take the top part off the small part the plugs in, it lust looks like a mug. It also turns off my itself when boils. It is by bodum. I plan on taking it with me so I can make my hot chocolate. I just take the hot chocolate packets from the promenade cafe. I got used to that on my last cruise on freedom in a jr suite with the water kettle that they have in the room. I also may bring my hand held espresso maker (really easy to use and clean and it is manual) for my hubby. Just hope they don't confiscate my bodum kettle. hoping they just think it is a mug.

 

 

They won't confiscate your bodum kettle. It's not like an iron, or something that would have the ability to catch fabric on fire.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!:)

 

Rick

[IL-cruisers]

I also REALLY like my good morning cup. On a previous cruise I thought I'd do the French press thing after HATING the bilgewater buffet coffee made from liquid concentrate (EEEEESH!!) but I found the water I could get from room service wasn't hot enough by the time I got it, and it was a hassle to schlep it up to the buffet to get the hot water from there; idea was to have it self-contained in the cabin. And yes, as others have said, the clean-up was also a hassle.

 

I started a thread here in which I asked about the coffee, and it sounds like from the great replies the buffet coffee is better than it used to be -- no longer made from reconstituted glop -- and also good coffee is available at the Cafe Promenade so it sounds like I'll be fine. :D

[IL-cruisers]

Oh, the other thing I did a couple times is buy a cheap-o electric drip maker at Walmart or similar (could usually find one for ~$10) to use for the week, and then leave it behind if the stateroom attendant wanted to keep it, which they did. But I see now that coffee makers aren't allowed onboard. (Perhaps they weren't when I brought them previously and I just didn't know and didn't get caught??)

[bighairtexan]

They did blind taste tests w/ Starbucks regular cafe' Americano and their VIA Colombian roast and the Via won hands down.

[IL-cruisers]

we've elected to have room service deliver hot water and creamer, and we bring Starbuck's Via coffee packets.

 

Hi Tom - never tried the Via packs before. Is the water hot enough by the time it arrives to the cabin?

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

 

p.s. - BEST avatar on the site, BTW!! :cool:

[Tom.Terrific]

Hi Tom,

 

For us, the VIA packs taste best when you treat them just like fresh ground beans. Meaning, use good tasting fresh drawn tap water, that's been heated to just off the boil. This scenario while at sea, is unlikely at best. But we're willing to compromise, and the VIA packets (and this is just my limited experience talking here...) are "forgiving" and still make a pretty good cup even when the water temperature is less than optimal.

 

I suggest experimenting on your own, to find what's acceptable to you. Making coffee with the VIA packs is a compromise for sure, but it works well for us.