Here’s Whether or Not French Press Coffee is Bad for You

Is A French Press Coffee Bad For You?

It can potentially be detrimental to your health by increasing your bad cholesterol (LDL) over time.

Data courtesy of the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that drinking unfiltered coffee increases both total and LDL cholesterol levels (2).

This is in contrast to trials that used filtered coffee, where only a slight increase in cholesterol levels was observed.

It turns out that coffee oils (e.g. cafestol) are the reason for the cholesterol-raising effects of java.

Nonetheless, having excessive amounts of these lipoproteins might clog your arteries.

And bad cholesterol (LDLs) is connected to increasing the risk of heart disease (3).

The best to do if you’re a die-hard French press fan is to monitor your cholesterol levels over time to see whether or not your LDL raises!

Of course, there are many java lovers who can’t just turn their backs on the good old French press.

The simplicity and unfiltered coffee flavor that it offers is sometimes hard to beat. But that shouldn’t come at the cost of your health.

My personal advice to you is to do regular blood tests (e.g. every month) to check how your cholesterol is moving.

This way you can know with certainty if your affection to unfiltered coffee has a negative impact on your well-being or not.

Does French Press Coffee Raise Cholesterol?

Yes, French press coffee can indirectly raise VLDL (bad) cholesterol via a diterpene named cafestol.

As previously mentioned, academic work has shown that cafestol (found in large quantities in unfiltered coffee) can increase VLDL levels in humans (4).

This should come as a warning sign to everyone who’s dealing with high cholesterol, yet loves sipping on unfiltered java.

There’s a condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia. This is a genetically-inherited condition related to having excessive amounts of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your system. So lowering your cholesterol through diet alone might not be easy if high cholesterol runs in your family!

But then again, don’t forget that most of the cholesterol in our bloodstream is produced by the liver.

That’s right – the liver is responsible for around 80% of all cholesterol in our bodies, while only 20% comes from what we consume.

For instance, the way your liver regulates cholesterol in your body is predetermined on a genetic level.

Thus, your diet only plays a supporting role when it comes to cholesterol.

How to Filter French Press Coffee?

If you want extra filtration, just get one of those disposable paper filters and you’re good to go.

However, you might find that most paper filters are actually too big.

If that’s the case, simply cut them so that you may wrap the paper filter around your French press’ default steel mesh.

As you’ve now probably realized, the steel mesh filter that you press the coffee beans (or grounds) with, doesn’t filter an awful lot.

That’s the exact idea of this brewing method – to drink unfiltered coffee!

But what if you’re using finely ground coffee?

Then you’ll probably need to add a paper filter on top of the steel mesh to filter out the micro-ground coffee.

What Are The Benefits Of French Press Coffee?

These are the main advantages of French press coffee:

• You don’t need electricity to brew the coffee
• Cleaning and using a French press is a breeze (you don’t need a coffee maker cleaner)
• You can adjust the coffee to your individual taste
• It tastes better than drip coffee
• The coffee has a thicker, less watery texture
• You don’t need a filter
• A French press is way cheaper than a traditional coffee maker

Although most people use a French press for the improved taste, convenience is another vital factor.

On one hand, the small presser doesn’t take lots of space on your kitchen counter.

And on the other, you can take it with you no matter where you go.

In fact, to brew java all that you need is 3 things – coffee grounds, hot water and a French press, voila!

Why is French Press Coffee Better Than Drip?

Coffee made with a French press might be better than drip coffee for several reasons:

• It retains larger amounts of coffee’s natural oils, giving you a more genuine cup of Joe
• It lets you play with a bunch of variables like how hot the water is, how long to steep the coffee grounds etc.
• It doesn’t require electricity to operate
• Cleaning a French press is less of a hassle

So, the thing with making coffee via a French press is that the grounds are always in direct contact with the water.

This means that you get coffee with more body and sediment i.e. a stronger coffee.

Or in other words, you get a genuine, unfiltered and pure cup of Joe.

And while those advantages cannot be disputed, drip machines have a few tricks up their sleeve too.

Drip coffee makers do a better job of providing java for more than one person, especially in office environments, restaurants etc.

And a drip machine will generally give you a cup of Joe quicker than a French press.

Although this depends on how long you let the ground coffee steep for.

Conclusion

It’s safe to say that French press coffee i.e. unfiltered coffee might not be optimal for people with high cholesterol.

That’s because as I already pointed out, studies claim that a compound named cafestol (found abundantly in unfiltered java) raises VLDL (bad) cholesterol in humans.

So if you have issues with your cholesterol levels, better check them on a regular basis if you’re a sucker for French press java.

Now, have you personally experienced an increase in your bad cholesterol as a result of drinking unfiltered coffee?

And if you did – what did your doctor say about it?

We’d love to know so make sure to drop a comment below!