Plunger: spring plate, mesh and cross plate on one rodThe mesh lets the coffee up and holds the grounds downA French press has no paper and no pump: the coffee simply sits in the water. Coarse grounds go in the beaker, 500 g of water just off the boil goes on top, and the lid keeps the heat in for four minutes while the grounds float as a crust and the water darkens. Then the plunger goes down. Its fine steel mesh, held flat between a cross plate and a spring plate that hugs the glass, lets the liquid pass and carries the grounds to the bottom, where they stay while you pour. The steep is played 30 times faster than life.